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  • So You Want to Talk About Race

  • By: Ijeoma Oluo
  • Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
  • Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (473 ratings)

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So You Want to Talk About Race

By: Ijeoma Oluo
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
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Summary

In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a revelatory examination of race in America

A current, constructive, and actionable exploration of today’s racial landscape, offering straightforward clarity that readers of all races need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide

In So You Want to Talk about Race, editor-at-large of the Establishment Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the “N” word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don’t dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans.

Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward, funny, and effective in her coverage of sensitive, hyper-charged issues in America. Her messages are passionate but finely tuned, and crystallize ideas that would otherwise be vague by empowering them with aha-moment clarity. Her writing brings to mind voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay, and Jessica Valenti in Full Frontal Feminism, and a young Gloria Naylor, particularly in Naylor’s seminal essay “The Meaning of a Word.”

©2018 Ijeoma Oluo (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
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Critic reviews

"Narrator Bahni Turpin's impassioned voice clearly conveys the gravity of this book on race and racism.... Key points are repeated to help listeners absorb ideas and definitions, and Turpin engagingly reads real-life examples Oluo uses to illustrate complex concepts such as intersectionality and white privilege." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about So You Want to Talk About Race

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Must listen esp if you are white or have privilege

This was a really well narrated book often at times really uncomfortable and necessarily so. I’m glad to have heard this book. I’ll be coming back to it soon

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Excellent

This was an accessible and exceptional book which really helped me to understand the nuances involved in discussions around race. Prepare to feel discomfort, in a very productive way, as this book pulls no punches. Highly recommended.

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To the point and so so worthwhile

I would reccomend that every person read this - even if you're white and feel pretty naive when it comes to talking about race, if you want to do better but have no idea where to start and are afraid of making "the wrong move", this book has you covered. Oluo gets her point across with a mixture of anecdotal evidence and undeniable facts, but always leaves you with a call to action and advice. It is an uncomfortable read, but it is so worthwhile.

The narrator was also fantastic for this book, very clear and easy to listen to, and stressed the most important and emotive points really well.

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Brilliant Book

Read this book - just read it. You are guaranteed to learn at least 1 thing (really you will learn hundreds). Excellently written, beautifully read, incredibly important book in the current climate (and previous climates, but most weren't as aware before June). Thank you Ijeoma for your words ❤

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Start here to do better

Part heart-wrenching memoir, part how-to guide, So You Want to Talk About Race is a well-supported and useful manual to do better. Read this, and act.

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Everyone needs to read this book

Well written, excellent explanations and beautifully read. This book is such a useful resource that must have been very difficult to write and we should all be grateful and take advantage of such a resource that will change your outlook on everything.

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A must read

So accessible and informative. Ready to test preconceptions and provoke thought and promote action. Delivered flawlessly. now to digest and assess how to challenge the day to day systemic racism.

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Excellent, points are absolutely spot on

There has been a spate of incredible literature from African American writers, and this book in particular, stands out because of its instructional, informative guide on tackling racism as a topic.

From discussing how to approach the subject with others, to giving direct instructions for those who are willing to learn to change, there are few books out there that are as useful as Ijeoma Oluo's step by step process.

Most of all, the introduction of intersectionality, micro-aggressions and the myth of the model migrant is absolutely vital. It is one of the only books on racism I've seen in mainstream literature, that tackles issues faced by other races such as the East Asian and South Asian communities, bringing together a more diverse portrayal rather than just black, white and Hispanic.

Her own personal views are wonderful - the chapter on her 8-year-old son's choice to not pledge allegiance is utterly heartfelt, and yet she handles the situation very well. An absolute essential read.

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superbly written

absolutely loved this book, every topic an experienced lived by me as a black woman living in the UK.
Highly recommend it, a must read by all races and ethnic groups.

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An incredible eye-opener

This book made me cry so many times. I'm an Eastern European, and for such a long time I didn't understand what the debate about race was all about. I was angry that white people were being all lumped together, but I didn't know much about these issues, so I decided to try listening first. It pays off. I really had no idea. I'd say please, please, if you want to talk about racial issues, read this first. This book is not going to change the opinions of people who don't want to listen, and maybe a lot of this is nothing new to people who have long been taking racial equality seriously, but if you are a "beginner" like me (and I would quietly add, that many of us likely know a lot less about this than we think we know), this book is a must read.

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16 people found this helpful