Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?- And Other Conversations about Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum
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Web ID: 16835643Startling and Important
The data Dr. Tatum presents, along with her observations and conclusions, are alarming and discomfiting but necessary. Race is an uncomfortable topic, and it may make some readers defensive, but I believe all should persevere and reap the benefits. Things are still pretty bad, Dr. Tatum notes in her 20th anniversary edition, but even doing small things can help dissipate the smog of racism. I think this book is for people who want to understand: (1) More about race generally (including its effect on job applications); (2) how people can better explore their own racial identities and guide children through their explorations; and (3) how to do effective ally work.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Fantastic Starting Point
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD. is a nonfiction book detailing and explaining certain ideas and questions about race from an uniquely psychological point of view. With her background specifically in the development of identity and ideas around identity in Black children, Tatum makes some especially poignant arguments for how to educate Black children in school settings. I really appreciate how easily accessible this book is, and because of that makes it a great starting point for those who are just starting to read about race and are not ready to jump into the deep end of critical race theory. Tatum also gives plenty of examples of next steps for the reader including more books to read about race, books written by white activists about their journey to becoming antiracists, organizations to join, and ways to start dismantling white supremacy in basic conversations with coworkers, friends, and family members. This book is a classic for a reason, and I strongly suggest picking this book up instead of White Fragility by Robin Diangelo as a starting point for nonfiction about race. It is important to point out with the increase of anti-Asian and Pacific Islander violence occurring since the start of the pandemic that Tatum spends a chapter of the book talking about white supremacy’s affect on Asian Americans and their development of identities around their race. Tatum also expands this conversation to MENA, Latine, and Indigenous folks as well, but the chapter surrounding Asian Americans is especially important given the environment currently. Like all other nonfiction OwnVoices books, I will not be rating this book, however, I did enjoy it quite a bit and would recommend it to anyone.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com