July 17, 2017
With its provocative title, this debut book by London journalist Eddo-Lodge is a plainspoken, hard-hitting take on mainstream British society’s avoidance of race and the complexities and manifestations of racism. Eddo-Lodge describes Britain’s history of slavery, segregation, and discrimination toward black people, and she shows how this history both mirrors and diverges from the history of America’s treatment of African-Americans. Slavery existed as a British institution for 271 years, but most of the plantations that British citizens operated were in the Caribbean, and as a result “most British people saw the money without the blood.” Once in Britain, black people encountered “No blacks, no dogs, no Irish” signs in the windows of many establishments. Eddo-Lodge’s crisp prose and impassioned voice implore white Britain to look beyond obvious racism to acknowledge the more opaque existence of structural racism. She describes this deep-seated prejudice as “thousands of people with the same biases joining together to make up one organization, and acting according.” She points to the “impenetrable white workplace culture” as an example of the collective effects of bias, and shows how black people face these sorts of disadvantages of every stage in life. Her analysis takes on contemporary issues, understanding Brexit through a lens of white fear of multiculturalism and chastising the kind of feminism that refuses to see the how gender and race intertwine. With this thoughtful and direct book, Eddo-Lodge stokes the very conversation that the title rejects.
December 1, 2017
Eddo-Loge's powerful debut is based on a 2014 blog post of the same title about the frustrations of talking about race and racism. The post went viral and sparked deeper conversations further detailed in this book. Using research, personal experience, and firsthand interviews, the author details what it means to be black in Britain, especially in a theoretical postracial society. She clearly outlines the history of oppression in her country by examining systemic racism, white privilege, feminism, immigration, race and class, social justice, and more. Of note is the review of intersectionality in feminism and the difficulties of understanding feminism without considering class and race as part of the struggle. This informative work challenges readers to study the patterns of racism and how it has unwittingly upheld societies. Although frustrated with having frequent discussions about race, Eddo-Loge comes to terms with the necessity of continuing the conversation and the implications of remaining silent. VERDICT A provocative read for anyone interested in race, politics, social history, and the lives of people of color; a must-read that expertly reflects the challenges of addressing structural racism.--Tiffeni Fontno, Boston Coll.
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