Cover Image: White Fragility

White Fragility

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Member Reviews

Whilst it has taken me a while to read, I'm so glad that I did. This was the first book on racism that I have read by a white author, and it was interesting to get that different perspective. Whilst people of colour (and particularly black people) are the targets of racism and need to be heard, in learning to change and be better it seems important to read voices from both sides. As the subjects of racism themselves, black people have a lot to say on how to confront it, but their approach and own unlearning necessarily comes from a different angle. With many finding this to be particularly confrontational it is important to have people able to voice why this is and how best to approach it, whilst not trying to invalidate that lived experience.

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As someone who works with EDI a lot, this one wasn't ground-breaking for me, but I did get some insights into it. I am biracial, so learning DiAngelo's methods of unpacking white fragility has helped me identify harmful behaviors in white family and friends. A recommended read for all white people.

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This book reminds me of the Avenue Q song "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist." It talks bout how all white people are racist--because our society is inherently racist--but it also gives the readers the tools they need to get over it. By the way, denying that one is racist is due to white fragility. Accepting you have a problem is the first step.

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This should be required reading in schools for students and staff. In order for the US to begin to make changes dismantling white supremacy, white people need to interrogate their role in perpetuating and maintaining the system. DiAngelo beautifully outlines the steps necessary for them to take to build a better, non-racist America.

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Robin DiAngelo has lots of very good points. I appreciated all she had to say and will vow to work harder to correct my inherent bias. I found the book to be very repetitious, but perhaps we white people need that. A good book to read and take to heart.

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Robin DiAngelo breaks down the concept, history and complexity of racism and leads the reader to an understanding of the term white fragility, which she argues is the most difftpart of navigation a productive conversation about race with white people. At the beginning of this book, she breaks down a critical component of white fragility—the belief in individualism and objectivity. This breakdown is an important part of the understanding of our social conditioning, and one that I will bring into the classroom as an educator. There are time when DiAngelo does a bit too much hand holding of her perceived white reader that May be at the expense of a POC reader—the “not all of us” narrative, however she moves through this book in a way that I think is meant to ease that perceived reader into a deeper line of questioning that ultimately serves the purpose of this text.

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This book can be intense. DiAngelo is no nonsense and comes at you. This is SO needed though. Everyone should read this.

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Lately, I read a lot in order to be a better human. I am a white woman born into privilege and socialized into white supremacy (not the KKK kind, the basic everyday kind that this book addresses). These are facts I cannot help or change, but what I can do is work hard to better understand social and cultural experiences which are different from my own, without trying to deny it or to justify the role I may have played in it. This is humbling work, but necessary if we are truly going to change anything about the current social stratification problem.

I definitely think this book is for every white person, and I also think that many will not be brave enough or aware enough to read it.

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I appreciate this book. I also highly recommend all people read this book to understand what racism truly is and understand his or her own role. Some people will feel this book is pointing fingers or being confrontational, but what this book points out is how people of color feel on a daily basis in white spaces. DiAngelo makes people confront themselves and their behaviors and actions or lack of. She also provides great advice in the later part of the book about owning and repairing racist behavior by giving an example of her own mishap with a coworker. Overall, I enjoyed the book and, again, recommend it for all to read with an open mind.

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I teach undergrads in human services and social sciences, so DiAngelo's book was not full of new information for me, but it was very well organized and clearly made to be as accessible as possible for white people that often have reasons to feel defensive when experiencing feedback, whether that is because they think of themselves as an aware ally or because they haven't had much exposure to thinking about US history and present dynamics of oppression and privilege or feel that with respect to other aspects of their identity, they are the oppressed ones.

I'd love to get people reading this book, but I hope that when they do they have others to talk with about it and process it. If it does evoke strong feelings, my advice would be take a break, but stick with the feelings and thoughts, by which I mean don't run for the playbook of rationalizations. For some of us this way of thinking is a real change, but as DiAngelo points out, it can help us who want to stop contributing to social oppression better walk the walk, instead of talking the talk while making sure nothing really changes.

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Robin DiAngelo takes on the task of problematizing the interactions between white people who do not consider themselves racists (and even people who consider themselves allies) and black people. The intention of this problematizing is to illustrate that actions taken and words spoken without intending to be racist frequently are, and when confronted about this white fragility kicks in - people get defensive, cry, try to explain their intentions, etc. DiAnglo tries to contextualize why white fragility is a problem and how to address it both internally and externally. The trouble with this is that DiAngelo tries to do this in such a short and condensed book, that much of what is discussed is in generalities - and these generalities, unfortunately, lead to cognitive dissonance and for DiAngelo to contradict herself in applications of strategies. With more analysis and granular investigation this may have been avoided. Additionally, DiAngelo only briefly touches on the challenges of "channel switching" and spends no time analysis when multiple "channels" are on at the same time - what would have been useful and interesting is when racism/white fragility are being enacted at the same time #metoo type sexism and/or lgbtqi bigotry are. This is not addressed and therefore leaves us guessing at engagement, prioritization, and even conflicting tactical implementations DiAngelo would recommend. This book is frustrating in that there are no simple answers, actions, or steps - but that is the point - addressing white fragility is not simple, easy, or direct. This book is highly recommended, but it will raise more questions, concerns, ideas, and conflicts than it actually addresses.

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The title of this book had me concerned that it would be confrontational. I also thought I might not be the target audience, and feared that it was written for an audience that wouldn't read it. I was wrong. It is an important book for white people who think they aren't racist to read. DiAngelo challenged me to reflect on racism in my life, and how it impacts those around me. DiAngelo clears up some common misconceptions on racism. She also reminds readers that racism isn't just present in hate groups, and that white privilege doesn't mean that white people never face difficulties. People who are more familiar with the current discourse on race may find that they are already familiar with concepts in the book.

In the classroom, social studies and English teachers may find that excerpts of this book spark meaningful conversations about race.

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