This book is a really well written and very accessible read on how white feminism has hurst and still hurts women of colour throughout the world, and helps white supremacy. The author, who is Arabic and Australian, does a very good job at writting about different experiences. It's definitely a must read.

An excellent discussion on the connection between race and feminism. It is insightful, comprehensive and thought provoking. A must read for any woman.

White Tears/Brown Scars – How White Feminism Betrays Women of Colour by Ruby Hamad

If you are a white person you should read this book.

Hamad is an Australian freelance writer and journalist based in Sydney, and born in Lebanon. In May 2018 Hamad wrote an Op Ed in the Guardian describing the weaponising of tears by white women against women of colour. White Tears/Brown Scars is an extrapolation of this shorter piece of work, which provides a broader context (geographical, historical and political) for this process.

I have seen Hamad’s book regularly described as unapologetic. I’m not sure how I feel about this. Hamad has no need to apologise, quite the reverse. Having said that, the book is so powerful, not just in content, but in the writing, which is punchy and incredibly thoroughly researched and evidenced. It evidences the ways that (some) white women have bought into their own oppression by performing the stereotypes of white femininity that are permissible in a patriarchal society to maintain their proximity to white masculinity and thus to cling onto the small amount of power they have been allotted as a result of this proximity. It describes the processes, enacted in tandem to this, whereby white women have and continue to marginalise and devalue women of colour, again in order to maintain their own grasp on power. Hamad describes how this is done specifically through the mechanism of tears in the face of being called out on racism – employing the residual, and deeply colonial and binary, narrative of southern bell or delicate white woman who need to be saved and protected by white masculinity.

Hamad also describes the destruction caused by the female white saviour figure throughout history, and the double injustice that these acts have been documented and maintained through history as virtuous.

The whole book calls anyone who identifies as a feminist to check and reflect their own feminism to make sure that it is informed and inclusive. An absolute must read.

'White tears / brown scars' was uncomfortable to read, but it couldn't be otherwise. I'm grateful I got this perspective from a brown woman on white women's fragility - it has certainly given me plenty to reflect on.

In this book, Ruby Hamad shares the history of white women's complicity in white supremacy and their exploitation to this day of the damsel in distress trope to avoid taking responsibility for their role in maintaining white supremacy and the racism non-white women have to suffer as a result. She also reflects on the ways in which white feminism has not been intersectional despite its claims to sisterhood and its appropriation of the work of black and brown women.

White women just keep dropping the ball on women of colour. No wonder they're sick of us. This is conscious work that all of us white women have to do, it's not something that will just happen. The onus is on us.

I just wish the structure of the book had been a little tighter and more focused, I felt like some direction was lacking at times. But it is a well researched piece of work which also feels very personal to the author. I haven't seen any hype for this book and I really hope it finds its audience, it deserves to be read.

This book is absolutely vital. I believe it is essential reading for everyone, but particularly white feminists. As someone who calls herself an intersectional feminist, this read was crucial. I’ve become more and more educated in recent years as to how important inclusive feminism is. Yet this book opened my eyes to just how damaging white-centred feminism truly is. The concept of the damsel-in-distress (and the damsel-in-defence) and how white tears, even those that are unconscious, are implicit in white supremacist systems and, ultimately, brown scars.

Hamad intricately explores the impacts of colonialism and stereotypes, using both historical accounts and examples from today. How many white suffragettes were racist and how many formed groups to take indigenous children from their mothers. How white women weren’t so oblivious to slavery as white and Western history makes out. Hamad also looks at issues from The Hunger Games and how the casting of Rue caused uproar (something I was completely unaware of up until reading this book) to Hilary Clinton’s involvement in hawkish policies on the Middle East, implicit in suffering and killing.

This book completely unpacks problems and divisions within the feminist movement. It’s not an easy read - it will really anger you. But it will also give you self-reflection, particularly if you’re someone who has white privilege. WTBS gave me so much food for thought. I haven’t even touched on half the issues Hamad explores. This is one that I will constantly go back to. I think I need to buy a physical copy.

With sincere thanks to Orion Publishing Group; Trapeeze and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

I should probably start this review by stating that I am a white woman, feminist and thought my feminism was intersectional because I think that yes, anti-racism has to be part of feminism. Boy was I ignorant. If there's one thing this book taught me, it's that you can know a problem exists without having the slightest idea of how bad and how widespread it is when it doesn't affect you.

I learnt a lot from this book because while we have more books about racism now, I never really sat down with one about racism against women of colour. This was an eye-opener for me, since it analyzes History and colonialism in ways I had never even considered and explains clearly how this History evolved into the society we live in and how outspoken racism evolved to become the hidden one we know today. It also shines a light on the role white women have in white supremacy, even without us realizing it. A sobering thought for sure.

"White tears" is not the only issue tackled in the book. Hamad also goes for the "sisterhood", that only exists when white women benefit from it, while we call WOC divisive when they challenge us about our racism. The double-edged sword of white passing is also explained, and I'll let you find out about the Lovejoy Trap because it's so, so true. There are so many ways for racism to hide in plain sight nowadays and white women's unwillingness to address our own bias is only making the struggle harder for WOC when we should be fighting for them even harder than we do for ourselves.

This book made me think of several recent controversies, like with the French film Cuties and white Republican women going after Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion for their hit song WAP. A lot are already mentioned in the book but once you see the pattern, you start to realize it's absolutely everywhere. It has definitely changed the way I see feminism and made me take a long hard look at myself to see how I personally fail WOC and how to do better in the future. It made me think a lot. Hopefully I'll become a better person thanks to this book.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE. But more especially to women of colour, who need to know they're not crazy when they don't understand why they're being punished for calling out racism, and white women, who need to read it with an open mind, acknowledge what they're doing wrong and learn how to do better.

Thank you, Ruby Hamad, for writing this book. It's been an honour to read it.

“White women can oscillate between their gender and their race, between being the oppressed and the oppressor. Women of color are never permitted to exist outside of these constraints: we are both women and people of color and we are always seen and treated as such.”⁠
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Ruby Hamad wrote White Tears Brown Scars after her Guardian article titled 'How white women use strategic tears to silence women of colour' caused much controversy, and even led to an African-American journalist losing her job after sharing the article to her personal Facebook page - since her white colleagues felt she was creating a 'hostile' work environment. ⁠
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Shocked by that incident? Well, be prepared for a much wilder ride, as @rubyhamadwriter recounts various experiences of racism and discrimination towards women of color by white women. ⁠
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White Tears/Brown Scars takes you on a journey through history and culture from pre-colonial times, the rise of slavery, up to modern times when white women in America hold the most powerful positions surrounding the weapons industry (although we don't hear about it), locating exactly how some of the most persistent archetypes and stereotypes came to be: the lascivious Jezabel, Bad Arabs, Dragon Ladies, White Damsels in Distress etc. ⁠
⁠
She argues that white feminism has been a weapon of white supremacy deployed against black and indigenous women and women of colour. Travelling through history from Australia to Zimbabwe to the United States, Hamad provides a deeply researched account of the history of oppression and racism, and the legacy of white superiority that doesn't want to leave its hold. ⁠
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It's not all history, though. Hamad takes a modern angle as well, discussing varied subjects such as The Hunger Games, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the casting of the first Arab as Aladdin in Hollywood and much more, thus unpicking gender and race in more familiar settings. ⁠

This is an uncomfortable read for a white feminist, but a necessary one. Hamad's writing is concise and she doesn't flinch at throwing punches left, right and centre, forcing us to look at reality in the face. I'm grief-stricken by many of the experiences recounted here, being told these are not exceptions, but the norm. Even the most innocent experience viewed through white superiority eyes take on a grim perspective, being told of the exact consequences they bring to women of colour. If you feel disgusted by your privileges by the end of the book, then good. That's how we should all feel.

I sincerely hope that more women get to read this, so that a change can become possible.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy.

#WhiteTearsBrownScars #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.

This book is clearly incredibly well researched and explorative consideration in the way in which white women have played a role in racism and how they continue to play a role. Hamad structures this book in what appears to be a series of essay-like chapters, focusing on different nuances and exploring the different ways that white feminism fails to take into account or take ownership for the lack of inclusive representation and focus. From the weaponising of white tears as a tactic to deflect from their racism and instead make themselves the victim, to white women's role in slavery, and the stereotypes that have developed around the world which still stand strong today.

This was a real eye-opening and sometimes uncomfortable read; it was thought provoking and covered such a depth of information that I feel it's important to take a moment after each chapter to really reflect on what has just been discovered, rather than binging this in one go. Hamad stresses the importance of white women taking responsibility for their actions and emotions and harnessing that to better the world for all women, not using it to push others down further.

Interspersed throughout the chapters are experiences of women that Hamad has spoken to or who reached out to her because they related to articles she posted. It's quite horrifying at times reading their experiences, especially that of them women who was fired after reposting the article Hamad wrote about white tears onto her Facebook... because it made white women feel attacked. Rather than actually considering the article and what it was exploring, they used it as "evidence" to suggest that she was attacking them.

A really important and timely read that is especially important for white women to consider and take ownership of their role in dismantling racism and sexism; because they have to go hand in hand and it cannot just be about the needs of white feminism.

🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿

White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad

🌼🌼🌼🌼/5

“White women’s tests have little effect on white men... because the damsel was never intended to implicate white men”

This incredible book argues that white feminism is used as a weapon of white supremacy and the patriarchy against BIPOC. The author dissects white feminism and how it intertwines throughout history and into the present day.

If you are looking for a book that explores the issues in the feminism movement then look no further. In my opinion this is an essential read for all white people as it highlights a huge intersectional issue.

I thoroughly, thoroughly recommend!!

An important, incisive book that all white women need to read if they want to work towards being more intersectional. It really made me think about how much is blamed on white men, without considering that white women share an important slice of the blame and work, too. Will definitely be rereading this, and will hopefully be buying my own copy sooner rather than later. White Tears/Brown Scars is written by a white-passing Arab woman, which I think adds an interesting nuance.

ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Like many young white girls, discovering feminism at a young age felt really meaningful to me. Learning the famous names of women who had fought so I could vote- it felt powerful and exciting. But we were not learning the whole history.
Feminism was, and remains, woefully white-centred, and those famous names that we celebrate have often been directly harmful to women of colour. This books takes us throughout history, looking at how colonialism has affected countries throughout the world, with a focus on how it has impacted women. A pattern clearly emerges of how white women were not the innocent victims that we like to remember them as, but were active and enthusiastic perpetrators of white supremacy.
Even today, when white women ask women of colour to set aside their race in order to focus on gender, white women maintain the status quo and ensure that any progress is limited to improving the lives of white women- even if it is at the expense of all other women.
I found this book incredibly insightful- it covers a lot of historical events that I was either unaware of, or did not know in detail. It’s also given me more areas to research- I’ve noted down the names of several notable women who were mentioned so that I can look up their achievements in more detail. Despite covering a lot of history and explaining different theories which analyse race and gender, it’s fairly accessible and easy to read.
For me, if you want to read any feminist literature in 2020, this should be the book you pick.

In a year where more people than ever before are turning to anti-racist literature, White Tears Brown Scars is a powerful and important addition. The book looks at the experiences of women from around the globe - documenting both contemporary anecdotal experiences and providing the historical context as to where certain aspects of racism originated from.

It puts a particularly strong lens on white feminism and how women of colour have been forgotten, sidelined and hurt by it over the years. Hamad goes in depth on how white feminism continues to be a major contributor to white supremacy around the globe. I keep saying around the globe because where this book truly stands out is how so much more than the usual American/UK experience is examined - Australia, Latin America and Asia all get equal attention. The scope is huge in this book but dealt with with nuance and care. I really enjoyed Hamad's journalistic writing style, every point is backed up with facts, figures and examples.

This is a vastly important intersectional feminist work, I'd arguably say it's one of the most vital books published in 2020. I'd hope, if this is the first anti-racist intersectional feminist work someone encounters they would find it a strong starting point for continuing their own education.

White Tears/Brown Scars is an explosive book of history and cultural criticism that argues that white feminism, from Australia to Zimbabwe to the United States, has been a weapon of white supremacy and patriarchy deployed against black and indigenous women, and women of colour. Taking us from the slave era, when white women fought in court to keep “ownership” of their slaves, through the centuries of colonialism, when they offered a soft face for brutal tactics, to the modern workplace, White Tears/Brown Scars tells a charged story of white women’s active participation in campaigns of oppression. It offers a long-overdue validation of the experiences of women of colour. Using examples of impressive breadth and depth, Hamad’s extensive research informs the narrative superbly.

Discussing subjects as varied as The Hunger Games, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the viral BBQ Becky video, and 19th-century lynchings of Mexicans in the American Southwest, Ruby Hamad undertakes a new investigation of gender and race. She shows how the division between innocent white women and racialised, sexualised women of colour was created, and why this division is crucial to confront. Along the way, there are revelatory responses to questions like: Why are white men not troubled by sexual assault on women? (See Christine Blasey Ford.) With rigour and precision, Hamad builds a powerful argument about the legacy of white superiority that we are socialised within, a reality that we must apprehend in order to fight.

Hamad has written a fascinating, searingly honest and vitally important book inspired by her 2018 Guardian article "How White Women Use Strategic Tears to Silence Women of Colour” which became a global flashpoint for discussions of white feminism and racism. It is a timely, thought-provoking and exhaustive look at how White women perpetuate White supremacy at the expense of women of colour. Utilising personal anecdotes and geopolitical histories, Hamad’s accessible, engaging, yet authoritative, prose lures you in and forces you to confront some genuinely ugly truths. This is an eye-opening must-read for anyone who claims to be an intersectional feminist and those intent on dismantling White supremacy. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Trapeze for an ARC.

This book is one of the most important books published in 2020. As a white woman that calls herself a 'flaming feminist', this book was at times uncomfortable but so important and made me question so many things. If you are a fan of writers like Florence Given or Laura Bates, this book is a must-read.

'White Tears, Brown Scars' explores one key topic in all its chapters: how white feminism has systematically continued to hold up oppressive society markers that aggressively harm women of colour. Within the chapters, Hamad takes on the nuances of such an overwhelming topic and analyses it - with historical context - in how it's built into pop culture, media and how women work in real life.

There's plenty to absorb in this book. One of the big pluses is that, as an Australian, Hamad gives perhaps the most global/international view on the topics she discusses. Far too often, books within the feminist genre have a US/UK slant. Her emphasis on how the problems she explores are not unique to these nations - indeed, she talks about Australia's history with its Aboriginal people at length - which is much needed in literature of this kind. The integration of interviews and discussions with other women of colour are also an excellent addition to the book. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on common stereotypes that have their grounds in slavery and colonialism, her exploration of 'white women's tears' and her coined 'lovejoy manouver' - won't somebody mention the children?

However. I did struggle to get through this book - not because of the content, but because of Hamad's writing style. True to her journalistic roots, every fact and figure is thrown at you in each chapter. The writing is incredibly dense and whilst Hamad jumps between topics with great dexterity, it can sometimes be hard to keep up. At times, the structure of the chapters felt very loose and a little chaotic - I found it hard to keep track of the line of analysis, though I would usually find my way back in the end. This is a very dense, clearly well-researched book, but I almost wanted the writing to be stripped back just a bit to let the core arguments shine through.

White Tears Brown Scars is a look at white feminism and its impact upon women of colour, from stereotypes of non-white women throughout history to the modern impact in the workplace and media. Combining the history of colonialism globally with specific examples particularly from Black and Indigenous women, Hamad exposes the ways in which feminism contributes to white supremacy and upholds racist power structures, and discusses the need for white women to actually understand and act upon intersectionality, by being aware of the inability to separate race and gender (and, as Hamad points out, class too).

This is a powerful and insightful book, that covers a lot of ground and uses a broadly global range of examples with some focus on Australia and the US at times. Hamad starts by looking at pervasive stereotypes about different groups of women of colour and how these have been created as a kind of binary with white womanhood, and then moves on to look in more depth at the actions and ideas of white womanhood, particularly the idea of 'white tears', or when white women react to criticism by people of colour by crying. It's a concept I've read about in other places, but the in-depth focus is interesting and incisive, giving material examples of the effects upon women of colour this can have, for example in the workplace.

An important book for thinking about intersectionality (and then practically acting on those principles), White Tears Brown Scars focuses on an area of white supremacy that a lot of white people might not have considered much, and gives depth and history to an issue—white women's tears—that has been discussed online (including by Hamad) in recent years. Drawing on a lot of previous work in the broader areas around colonialism, white supremacy, and stereotypes, the book will hopefully push people—especially white feminists—towards more that has been written on these topics as well, and, mostly importantly, to emphasise that change needs to happen.

I received an advanced readers’ copy in exchange for an honest review

Very powerful book – definitely the most encompassing on this topic. Recommended for all white feminists and women’s studies students to read. Definitely an important book of this moment. I will be passing it on to my white social work supervisees as well

This is such an important book. It was quite uncomfortable read at times but I would recommend it to everyone.