Well organized and did a great job of calling me out on my own racist background and upbringing. ( )

I listened to the audiobook version of this. I wasn't sure I was ready to read another book about race this year (I've recently read [a:Ibram X. Kendi|14161726|Ibram X. Kendi|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], [a:Ijeoma Oluo|14408819|Ijeoma Oluo|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png], and [a:Bryan Stevenson|4396806|Bryan Stevenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1416790038p2/4396806.jpg]), but here I am.

I'm really surprised to see the top reviews of this book on goodreads are one-star takes with 100 likes. But I shouldn't be surprised. It's not easy for white people to accept the premise of this book: that mainstream white culture is based on white supremacy therefore those of us raised in this culture absorb white supremacist beliefs without realizing it. Even if you think of yourself as a "good white person" (especially if you think of yourself that way), you will probably find yourself cringing as you answer the reflective journaling prompts in this book.

As I worked through this book, my experience in the Peace Corps kept coming up for me. Why did I choose to join the Peace Corps? In retrospect, much of my thinking reeked of white saviorism and exceptionalism. That doesn't mean I went to Namibia with bad intentions. It means I went already proud of myself. I did not go humbly as I should have. Why did I have such a difficult experience during my time in Namibia? There are lots of reasons, but looking back I see how lonely and uncomfortable it was for me to be an outsider. What have been the long-term effects of my experience in the Peace Corps? Once I'd had my world shaken, I retreated into the comfort of white apathy. To be clear, I've never been apathetic about racial injustice. I get angry and sad when I read the news. I've marched for BLM. I donate money to social justice causes. But I recognized myself in the way Saad says white apathy shows up. Particularly:

"Using perfectionism to avoid doing the work and fearing using your voice or showing up for antiracism work until you know everything perfectly and can avoid being called out for making mistakes."

"Overcomplicating what it takes to practice antiracism, using various excuses that allow you to procrastinate or become overwhelmed by the work that needs to be done."

"Feeling frustrated and uncomfortable from realizing that there are no easy or safe solutions in this work."

"Using the excuse that because the process of dismantling white supremacy is so overwhelming, with many parts out of your individual control, there is no point in even trying because it will not make an impact big enough to matter anyway."

One reason race consciousness among white people has flourished in 2020 is that the coronavirus pandemic has taken us all out of our normal routines. Under normal circumstances, many of us would say we are too busy with everyday life to focus on dismantling white supremacy. The murder of George Floyd during a stay-at-home directive has jolted many of us out of our white apathy. Again quoting Saad:

"It is not that you did not care about BIPOC. It is that you did not care enough for it to be a high priority." ( )

Life changing. ( )

Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad is an essential step on your journey to becoming anti-racist. I dare say it is the first step you should take. Ms. Saad’s approach toward confronting white supremacy and ingrained racism is most powerful if you have not done any previous anti-racism work. That being said, the journey Ms. Saad lays out is vital for everyone everywhere, regardless of gender identity, creed, ethnicity, skin color, and every other way we categorize ourselves.

Ms. Saad’s general attitude in Me and White Supremacy is that everyone is guilty of supporting white supremacy. She does not consider those who have already confronted their prejudices, nor does she care what color your skin is. She has separate instructions for white people, people of color, and people of color who are light-skinned or may pass as white. That is the only distinction she makes as she guides readers.

Ms. Saad’s attitude, that we are all guilty of condoning and supporting white supremacy, may be offputting for some readers. Honestly, I struggled to accept this attitude at first because there is no space within Ms. Saad’s instructions for those who have already started confronting their inner demons and who have started to do the work. After all, I can’t be as bad as someone who hasn’t done any introspection on this topic, right? I shouldn’t have to do the same work they do. But the simplicity of Me and White Supremacy is that we all have to do the work regardless of who we are when we come to Ms. Saad’s guidance. No matter how enlightened you might be, there is always work we need to do. White supremacy is as systemic as democracy in the United States; to combat it, you must be conscious of this fact and remain vigilant against falling back into a way of thinking that is so acceptable.

Another unique touch Ms. Saad brings to Me and White Supremacy is the lack of focus on white supremacy in the United States. Instead, Ms. Saad puts forth examples of white supremacy around the globe, showing that racism is rampant worldwide, even in places you would not consider. By positioning white supremacy as a global issue, she eliminates some of the standard, geocentric false narratives people tell themselves when trying to convince themselves, or others, that they are not racist. Also, it is refreshing to read an anti-racism book that does not limit itself to racism in the United States only. The U.S. is no longer the leading global superpower, no matter how many Americans may wish it were still valid, and it is time we expand our scope beyond our borders.

Set to last 28 days, Me and White Supremacy and Ms. Saad break each day of reflection into smaller chunks. Some of the topics you must reflect on are upsetting, and the emotional and mental toll they can take each day can be significant. Ms. Saad also does this because it ensures that no aspect of white supremacy goes unreflected along the journey. The important thing is to do the work and write down your answers to the journal prompts. Take it seriously and work through each scenario she presents. When you do that, no matter how wrenching the topic or disturbing you find your answers, you will make good progress on becoming an anti-racist.

As the narrator, Ms. Saad’s voice is pleasant to listen to. Her diction is crisp, and her words are clear. I found her voice a little too soothing and was glad each chapter is relatively short, as I know she could easily lull me to sleep with a little more time. I also believe her demeanor throughout the audiobook is uncompromising. She doesn’t hesitate to state hard truths, nor does she equivocate or try to ease her message. Her unapologetic messaging within the workbook and the strict demeanor she maintains while narrating can be a bit overwhelming. The trick is to remember that Ms. Saad is not here to judge us but rather to help us become better friends, neighbors, partners, coworkers, parents, siblings, and people.

Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad is not for people who aren’t willing to take the time each day to sit down and reflect on their answers to such topics as white privilege, male privilege, racism against Black women, Black girls, Black boys, and Black men, among others. When you reflect on such topics and write down your answers, your brain makes a connection that you will be less likely to forget. This means that the next time you run into such a situation, you are less likely to respond in a racist manner or a manner that supports the systemic racism that already exists. I recommend this workbook if you are beginning to learn what it means to be anti-racist or practice good allyship. People who have already started that journey can still learn a lot about themselves, too, and therefore should not be quick to ignore this powerful workbook. We owe it to future generations to make the world a better place for them, which means confronting and breaking down white supremacy wherever it exists. ( )

I am a liberal white woman who absolutely believes that everyone should have equal rights and that no race or gender is better or should have more privilege than any other. But working through this book revealed some uncomfortable places that I still have white supremacy embedded in my consciousness. Author Saad takes a tough love approach to her topic: acknowledging that this work can be very painful and unsettling for white people, but reminding us time and again that whatever pain we experience is far, far less than the pain people of color experience being oppressed by white supremacy.

You can work through this book on your own, but I think it would be even more valuable to work through in a group so you can share and discuss the issues and your own thoughts and experiences - and Saad includes specific guidelines for this at the end. ( )

There is no hiding here. I love love love Layla Saad because she did not let me passively read about racism for one second. It took me two months to read because I wanted to be deliberate about doing the journal prompts to the fullest and best of my ability--it was worth every moment, and I am so glad I have this resource to return to throughout my life to keep peeling back the layers. Saad asks readers to get so granular in picking apart their complicity and (for me at least) it is enough of a sustained practice of doing so that I just can't imagine anyone getting to the end of this book not seeing at least something in their life that needs to fundamentally change, if not the whole dang thing. But you've got to do the work, and you've got to hold yourself accountable, and you're not going to get a pat on the back for it.

I could indulge in wishful thinking, hoping that every white person would read this and do the work, but that is unrealistic. However, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to those who are ready to sit down, be brutally honest with themselves, and start making changes on both personal and systemic levels. For a longer (video) review, check out Danika at The Lesbrary's Book Riot review. ( )

Very doable workbook for whites to examine their relationship with white supremacy. ( )

This book was recommended to me as a good anti-racism resource to start my learning with. This book can be read in one sitting, or be used as a 28 Day Challenge of daily journaling prompts.







My Thoughts



This was a good introduction to anti-racism reading. This book was recommended by many blogs and readers, and I chose to read it over a few weeks as the daily prompts, similar to the original challenge.

“This work is not about those white people “out there.” It is about you. Just you.”

Saad introduces the reader to facts on racism and examples of daily microaggressions and prejudice. She explains why these actions are offensive and harmful to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The reader is provided with a few bullet points to reflect on, to delve into understanding their privilege and the root of their prejudiced beliefs.



As a daily prompt this book takes just 5-15 pages of reading and needs only a few minutes of reflection and journaling time. I thought this was a good way to start anti-racism learning so that it is a daily consideration.



By the time I completed the prompts, I had already charged ahead with other online reading and discussions and felt ready for a deeper and more direct book. However, the daily prompts were still beneficial for pausing and reflecting on my own actions- a habit I want to continue to develop.



Overall I highly recommend this book for those who are interested in and just starting to accept their privilege, and want to learn more about it.















I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Me & White Supremacy. Have you read this? Tell me what you thought! 



Feel free to comment below or on my 'bookstagram' at @ReadWithWine . 
This review was originally posted on ReadWithWine ( )

The intellectual and emotional work of anti-racism isn't new to me, but the daily approach of this book helped reveal connections and ways of thinking that I hadn't been as conscious of before. I appreciate that Saad ended by having readers commit to completing three anti-racism goals in the next two weeks. I already have more books lined up, but this step has helped me think of concrete, doable, outside-my-own-mind actions. Despite the endorsements on the cover from Elizabeth Gilbert and Glennon Doyle, both of whose work I find vacuous, self-centered, and nauseating, this turned out to be a decent book. ( )

Wow. I'm not sure where to begin. This book hurts. It definitely made me look at myself and my white privilge and my role in being complicit to racism. There were concepts that made complete sense to me but there was a point in the book where I stopped reading for awhile because I felt like "I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't." But after a week break, I picked it up again because it is important for me to learn and do better. That being said, I felt this book was long on criticism and short on solutions. The book suggests that my questioning or criticizing any of the concepts in the book are invalid because I am white and inherently racist. That shuts down conversation on race and leaves people walking on eggshells. There has to be a better way of addressing race relations. This is one person's perspective. I definitely gained some insight by reading it but I am going to keep looking for a more positive approach to working on race relations. ( )

I took so many notes during this one. I’m still learning. There were so many take aways and subjects that made me think deeply about my actions and how I react to things.

White moderate: someone more devoted to order than justice. Who prefers a negative peace, with the absence of tension, than a positive peace, which is the presence of justice. -MLKJ

I think the POV in these books is always interesting and this one, coming from a black Muslim woman who is not from the United States, adds an interesting dynamic.

Prejudice versus racism. She explains that the difference really comes down to who is in a position of power and can use their racism to hurt or take advantage of the other racial group. I had not thought of it that way before.

White apathy - when white people claiming how exhausting it is. It ignores people who deal with racism every day and are not able to just step back from the issue, even if they’re dealing with similar things (like having young kids).

Something that only includes white people (like Friends or Cheers) is for everyone, but if it only includes black peoples, it’s just for black people. That’s treating white as “normal” and anything else as different.

“In essence white fragility looks like a white person taking the position of victim when it is in fact that white person has commited or participated in acts of racial harm.” ( )

Excellent book! but only if you work at it. Layla Saad really invites you to look deep and be honest. It is a great learning experience. I was impressed that she gave resources and ways to continue to work beyond the 28 scheduled days of the program. It can't stop here. Thank you for an eye opening experience. I hope I can do it justice. I'm trying. I'm glad I own it. I will need to review periodically. I was given an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks. ( )

Along with all the other staff and trustees at writing development agency New Writing North, we are working our way through Layla F Saad’s Me and White Supremacy (Quercus). Anyone still in the comfort camp of publishing being full of nice white people trying to do the right thing needs to read and act on books like this and the evidence contained in several recent researches and initiatives such as #PublishingPaidMe. Easy reading it isn’t, and it is even less comfortable to conduct the self-reflection and actions set out in a daily routine over 4 weeks – but that’s the point. ( )

A good companion for Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility, this is an expansion of a workbook (based on an Instagram challenge) to help White people educate themselves about racism and antiracism, reflect on their attitudes and biases, and take stock of their role in perpetuating or ending the current state of affairs.

The author assures us the aim of the work is not self-loathing, but it's hard not to feel bad when you come face to face with your failings. I know I am going to struggle to break out of the comfort zone my privilege provides me -- and I can easily see myself retreating to my cocoon -- but I hope I will eventually be better than that. ( )

Best for:
White people who haven’t been deeply in anti-racism work for years.

In a nutshell:
Author Layla F Saad offers a 28-day education and reflection on how to fight racism.

Worth quoting:
“This is not a personal growth book that is designed to make you feel good about yourself.”
“It means that you do this work because you believe in something greater than your own self-gain.”

Why I chose it:
I’ve seen others reference it in a lot of places.

Review:
So, I’m not brand new to anti-racism work. But I might as well be, because the reality is that as a white woman, I’ve just not had to think about race and racism that much. I was raised in the US, thinking of white as the default - a character in a book would be assumed white unless identified otherwise. I mostly consumed books, media, art by white people. I wasn’t raised to be overtly racist, but I certainly wasn’t raised to be anti-racist.

I think this book is an excellent place for white people to start really wrestling with the society we live in, the thoughts in our heads, the experiences we’ve had, and the harm that we have caused. As Ms Saad states in the quote I pulled, this isn’t a self-help tome that you can display prominently so people know you’re in the work. It’s a book that helps you as a means to the end of reducing racism, both that perpetuated by you and by those around you.

The book stems from a 28-day challenge Ms Saad led on Instagram. The book has an introduction to prepare the reader, and a conclusion, with the majority of the book focused on four seven-day challenges. Each week focuses on a different area, building upon the previous work: the basics; anti-Blackness, racial stereotypes, and cultural appropriation; allyship; and power, relationships, and commitments.

She covers ideas you may be familiar with: tone policing, white privilege, stereotypes, and optical (or what I’ve also heard referred to as performative) allyship. She also talks about things that perhaps haven’t been on your radar, like white exceptionalism (assuming you’re ‘one of the good ones’ who doesn’t need to do this work).

Each day ends with reflective journaling prompts. And the thing is, you have to do them. It’s not just about reading them and answering them in your head. It’s about setting aside the time, every day, to get dirty. To get deep into what you’ve done in the past, what you’re doing now. And eventually, how you commit to change.

It’s not easy. Some of it is painful. Actually, most of it is. It SUCKS to peel back more and more layers of white supremacy and see the world in a different way, and start to grapple with this new reality. But it’s necessary.

You won’t finish this book and suddenly stop being complicit in white supremacy. Marking this as read on Goodreads and then forgetting about it can’t be an option. If you’re going to read this, please really read it. Take in the words, internalize, and then work to do better.

The book ends with an exercise of writing out my commitments to anti-racism work as specifically as possible, and to print it out and put it somewhere I will see it every day, which I’ve now done. I also know I will go back through the journal often, to remind myself of what I’ve learned and what I have still to do.

To my fellow white people, I hope you’ll pick this up, so we can continue to reduce the harm we’re causing.

Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Keep it. Reread it. ( )