A Review of the Book "White Fragility" by Robin DiAngelo

Title: White Fragility

Author: Robin DiAngelo

Publisher: Beacon Press Books

Year: 2018

154 pages

A long time ago, I attended a workshop where the speaker opened with "Hello, my name is...and I am a recovering racist."

They were shocking words then but as I read and learn more, I can fully understand where those words come from and how I can also use them myself.

As a white person, I have all the privileges. No, I don't own a mansion, or have all the money in the world, or have the ability to build my own rocket ship. But I can certainly walk down the street without assuming I will be attacked, nor do I panic when I see a police car, nor do I get followed around in a store just for being there.

I am also becoming more aware of my racial bias and my tendency to get defensive when those biases are pointed out.

Acknowledging my whiteness is not easy and will be a continuous learning curve.

Books like "White Privilege" are excellent ways to learn about racial bias and white privilege. This book especially, DiAngelo points out reasons why white people get defensive, get theirs back up, when race is brought into the conversation. One chapter really threw me when she spoke about one of my favorite movies, The Blind Side. It has certainly got me thinking on how history and memoires are portrayed on the big screen from a privileged point of view.

DiAngelo's book gets a high recommendation from me and be prepared that you might learn things about yourself that you may not have been expecting.