Customer Reviews

40 Hours and an Unwritten Rule: The Diary of a Nigger, Negro, Colored, Black, African-American Woman

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Racy Thomas is a woman on a mission in Kim Williams', 40 Hours and an Unwritten Rule: The Diary of a Nigger, Negro, Colored, Black, African-American Woman.

After leaving home to go to college, Racy is determined to prove that her mother, Uncle Ray-Ray and a host of other family members are wrong. For the majority of her life, Racy's family has warned her about the funny ways of "the white folks." Convinced that her family cannot possibly be right, Racy decides against going to a historically black college and instead opts for a more culturally diverse campus. It is there that she receives her wake-up call and realizes that her family may not be wrong after all. After graduating, Racy leaves her college experience behind and walks into her first job with thoughts of
being treated as an equal. Once again -- she receives a wake-up call. It is then that she grows from what she describes as a nigger child trying to fit in, into a self-confident, African-American woman, that could care less what Caucasians think about her.

As an African-American woman, I found this book to be wonderfully hilarious. From coming into work and having to answer numerous questions about my braids, to eating leftovers in the break room and having to explain what I'm eating, to the occasional insensitive joke - I have experienced it all. Williams definitely has her finger on the pulse of Caucasian/African-American relations in the office.

If you are an African-American woman I definitely recommend this book. While it does not solve the world's problems on race-relations, it definitely confirms something that we should all know -- it is okay to be ourselves.

T. RHYTHM KNIGHT
APOOO BookClub

I read this book and I knew it would be contraversial. I read a few of the other reviews and some did not seem to go as deep as the author intended. The author is not a hero trying to be white. She is a hero striving not to be judged by the stereotypes that have grouped African Americans for centuries.

She makes comments to other characters in the book, such as I don't listen to rap music because not all African American people listen to rap music, and she refuses to be characterized by what society has deemed normal for her people. Not all African Americans are ghetto fabulous, nor are all of them trying to be down for some non-existent cause.

Racey is a courages African American woman who dares to challenge her superiors in the workplace. She dares to question their motives and ask them questions (without actually asking the questions) who are you to tell me how to speak or ask.

When she is faced with counterparts in the work place, she realizes they are courageous enough to be themselves and act like no one else in the workplace. This is very uncomfortable for her. She wants to know how could you let them see us this way. They already think all of us steal (my own conclusions). But in the end, she realizes that it is ok to be who she is and not worry about what anyne else thinks and feels about it anyway.

This was a very good book and a very good read. Go just a little deeper and get the symbolism and irony in the book.

This book will make you laugh, cry and more importantly, think about what African-Americans go through daily in their work environments. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thoughtful approach at dealing with the racial divide in the workplace.

If choosing a title for a first novel is any indication of how well the novel plays into society - then 40 Hours and an Unwritten Rule should be at the top of the best sellers list - if for no other reason, for the "Racey" title. The title caught me instantly, as I'm sure if has or will with many others. And I was very happy to say that the contents were very true to the implied message...overcoming the stereo-types of a particular race and/or culture and standing your ground in the process while trying to stay true to "self". I know that so many people struggle with the issues that Racey put out there and it was refreshing to have a young, African-American women come to comfortable terms with herself in the end. Kim William's first novel was a thoughtful, true, fun and quick read. I guarantee that anyone who's attention is caught by the clever, catchy title will open the book to find situations that may be pages in their diary as well. Wonderful!

I already knew the book was going to be controversial from the title, but I embrace controversy. I like to learn about different perspectives and being a black woman in a fairly-white working environment, I was intrigued by the plot. Unfortunately, that's where it ends. The structure and the dialogue of the story was well-written and sadly, very realistic. I've dealt with quite a few situations like this in college instead of work though.
But the main character in this story is still stuck in the same clueless arrogance that she started with. The same way she says white co-workers judge her style of music, dress, dance, and vocabulary, she judges her black subordinates. She pointed out more than a few times that she wears Banana Republic and seems to think Phat Farm and Fubu are ridiculous (along with hip-hop). Black people supporting black businesses is one of the few healthy ways we survive as a unit and I didn't appreciate her looking down on this group of people. The main character had the audacity to actually embrace the n-word at the end of the book, regardless of how offended she was by race jokes.
I completely didn't understand why she was so offended by the "ask-axe" clarification. If she embraced Ebonics so much, then why be embarassed of embracing other black stereotypes (i.e. being the best dancer at the Halloween party). The main character was stuck-up but wanted to be "down". Throwing in a "y'all" but saying you don't like rap EVEN THOUGH she danced to rap music shows me just how confused this woman is. This type of attitude is why black people have such a hard time in the workplace. If she stopped paying so much attention to what she'd never be (white) and stopped downgrading what she wouldn't be(hip, black, and confident), she'd find her day goes by much faster and way less stressful. I thought this author had some really good points, but sentences like "I am n-word" show me nothing was learned. I thought Craig and Derrick were two of the strongest characters, but they were barely mentioned. Embracing your race but insulting it with racial slurs makes the main character just as bad as Lisa and Amy.

How far have we really come in regards to the race issue? No matter what strides we make, are there still lines of racial inequality? Will we ever break the stereotypical mindsets that follow us like a bad odor? These are some of the issues that Racey Thomas, a young, upwardly mobile, African-American woman is facing. As she attempts to make a place for herself in corporate America, we get a peek into Racey's life as she deals with her co-workers and their pre-conceived notions regarding Blacks. Some situations Racey found herself in were defending her education (she graduated with honors); having to explain why there is a need for Black History Month (at the same time running down a list of African-Americans who have made their mark on the world with their inventions); and being the only person of color in a upper-level meeting, where racial jokes are the norm.

THE DIARY OF A NIGGER, NEGRO, COLORED, BLACK, AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN is an excerpt from the book of life of any person, male or female, of the African-American persuasion. I must admit the title of this book caught my eye, promoting a desire within me to read about and become inspired by the injustices we face and one woman's attempts to change society's impression of our race. As I read each page, the inspiration never came. While I recognize and relate to every injustice Racey faced, this book did not stir me or move me to do more to erase, or at the very least, to blur the lines of racial inequality as I hoped it would.

Reviewed by Renee Williams
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers