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52 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
a mixed bag, September 3, 2004
This is a controversial and challenging book as the previous reviews attest to. In my opinion, the negative feedback can be partially attributed to the rather overt biases the authors obviously have (rather ironic given the topic of the book). However, for all the faults of the book, the authors do challenge one's beliefs- an important aspect given that the intent of the book is to made future counselors more culturally competant.
Perhaps the authors can eliminate some of the harsh reaction to the book by taking the following steps in preparing the next edition (provided that there is one):
*include other groups- Where is the discussion on individuals from the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East? They have apparently been lumped in with "Asians" though there are significant differences between an individual from Saudi Arabia and one from Taiwan. Given the increased discrimination and hostility towards these groups since 9/11, the silence from the authors is deafening. Also, their discussion of "women" and "gender issues" totally leaves out stereotypes of males. How can one have a dialogue on gender issues if one is only addressing one gender?
*address heterogeneity of African Americans- The authors are quick to note how heterogeneous the Asian American and American Indian/Native Alaskan population is but make no mention of the heterogeneity of African Americans. Why is this?
*avoid loaded language
*make sure that statements that appear as fact have sources and that they are used apporpriately- The lack of sources for bold/controversial statements of "fact" and improperly used sources hurt the credibility of the book (check at random for examples).
*show a little more respect for the heterogeneity and diversity of Euro-Americans- the authors justify this by asking the question: "If you want to understand oppression, should you ask the oppressor or the oppressed?" (p. 239). Hum. Well, OK but how does this perspective help one understand this group's heritage, beliefs, values, and the cultural influence they have? Assuming that the majority of the readers are Euro-American, how does labeling all Whites as racist help this group? Is the blatant disrespect shown this group a good model for how this group should respond to other groups? If individuals from this group are to work through their cultural identity, how does this perspective help them? I recommend that the authors have their Euro-American students read a draft of this chapter for the next edition and then reflectively consider the feedback rather than blowing it off as racism.
While I did feel challenged in some ways by this text, I failed to get what I truly longed for from it- A thoughtful and balanced look at the multicultural issues facing the U.S.
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16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
They meant well, April 7, 2006
It is sad that the book used by so many schools to introduce therapists to the subject of cultural diversity is a collection of generalized stereotypes. The first few chapters are dedicated to showing white people how wrong, misguided, and privileged they are. They group all white people into one defined category of unintentionally delusional racists. Their argument is that psychotherapy, in its current state, works for white people and not other minorities. Though, in some aspects, this may be true, their tone implies that this is because the creators were racist. What the Sues fail to point out is that the creators were not necessarily racist, they were white, they knew about white culture, and developed theories based on their experiences. It is my hope that the Sues will change the tone of their book before its next printing as it can turn away people who do not feel like defending themselves against their stereotypes. If you have not been assigned this book for a class, you may be better off reading something else until the Sues are able to let go of their own racist biases.
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16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Biased work written by blatantly angry people, February 9, 2006
Sue and Sue are generally objective, comprehensive individuals, but this book was utterly antithetical to their usual work. This book is blatantly anti-white as oppossed to multiculturally sensitive. The authors focused on a select few minority groups and their issues rather than identifying other minority groups that are in need (i.e. Eastern Europeans, Same-sex, etc.). This could have been accomplished had they done away with the multiple chapters dedicated to griping about the biased majority/white males.
As flawed as it is, it does have some upsides. The latter chapters that deal with particular cultural/racial mores/worldviews and general psychosocial makeup were highly viable and beneficial. There are also several identity development models that are somewhat useful.
All in all, the book is approx. 40% biased and 60% educational/useful. If you can stand the whinning that goes on throughout the book - particularly in the early chapters - and can get to the meat of the last chapters, than buy it used to get your money's worth. If you are expecting a comprehensive, objective review of multicultural counseling/therapeutic models, then save your money for a journal and/or publication.
A graduate student's review.
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