Don't Believe the Hype: Fighting Cultural Misinformation About African Americans (Paperback)

by Farai Chideya (Author)
Key Phrases: million black families, white dollar, black rate, New York Times, Washington Post, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The stated purpose of Chideya's book is to "give readers a chance to question the depictions of race that have become standard in newspapers and on the nightly news, a map through the modern realities and misconceptions about race." She succeeds in 18 chapters, each of which discusses an issue, then examines the reality behind frequently asked questions and frequently held myths. For example, Chideya disputes the idea that most welfare mothers are black, have lots of children and no desire to work by citing figures on the ratio of black and white women on welfare, the average number of children each recipient has and their efforts in finding and keeping work. She uses this formula to tackle affirmative action, the armed forces, drugs, gangs, violence, sex, family values, politics and other issues. For someone with her news reporting background (a former staff reporter for Newsweek, she now works for MTV news), Chideya doesn't offer many supporting quotes. More personal insight from African Americans who have been stereotyped as the welfare mother, violent purse snatcher or hopeless drug addict would have offered greater readability and personality to what often sounds like a well-researched senior thesis. Still, the facts alone will make for good discussions after the evening news.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
For those wishing to fight ignorance with intelligence and racism with facts, information from government sources and published studies point out discrepancies in assumed beliefs--such as that blacks are the main welfare recipients and drug users--and major fallacies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Plume; First Printing edition (February 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452270960
• ISBN-13: 978-0452270961
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #742,236 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening book ALL should read!, April 28, 1999

By A Customer

Chideya's book dispells many popular myths about African Americans that are rampant in the media, literature, etc. She paints a vivid picture of how people perceive "others" and the misconceptions that are created and perpetuated by ignorance. I have been told that this book is no longer in print because of its content...probably because some people do not want the truth to be known! Farai Chideya's book is am important and enlightening one that should be read by anyone who is in search of the "real" truth! This is probably the most informative book I have come across in years...

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is very informative., December 21, 1998

By	Patricia DosSantos([e-mail]) (Pawtucket, RI) - See all my reviews

If you are a human being living in a society where equality matters, you must read this book. It focuses on several aspects of the African-American in our modern society, that are the main cause for injustice and stereotypes. Chideya tries to break these stereotypes by giving cold figures from the 1990 census. If you are interested in being a less stereotypical person, don't leave home without this master-piece

14 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Chideya isn't a numbers person, August 28, 2000

By	Justin Kuczynski (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Throughout much of this book, Chideya uses a very quantitative approach -with plenty of statistics- to prove her arguments. In my opinon though, she often doesn't supply all the pertinent stats, and occasionally draws conclusions that are either too simplistic or not suggested by the figures she uses. In all, I didn't feel like my own opinions were firmly challenged while reading this book.