When Race Becomes Real: Black and White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories [Hardcover]

Bernestine Singley (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2002

Robert Coles, Beverly Daniel Tatum, Natalie Angier, Patricia J Williams, David Bradley, Lisa Dodson, Leonard Pitts, and Jim Schutze are just a few of the best-selling or award-winning writers who, in this deeply moving book, step from behind the curtain of objectivity to turn the race spotlight on themselves. This riveting collection of personal stories, all commissioned specifically for this book, reveals the racial hopes, fears, fury, and triumphs of black and white writers of all stripes. These are stories by writers who refuse to tiptoe around the issue, who don't wax nostalgic, preach sermons, or act as expert witnesses; in this book they are willing, for the first time, to bare their souls and tell the truth. Alternately invigorating, shocking, and inspiring, this is the first book to reveal what it really means to be black -- and to be white -- in the 21st century.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In America, race is! And although it is a social construct with no real biological basis, it has real meaning to us as individuals. This book of essays and commentaries from black and white people of various ages, economic status, and sexual orientations focuses on the social imposition of race as a reality. The contributors recall how race as a reality was introduced into their lives, how it is forever present in their lives, and how it is negotiated, challenged, or ignored. The white man who grew up in the segregated South declines to apologize for racial attitudes but reflects a social reality that is grounded in the U.S. Other more liberal and radical whites face up to the privileges attendant on their racial status. Several black subjects seek not to be consumed by a racial identity that American society imposes on them. The essays, while rich in individual insights, collectively reflect the complexity of how American ideals of equality fall prey to the blindness of a colored history. Vernon Ford
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"...this powerful book—entertaining, arresting—will give you plenty to want to defend and protect." -- Al Young, poet/novelist/essayist

"A mesmerizing book . . . refreshingly honest" -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"A remarkable group of 30 writers—black and white, women and men, young and old—truly make race real for us..." -- Mimi Abramovitz, author of Regulating The Lives of Women: Social Welfare Policy From Colonial Times To the Present

"All of the essays are first-rate" -- Courtland Milloy, Washington Post

"Blacks and whites . . . talk . . . about both the privilege and the prejudice, and how they are negotiated, challenged, or ignored." -- Booklist

"I will reach for this book...whenever I need to be inspired by the wise...honest company in it." -- Mary Kay Blakely, author of American Mom: Motherhood, Politics and Humble Pie

"No book will ever capture all the permutations of racial conflict and racial amity . . . But this book . . . captures plenty." -- Steve Weinberg, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"One of the year’s most enlightening, important reads on America’s most enduring dilemma" -- Black Issues Book Review

"This compilation of black and white writers' essays on race made for powerful, raw reading" -- Austin-American Statesman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Lawrence Hill Books; 1 edition (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155652448X
• ISBN-13: 978-1556524486
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,878,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE REAL DEAL, October 4, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When Race Becomes Real: Black and White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories (Hardcover)

Bernestine Singley is to be congratulated for her thought-provoking, nitty gritty book. She has assembled a group of writers who aren't afraid to make it plain about race, including black folks who are sick of it, white folks who are finally getting it and everything in between.
My favorite pieces are Derrick Bell's epilogue (I have been a big fan of his since Geneva Crenshaw), Julianne Malveaux's hilarious and rather poignant "Race, Rage and the Ace of Spades" (that woman needs to write a memoir or something), and Tim Wise's insightful piece.
This is too searing to read in one setting, but it is the kind of book that begs for discussion. I am suggesting it for my book club and plan to use it at work to deal with some diversity related issues. Check it out!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be brave enough to read this book and discuss it with others, July 9, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When Race Becomes Real: Black and White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories (Hardcover)

Ms. Singley asked each contributor to share a REAL race experience of their own, not their opinion and not a retelling of someone else's experiences. The result is a book filled with excellent stories that force the reader to reflect on his or her own experiences with race. While reading, I realized that people of color experience most life events in the context of race - while most "white" people experience life without giving much thought to race. This book is not accusatory, but it is a wake up call. If some of us spend a little more time considering the effects of race in our society, perhaps others will be a little more free to think about it less. I sincerely hope this personal reflection will help me be a better friend and better member of our society.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Speaking freely, July 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: When Race Becomes Real: Black and White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories (Hardcover)

"When Race Becomes Real" initiates a discussion long overdue in America where the subject of race is so sensitive that it has become virtually taboo. Some of the essays in this book touched me very deeply, some annoyed me, and others provided thoughtful new insights. All of them impressed me with their sincerity. After reading these writers' revelations about their own highly personal experiences and feelings in regards to race, one understands that there are many sides to the same truth, and that in order to approach any level of comfort in relations between the races, well meaning people need to be able to bare their souls without fear of censure or ridicule. This stimulating work can be used to open up frank discussions in the classroom or the living room and is highly recommended to anyone who is ready for an honest examination of the unavoidable everyday complexity of race relations in America.