Customer Reviews

White Men Can't Hump (As Good As Black Men): Volume II: Sex & Race in America

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The title IS a great play on words, but I've recommended this book to friends who won't risk being seen reading it 'cause of the title.

::::sigh::::

That's a damn shame, because the author really has something to say, and he says it really well. Any book that makes me think hard, often makes me laugh even harder, and even occasionally makes me feel like I suddenly understand things I've wondered about for years -- well, I call that a book WELL worth reading!

I'm a white woman, and I found this book when I was contemplating getting romantically involved with a black man who told me ALL of his prior relationships had been with white women, that he had zero attraction to black women. Well, that made me curious about the black men/white women phenomenon, so off I went to Amazon and found this book on a keyword search...

...but this book is by no means just a discussion of that particular phenomenon -- its scope is far, far wider. Actually I finished the book feeling like I ALSO had a much better understanding of some common white male attitudes toward "their" (i.e. white) women. (The "White Male Happy Meal" concept alone is worth ten times the price of the book -- I nearly laughed myself to death, and of course what made it so funny was that once I read the description of the phenomenon, suddenly in retrospect I recognized its footprints all OVER my own past relationships.)

The author's very informal, idiosyncratic style includes a TREMENDOUS sense of humor, but make no mistake -- this man has done his homework. And THEN he's crunched the info with both formidable intelligence and an understanding of human nature. If you've got the guts to get past the title, I think that (like me) you'll often end up saying, "Ohmigawd, I never thought of that, but he's RIGHT!"

You might look at the title of this book and think it is a joke. If you flip through it and see the bold type face that shouts from every page, capital letters where there shouldn't be, overuse of italics and misuse of quote marks, you might think the author is just another angry black man who can't get over it.

Think again. He uses bold type, capital letters and italics to establish a cadence that I can hear. I feel that I am in a Southern Baptist church and he is the preacher at the pulpit, looking me straight in the eye as I sit in my pew, and bringing the gospel home to me on the wings of his passion.

The message is clear. Racism is still alive in the United States and none of us can just get over it.

The book is a plea for racial reconciliation. It begs the reader, not only to get past the book's cover, but to get past the stereotypes that divide us. It informs us that racism, and the legacy of slavery, remains deeply ingrained in the psyche of our nation. At the top of every page, Mr. Wooten asks the reader to "Put yourself in the author's shoes." I did, and was astonished by the view. He not only describes historic events, but tells us how those events were experienced by black people. And, he tells us about the social and political repercussions.

And yes, he does address the sexual questions that the cover of the book teases the reader in with. Does size matter? Are black men better lovers, and if so, why? He arrived at his conclusions through personal experience as a widely traveled and perceptive individual. If anyone acknowledges the error in embracing stereotype as scripture, it is Wooten. Nonetheless, his generalizations are both astute and humorous and for this reviewer, at least, convey the ring of truth.

Wooten postulates that resentment and fear of black male sexuality is at the heart of racial hatred. He maintains that from the days of slavery when European white men first looked on the larger, stronger, well-endowed bodies of their African male slaves, they felt provoked to repress a perceived threat to their own manhood. In defense of this conviction, he asks why it was not enough to simply hang a black man, often for a transgression a white man would not even have been chastised for, but also necessary to cut off his genitals? He then examines the subtle, and not so subtle, ways in which black men continue being "neutered" by our educational system, entertainment media, criminal justice system, and the perpetuation of the stereotype of the black male as sexually irresponsible and animalistic. He questions, and answers, the causes of the high rate of black male incarceration, the prevalence of the dead beat dad (Mr. Wooten says he considered using the title, "White Men Can't Hump and Black Men Don't Pay Child Support"), and the enduring depiction of black men on film and in television as pimps and thugs.

If you intend to pass judgment on the book, do your homework and read it first. It is no joke. If you can get beyond the cover and "put yourself in the author's shoes," you will go on a journey that will open your eyes and ears to the common everyday expressions of racism that still exist in our country. The prose may be raw, but so, yet, is the wound of racism. At the bottom of every page of the book is the inscription: "Life is Too Short to Hate." Amen.

The title may throw some offin terms of thinking this book is racist or shallow. But Mr. Wooten gives a gritty yet insightful account of race/sex politics in America that few would dare even tackle.It flows simple enough that someone with only a 10th grade education can understand and more importantly relate to. Yet the insightful perspectives would induce America's top scholars to want to discuss the issues presented.

This is the continuation of Todd Wooten's excellent book, entitled "White Men Can't Hump (As Good As Black Men)". According to the author, the book's publishing company claimed that the book was too lengthy to be put into one book. Therefore, it had to be divided into two parts. So, this second and final volume is just as insanely brilliant as the first volume. Unlike the first volume (which is mainly about yesterday's events), this volume is mainly about what goes on today in regards to sex and race in America.

In this volume, the author discusses stereotypes such as the "Once You Go Black...", well... you know the rest! There are also explicit and lengthy observations of the "Size Doesn't Matter" stereotype. A stereotype that was created only to make people feel more comfortable with their "short" comings. The author also discusses the decline of music, the sexual differences in black music and white music (R&B/Rap & Pop/Rock), plus the sexual differences between white men and black men in pornography and most importantly, real life (which also includes the ideal women that white men and black men like). I felt that "The White Male Happy Meal" rant was very hilarious and brutally honest. Also, towards the ending of this book, Todd discusses stereotypes (physical, racial, intellectual) as well as how the American media and right-wing conservative radio (mis)treats the black male athlete based on their outspoken abilities (from Muhammad Ali to Barry Bonds) and how America prefers for black [men] to be "dumb and quiet". The author has the balls to call out women who falsely accuse black men of raping them and how America thrives off of this for entertainment. Did I mention how the author exposes the white male pedophile, attacks him and how this sick group of men get free passes in America? Regardless of how big of a reality this is, people still look at Michael Jackson and R. Kelly as the two biggest pedophiles in America, yet the white male pedophile gets to have his own organization called NAMBLA.

When Todd discusses what happened 40 years and 10 days after The Emmett Till Verdict (which happened to be The O.J. Simpson Verdict), and compared the two together, I knew this man was up to something dangerous. "Dangerous" simply because he is educated. And to many, this is threatening. How he describes and compares the two verdicts together is essential. This was enough to make many readers see America's justice system differently and how "The Devaluation Triangle" stays alive in America. He concludes this book with calling out black male conservatives who basically "forgot where they came from", political hypocrisies, class and how the "human divide" should be closed someday.

The only thing I disagree with was in the beginning of this volume, he states that the world would be a better place if women were in charge of things. I have my reasons for disagreeing with that, but I won't get into that right now. (Nearly) Everything in regards to race and sex is called out by this man, even the booming industry of sex pills and sexual stimulants (Viagra, etc...), why women undergo plastic surgery, etc... You cannot read one volume without reading the other volume, nonetheless. I extremely recommend this book to almost anybody, regardless of gender, race, age or residence. "White Men Can't Hump" is one of the greatest books of our time and I cannot stress that enough.

Well! I just finished both volumes and found the book raw, bold and powerful. It also was humorous at times (I too, was laughing out loud at Volume II) but it taught me so much of what I didn't know.
I was fortunate enough to meet Todd and his brother Chris at Book Expo America and enjoyed our time together very much.
In my humble opinion, the book is extremely important for all of us. Todd's salient lesson is an uplifting one to black men and women, a wake-up call to those of the white race and a healing one to all in the human race. His "warnings" and discussion of the African's role in the slave trade in the beginning of Volume I pulls one right into the book and then his frank explanation of the core of resentment between races becomes clear. He then chronicles the brainwashing of the American public as well as what black men have had to endure including saddening lynching descriptions. He also comments on pop culture in a very succinct way. His comments are the opposite of wishy-washy!
I wrote a book about a white artist who fell in love with the Black culture and I'm happy to report that there are black angels and beautiful, elegant black women as well as dignified black men in his art. He saw their beauty back in the mid-twentieth century while racism was all around him.
Upon researching turn of the 20th century art for a new project, I came across newspapers from the 1890s-1900s which consistently would have an article about a "negro" attacking someone. Oddly enough, it could be a newspaper from a small town in Virginia and the article would be about an incident in Albuquerque - sometimes on the front page! I found it appalling and part of the brainwashing that Todd writes about.
This book will promote much lively discussion among all races, and it concludes with a positive message - something we all desperately need today. It's also perfect for a library book group - especially a multicultural one - providing the members aren't prudes. Congratulations to Todd and Chris! It was a great, informative read.

WMCH Volume II is as good as volume I. I think both books are a must read for everyone who cares about race relations. Volume I is a history lesson touching on history not taught in schools and events not covered by the media. Volume II takes a humorous look at race stereo types and leaves you saying "Hmmm he has appoint".
I feel like I was looking at life with blinders on. I think both books would be excellent for book clubs to read and discus and even used in schools (Under 18yr should be at the discretion of the parents). I loved both books and highly recommend both.

The author's knowlege and wisdom are being passed on to the reader with candor in a way that's easy to read, but sometimes hard to swallow. I only hope that this book becomes necessary reading for the youth of today (black and white alike) so that they may grow, and not allow themselves to become what society expects out of them.

I read White Men Can't Hump VOLUME I last month and I truly enjoyed every single page of it, but after reading VOLUME II I'm stunned there's no public discussion about either book. I enjoyed VOLUME II a little more because there's more humor and it appeals more to my generation (X). I caught myself laughing/screaming out loud countless times. VOLUME I is a history lesson that evokes raw emotion from the reader, and psychologically breaks you down and challenges you. If you can make it thru the chapter Lynching Psychology 101 without shedding a tear, you're not human. I can't wait to read both of them again, back-to-back, as intended. I consider both of these books social masterpieces because they expose what's at the heart of America's racial tensions like no other books I've ever read. This guy used the Republican formula of taking a person or legislation and putting a face or label on it. He re-defines racism and put a face on it, thus making it a tangible living and breathing element. He used the same spin tactics that Rove and the G.O.P. use, but he used it to describe America's ills. Terms like Limpbaugh Syndrome and Small-Poleons Complex are hilarious on the surface, but when he applies these terms that he created (in order to re-define certain kinds of bigotry) you'll find yourself enlightened and amazed. He spins all of the buffoonery about black male sexuality into a premise that is not very funny when he finishes. No Black Man has ever had the courage to say- If these things you've said about us for centuries are true, then we must be better in the bedroom than you. That may sound silly on the surface, but when that premise is posed to those who enjoy the bufoonery, it immediately changes the tone of the debate. Those well-known stereotypes are funny when portrayed negatively or comedically, but when he converts them to real-life bedroom activity it erases the smiles off of certain faces. If this book finds its way into the mainstream, a certain segment of our population will no longer find VH1's ridiculous Flavor of Love so humorous. I can't recommend these two books enough. Enlightenment meets Enjoyment!!!