2018 - Book 8

I don't agree with everything in this book, however, I do think it would helpful if people read this book. I plan to read more on the subject including one about housing policies in the 1970s that made it hard for black people to buy houses in the suburbs.  I heard the author interviewed and he was talking about how contractors were hired to build neighborhoods as long as they promised to sell all the houses to white people.   

Coming from an all white background, I find it helpful to read books like this. I hope to read books about several other cultures this year too. There are things that we don't even realize that we think or believe until someone points it out. Living in a more mixed part of the city helped me work through some of my stereotypes. And working in an English-as-a-Second language program has helped me with others.  But I have plenty more to work through.  

We all have more to learn about each other.  In the days of social media, when it is easy to just hear ideas that agree with our own, books like this are even more important.   I understand people make choices, but I also can see where a system is in place to make it harder for people to succeed. I don't know how to fix the system. I don't know what my place it.  It made me sad. 

This is a collection of essays.  Some of them were more excellently written then others.  I have never read a more well footnoted book. Each essay had 50-100 footnotes. I could follow each one and study any aspect of what they were discussing in this book. I was amazed by the thoroughness.  

I found the chapters on the history of racism the most educational.  Humans are terrible.  We all are lost and miserable without Jesus.  The way that politicians find ways to hide racism in policies was interesting and horrible.  The essay on Implicit Bias was also interesting (as was this test: Take this Test for Fun -- click on the Race Test ). I scored "not a notable difference" between white and dark skin associations. P.S. It is easier to take on a phone.  They ask you more questions on a computer. 

One of my goals for reading this year is to read about things that make me uncomfortable and things that are from a different perspective than mine. I find it helps me understand people more and makes me more compassionate. More than anything it makes me realize how none of us have it all together and know everything. We all come into this world with a set of biases.  Without Jesus we are big messes (even with Jesus we are still big messes, but we can repent of our messes and seek to live with each other in an understanding way). 

This book made me uncomfortable.  It made me think. It made me grateful for a Savior that loves us all and wants us to in-turn love our neighbor as ourselves.  I don't know what that looks like, but I want to work on it more.  

Pages: 315