Racial Healing : Confronting the Fear Between Blacks & Whites

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource, Though-Provoking Primer
Review: "Racial Healing" is one of the best books of any genre I have read in a good long while, and it works on many levels--whether the reader is new to the discussion of social and racial justice or is an old hand, this book has something to offer. Harlon Dalton astutely avoids talking down to his readers, and peppers the work with personal stories and insights. My only complaint is that Dalton provides too few specific and concrete solutions (or even baby steps) to bring us closer to racial healing; instead, this is a thoughtful and thought-provoking outline of where we stand. This is a highly readable book that will not take he reader very long to get through, but which will leave a lasting impression.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource, Though-Provoking Primer
Review: "Racial Healing" is one of the best books of any genre I have read in a good long while, and it works on many levels--whether the reader is new to the discussion of social and racial justice or is an old hand, this book has something to offer. Harlon Dalton astutely avoids talking down to his readers, and peppers the work with personal stories and insights. My only complaint is that Dalton provides too few specific and concrete solutions (or even baby steps) to bring us closer to racial healing; instead, this is a thoughtful and thought-provoking outline of where we stand. This is a highly readable book that will not take he reader very long to get through, but which will leave a lasting impression.

Rating:
Summary: Get closer, get dirty, get free
Review: Dalton's book is a wonderful plea for blacks and whites to get beyond assuming that social programs will "fix" our misunderstandings -- and get closer to each other through honest talk. And he's absolutely right when he says that such talk will ruffle feathers, cause pain, get us "dirty" and frustrated. But we each need to know more about how race affects our daily lives. For whites like me, that means getting to understand the privlege of white skin -- the taken-for-granted ability to navigate most social landscapes without anxiety, fear, or people closing doors. For blacks it means telling their story of racial oppression in ways which go beyond simple "us v. them" dynamics. For both groups it means a lot of earnest listening -- and learning. This book should be a weekly television show, featuring such dialog between blacks and whites from all walks of life. What a healthy thing that would be! Possible? Maybe. But hey, we prefer to ignore reality and be entertained instead. This book is full of sage insight, but will those who really NEED to read it do so? That's the big question I was left with at the end.

Rating:
Summary: Get closer, get dirty, get free
Review: Dalton's book is a wonderful plea for blacks and whites to get beyond assuming that social programs will "fix" our misunderstandings -- and get closer to each other through honest talk. And he's absolutely right when he says that such talk will ruffle feathers, cause pain, get us "dirty" and frustrated. But we each need to know more about how race affects our daily lives. For whites like me, that means getting to understand the privlege of white skin -- the taken-for-granted ability to navigate most social landscapes without anxiety, fear, or people closing doors. For blacks it means telling their story of racial oppression in ways which go beyond simple "us v. them" dynamics. For both groups it means a lot of earnest listening -- and learning. This book should be a weekly television show, featuring such dialog between blacks and whites from all walks of life. What a healthy thing that would be! Possible? Maybe. But hey, we prefer to ignore reality and be entertained instead. This book is full of sage insight, but will those who really NEED to read it do so? That's the big question I was left with at the end.

Rating:
Summary: Get closer, get dirty, get free
Review: Dalton's book is a wonderful plea for blacks and whites to get beyond assuming that social programs will "fix" our misunderstandings -- and get closer to each other through honest talk. And he's absolutely right when he says that such talk will ruffle feathers, cause pain, get us "dirty" and frustrated. But we each need to know more about how race affects our daily lives. For whites like me, that means getting to understand the privlege of white skin -- the taken-for-granted ability to navigate most social landscapes without anxiety, fear, or people closing doors. For blacks it means telling their story of racial oppression in ways which go beyond simple "us v. them" dynamics. For both groups it means a lot of earnest listening -- and learning. This book should be a weekly television show, featuring such dialog between blacks and whites from all walks of life. What a healthy thing that would be! Possible? Maybe. But hey, we prefer to ignore reality and be entertained instead. This book is full of sage insight, but will those who really NEED to read it do so? That's the big question I was left with at the end.

Rating:
Summary: A book that has inspired me to "engage" in order to "heal"
Review: Mr. Dalton is able to not only give the "White" reader a picture of what it is to be a black individual, but also to be able to feel what a black person feels under certain circumstances. The book really does serve as an inspirational guide to understanding one-another: encouraging individuals (black or white) to engage in order to "heal the past" and "transform the present".

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource, Though-Provoking Primer
Review: The critical praise of this book is shockingly inapplicable. Presumptuous posturing is it's M.O. Speaking not only for "skin pirivileged" whites, but speaking for other racial groupings as well. (In contrast, this is where, Steele's appropriate sense of humility comes in.) This work falls apart once the p.c. hierarchies of the most oppressed are deconstructed. I.E. class is never a very important issue, althoug he obliviously contradicts himself on this. His arguments are not supported by hard examples but by a subconscious acceptance of racial essentialism, meaning monoliths about "whiteness," "blackness" and "white skin privilige." He is not only mistreating the wounds but misdiagnosing and ignorantly caricaturing the patients. This would not be so bad if it were done in well intentioned and earnest misunderstanding. But a well-placed and, yes, priviliged, educational elite "Oughta" know better!

Rating:
Summary: Racial Posturing
Review: The critical praise of this book is shockingly inapplicable. Presumptuous posturing is it's M.O. Speaking not only for "skin pirivileged" whites, but speaking for other racial groupings as well. (In contrast, this is where, Steele's appropriate sense of humility comes in.) This work falls apart once the p.c. hierarchies of the most oppressed are deconstructed. I.E. class is never a very important issue, althoug he obliviously contradicts himself on this. His arguments are not supported by hard examples but by a subconscious acceptance of racial essentialism, meaning monoliths about "whiteness," "blackness" and "white skin privilige." He is not only mistreating the wounds but misdiagnosing and ignorantly caricaturing the patients. This would not be so bad if it were done in well intentioned and earnest misunderstanding. But a well-placed and, yes, priviliged, educational elite "Oughta" know better!

Rating:
Summary: Racial Posturing
Review: The critical praise of this book is shockingly inapplicable. Presumptuous posturing is it's M.O. Speaking not only for "skin pirivileged" whites, but speaking for other racial groupings as well. (In contrast, this is where, Steele's appropriate sense of humility comes in.) This work falls apart once the p.c. hierarchies of the most oppressed are deconstructed. I.E. class is never a very important issue, althoug he obliviously contradicts himself on this. His arguments are not supported by hard examples but by a subconscious acceptance of racial essentialism, meaning monoliths about "whiteness," "blackness" and "white skin privilige." He is not only mistreating the wounds but misdiagnosing and ignorantly caricaturing the patients. This would not be so bad if it were done in well intentioned and earnest misunderstanding. But a well-placed and, yes, priviliged, educational elite "Oughta" know better!