February’19 Books

What Does It Mean to be White?,  by Robin DiAngelo
Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers; Revised edition (June 15, 2016)
This is an outstanding (and readable) analysis of whiteness, from incisive and wide-ranging critiques of how white folks deflect, deny, and evade the topic of racism, and the implications of our racial identity and position The author worked with a person-of-color partner for the Dept. of Social and Health Services providing training for public and corporate workers.  Her book outlines what she learned and what she and her partner taught.  It’s a powerful lesson in “consciousness raising” and understanding of our role in institutional racism. More

Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, a 500-year History, by Kurt Andersen
Random House; 1st Edition edition (September 5, 2017)
It’s a NY Times Bestseller.  Over 450 pages the author details why this “fake news” moment we are living through is not something entirely new.  We were founded by dreamers and have a history of “true believers,” “magical thinkers,” “hucksters” and “suckers.  He said that believe-whatever-you-want fantasy is deeply embedded in our DNA, from the Salem witch trials to P.T. Barnum, to Hollywood, our fetish for guns, belief in extraterrestrials and “end times,” and more.  He explains how the lines between reality and illusion have become dangerously blurred.  Fascinating (and informative) reading. More