One of the best books I have read about race to date. As a white, cis-gendered, woman in the United States, I know that I am granted a tremendous amount of privilege. I believe that it is critical to be able to talk about race and racism. Equally critical is that I am open to learning and growing and making an effort to recognize all of the ways racism benefits me and other white people unfairly. Pointing out and illustrating how racism benefits white people is exactly what author Robin DiAngelo does so skillfully and in-depth in White Fragility.

The importance of this book is fundamental. If we are not willing to acknowledge the biases and racism that are literally in the foundations of our society, how can we ever hope to change it? And if we all, as individuals, are not willing to open ourselves up to real, honest, and candid conversations about race and racism, how can we ever hope to understand? Learning, understanding, talking without resorting to defensiveness or blaming is crucial to our growth as individuals and as a society.

In making a commitment to learning more about critical race theory (which should be taught in all of our schools, by the way) I have realized that there is a lot that was not taught in sixteen years of formal education. Thankfully, there are people like Robin DiAngelo and books like White Fragility.