When Race Becomes Real: Black and White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories

When Race Becomes Real is probably the best book to come across my desk in two years. Bernestine Singley and the other contributors have managed to take a tension-laden subject -- racism -- and approach it with the deepest honesty possible. The result is not a book that will send people reeling away in shame or disgust, but one that is accessible to anyone, regardless of skin tone or occupation. It is an odd thing to say about non-fiction, but this is a very tough book to put down once you start. If it were a novel, we'd call it a page-turner.

This book made me laugh, cry and everything in between. In the wake of the Trent Lott controversy, I would highly recommend this book to Blacks and Whites. Although there were a couple of stories that were long and uninteresting, I still gave this book 5 stars.

Bernestine Singley is to be congratulated for her thought-provoking, nitty gritty book. She has assembled a group of writers who aren't afraid to make it plain about race, including black folks who are sick of it, white folks who are finally getting it and everything in between.My favorite pieces are Derrick Bell's epilogue (I have been a big fan of his since Geneva Crenshaw), Julianne Malveaux's hilarious and rather poignant "Race, Rage and the Ace of Spades" (that woman needs to write a memoir or something), and Tim Wise's insightful piece.This is too searing to read in one setting, but it is the kind of book that begs for discussion. I am suggesting it for my book club and plan to use it at work to deal with some diversity related issues. Check it out!

"When Race Becomes Real" initiates a discussion long overdue in America where the subject of race is so sensitive that it has become virtually taboo. Some of the essays in this book touched me very deeply, some annoyed me, and others provided thoughtful new insights. All of them impressed me with their sincerity. After reading these writers' revelations about their own highly personal experiences and feelings in regards to race, one understands that there are many sides to the same truth, and that in order to approach any level of comfort in relations between the races, well meaning people need to be able to bare their souls without fear of censure or ridicule. This stimulating work can be used to open up frank discussions in the classroom or the living room and is highly recommended to anyone who is ready for an honest examination of the unavoidable everyday complexity of race relations in America.

Ms. Singley asked each contributor to share a REAL race experience of their own, not their opinion and not a retelling of someone else's experiences. The result is a book filled with excellent stories that force the reader to reflect on his or her own experiences with race. While reading, I realized that people of color experience most life events in the context of race - while most "white" people experience life without giving much thought to race. This book is not accusatory, but it is a wake up call. If some of us spend a little more time considering the effects of race in our society, perhaps others will be a little more free to think about it less. I sincerely hope this personal reflection will help me be a better friend and better member of our society.