This hotly anticipated book dubbed ‘essential’ by writer Marlon James is one that I have been looking forward to reading for a very long time.
A continuation of Reni Eddo-Lodge’s 2014 blog with the same title, this book was born out of her frustration with how “discussions of race and racism in Britain were being led by those who weren’t affected by it”.
Why is Eddo-Lodge’s name so familiar? Well, she wrote an insightful chapter in The Good Immigrant, a book I trust you’ve all read by now 👀👀👀, and is also a renowned journalist, writing for The New York Times, Vogue and The Guardian to name a few.
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People is an excellent assessment of race in Britain. Comprised of seven essays, Eddo-Lodge provides context to racism and Black British history in the first essay, admitting that she had to actively dig for information as “the Black British story is starved of oxygen” whilst “the US struggle against racism is globalised”. She then goes on to explore how racism is embedded within British structures, white privilege, feminism, class and more.
This isn’t just a soliloquy where Eddo-Lodge spouts all her thoughts and views on race, her points are well formulated and evidenced and also includes interviews she’s carried out with people on the matter… like Nick Griffin (former BNP leader).
Many people (myself included) have this fear that non-fiction is boring and heavy, however, Eddo-Lodge is a true wordsmith, speaking the truth on a level that will resonate with everyone, reader or not. To steal Sharmaine Lovegrove’s (Elle Literary Editor) review after reading this book; “I promise you will come up for air woke and better equipped to understand the underlying issues of race in our society”, so get down to your local bookshop, or support an independent like FABA Books, as this is an essential for your handbag!
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