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A review by pattydsf
This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America by Morgan Jerkins
4.0
“In my experience, white people are the only ones who purport to advance equality through the erasure or rejection of marginalized people’s identities, which signals to me that they have fooled themselves into believing that they are “unraced.” This belief is false, because it is based on the idea that whiteness is the human standard and that furthermore, by virtue of them being white, they are the arbiters of humanity.”
I did go through a phase where I thought that not noticing color or race or ethnicity was the right choice. It seems on one hand very logical. However, after reading books like The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1816367061), I realize how foolish I was. Jerkins, in the quotation above, hits the nail on the head. Only crazy (my word, not hers) white people would think that race can be erased.
I am just grateful that black women keep getting published and I keep getting the opportunity to read their works. It makes such a difference to me to encounter real lives occasionally, not just fictional people.
Jerkins’ book was especially interesting to me because she grew up in places I know and have experienced. However, her life was so different than mine – partly because of our age difference, but also because of our race. Jerkins lived in a very different New Jersey than I did.
I believe that this book should be read by most people. If you are African-American, much will ring true and if you are of another race, Jerkins will help you know her world.
I did go through a phase where I thought that not noticing color or race or ethnicity was the right choice. It seems on one hand very logical. However, after reading books like The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1816367061), I realize how foolish I was. Jerkins, in the quotation above, hits the nail on the head. Only crazy (my word, not hers) white people would think that race can be erased.
I am just grateful that black women keep getting published and I keep getting the opportunity to read their works. It makes such a difference to me to encounter real lives occasionally, not just fictional people.
Jerkins’ book was especially interesting to me because she grew up in places I know and have experienced. However, her life was so different than mine – partly because of our age difference, but also because of our race. Jerkins lived in a very different New Jersey than I did.
I believe that this book should be read by most people. If you are African-American, much will ring true and if you are of another race, Jerkins will help you know her world.