Title: White Tears / Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color
Author: Ruby Hamad
Ruby Hamad references Doctor Who, which is relevant to my interests.
Recommended; 5 Stars – Quick read; Gets to the point
This book is a painful collection of instances where white female archetypes have done us all dirty, all around the world. If you are a Woman of Color, you have likely experienced some variation of the accounts in the book, so there’s nothing new there. In the introduction, the author acknowledges that she’s an olive-skinned Woman of Color, vilified most when she’s done something deemed “wrong” by upset white people. Hamad has clearly been through some shit, and her voice should not be discarded.
For people who’ve been paying attention or have even a passing interest in the history of colonialism, again, there are no surprises in the book. Black and brown bodies have been used and abused the world over–same story, different border. Unfortunately, a lot of people have not been paying attention and do not have that interest. There are multitudes of humans who believe that looking at the past is useless and that modern humans are not to blame for the atrocities of the past. Those people are idiots, and…like…the atrocities are still happening.
This book is a quick read, and worth it just to nod along with the familiar [to me] accounts of racism, colorism, classism, and sexism that have built and persist in our society. Again, THIS SHIT IS STILL HAPPENING, so don’t fucking pretend that it’s not. Stop the tears and stop touching my fucking hair.
Green Linen Shirt 