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Some of My Best Friends are Black by Tanner Colby #BookReview #BookClub — 13 Comments

  1. This is a topic that has come up frequently with my kids. We live in a rural area and they attended rural schools. The student population up till high school was 99% white. I felt my kids were missing out on a rich cultural experience by not having different cultures at their school. Then son went to grade 8 at an inner city school and it was much more diverse, that school even celebrated that they have the most number of cultures attending their school of any other school in the district. While daughter continued at the rural school she did have exposure and interaction with other populations. She had kids with physical special needs in her class for years, her high school had a special program to encourage old order Mennonites teens to continue their formal education as well as quite a few foreign exchange students, many of whom she got to know quite well. I truly feel that they more intermixed our society, the better off we will all be in life.

  2. Looks interesting. I can’t remember where I read this report, but I remember that places of worship remain one of the least racially integrated institutions. Race is very complex and emotional. Few people are willing to talk or write about it. Thanks for the review. I like to read nonfiction, and it’s good to have more recommendations.

  3. I requested the book from the library even before I finished reading your review. I’m glad to know you are “a bleeding heart liberal.” Me, too. In the 1970s, I did management training for a government agency, trying to teach the managers about racism, sexism, and EEO compliance. (That’s Equal Employment Opportunity, in case you don’t know that acronym.) I knew you and I were kindred spirits!

  4. Stopping by from The Steadfast Reader–I read a lot about race and race relations, but hadn’t heard about this book before. It sounds interesting and it’s going on my TBR list! If you’d like another take on this subject, you may want to try (if you haven’t already) Lena Williams’ book “It’s The Little Things: Everyday Interactions That Anger, Annoy, and Divide The Races”. Fascinating, very readable, and very thought-provoking.

    • It’s been a long time since I read it and I remember that it was complicated in a way — exploring four different topics in four different ways.

      Hmmm. The US is separated along racial lines due to structures that were put in place decades ago, often for reasons that have been forgotten and are now outdated. Dismantling those structures will require unraveling the complex tapestry that underlies our institutions and our neighborhoods.

      Something like that. What do you think?

      • I believe the thesis for this book is to show how american society failed at racial integration.. in a way. I’m trying to determine what the best way to explain it would be.

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