Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum's "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": A Groundbreaking Exploration of Race in America

gmom: Fast, prompt delivery. Book in excellent condition.

United States on Sep 29, 2023

Rebecca Hogenson: I ordered this for my child who was required to read this for a college course. Just a bit of advice and remedy to the title. If all the black kids are sitting together ask if you can sit with them or invite one or all to sit with you. Segregation only happens when it’s allowed. Be the solution and not part of the issue and communicate. This review should be required reading.

United States on Sep 19, 2023

Cliente Kindle: A deep analysis about racism in american society. I love it.

Brazil on Apr 15, 2021

Troy Deckert: This book covers all races and ethnicities, in great detail, although you may not realize that from the title. You can take her explanations to find patterns in place in Europe, South America, or Asia for example, just as much as in a U.S. high school cafeteria.

And, paradoxically, it turns out that everyone of all races are more like each other than not, even specifically about ethnic identity, even when it's different. That's why this book should receive continued and expanded reading. As people may embrace identity politics and their own ethnic identity, they mistakenly think they are being unique, which Tatum explains, they are not. Tatum explains the varied scales of ethnic identity that humans go through in stages by human and social nature.

Tatum shows that in all races, some of us embrace ethnic identity a lot, or more so, while others don't at all, or less so. And the cycles are similar, for all races, around the world, depending on social situations, like depending upon which ethnicity is in a large majority in a given situation. For example, Ms. Tatum, while black herself, identifies blacks who care not at all about embracing a black identity. That is like...

United States on Feb 04, 2021

Calverton Bent: Excellent eye-opening read, very much enjoyed the 20yrs update also.

United Kingdom on Jul 20, 2018

R10: Brilliantly written, informative and certainly eye opening.

United Kingdom on Nov 04, 2017

Junlei Li: As you review all the "reviews" thus far written, you get a sense that Dr. Tatum's book has gotten people thinking and taking stands. I appreciate the straightforwardness with which Tatum introduces her subject -- racism. Sure, we can disagree with her definitions and use of rhetorics. But she made the definition clear and prominent enough so that we can disagree. It is hard to measure oneself by a wishy-washy yard-stick. Tatum provided a solid yard stick by which you may examine your own stance, assumptions, and conclusions. In reading the reviews, especially the critical ones, it struck me that even those who strongly diagreed with Tatum understood her basic premises and her arguments. It is upon that understanding that we can disagree. I applaud the author for clearly laying out her arguments on a controversial issue.

The main strength of the book, to me, is in fact the redefinition of racism. You don't have to agree with it, but you do now need to examine whether a "system of advantage" exists and if it does, whether it should be included in the definition of racism. I am neither white nor black, so I cannot speak of black/white issues in first-person. But I come from a...

United States on Jan 03, 2005