Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man

Summary

“You cannot fix a problem you do not know you have.” So begins Emmanuel Acho in his essential guide to the truths Americans need to know to address the systemic racism that has recently electrified protests in all fifty states. “There is a fix,” Acho says. “But in order to access it, we’re going to have to have some uncomfortable conversations.”

In Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, Acho takes on all the questions, large and small, insensitive and taboo, many white Americans are afraid to ask—yet which all Americans need the answers to, now more than ever. With the same open-hearted generosity that has made his video series a phenomenon, Acho explains the vital core of such fraught concepts as white privilege, cultural appropriation, and “reverse racism.”

In his own words, he provides a space of compassion and understanding in a discussion that can lack both. He asks only for the reader’s curiosity—but along the way, he will galvanize all of us to join the antiracist fight.

My Verdict

A few years back, I was surfing YouTube when I came across a series of videos by Emmanuel entitled "Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man". I remember feeling like Acho somehow made difficult topics more accessible. I even used a couple clips in discussions in the AP Language & Composition class that I was teaching at the time. The students overwhelmingly told me that they thought the power in the videos was that Acho approached the questions in a non-confrontational way. I was in complete agreement with their assessment.

Fast forward a couple years. I purchased this book for my son because I thought he might be interested in it, but then I didn't think too much more about it until a friend told me a couple months ago that I really should read it. I found it to be just as engaging as the videos. One reviewer I read said it was "easy to read". To that, I say both "yes" and "no". The conversational style makes it accessible, but the subject matter is not "easy". Acho provides historic content while tying that into contemporary issues. His views are evident but as a reader, I did not feel put off in any way. This book is a great read for anyone who wants to be informed and educated. I give this book 5 stars.