Mildy disappointing
I read this book to discover if I held any hidden prejudices against black persons, and how I might change to eliminate same. I wanted to know what a black person sees in whites. I must admit that Kendi's recounting of episodes from his personal life were most illuminating, and in reading these I began to see how racism affects the lives of African Americans. In more subtle ways than I suspected.
That said, however, Kendi's repetitive writing style and his imaginative perspective on history were less enlightening. Kendi equates capitalism with slavery, corrolating that economic configuration with the continued enslavement of blacks. This is hardly the case, as slavery has existed for at least 4000 years. Many economic systems were in play during that time period. He also indicates that racism didn't exist until the 1500's, when Africans began to be captured and shipped into slavery. This is completely untrue, as humans have a natural reaction against people that are different from their own culture.
So while Kendi's personal history, his discovery of the racism within the black community, and his choice to become antiracist are more than informative, the writing and the history presented make his treatise far less enjoyable.
