Robin Clifford Wood
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​You'll Never Be Quite the Same

"Waking up White" by Debby Irving

7/13/2020

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            I was deeply skeptical that a race-themed book written by a white person could be meaningful or useful, but Irving’s memoir shook me profoundly where I’d hoped to find it worthless. Certainly it recounts plenty of “no, duh,” old-news about race, culture, whiteness, identity, and privilege. But if I look back not so many years, I recognize much of the author’s naiveté in my own past.
            Irving and I share startlingly similar pasts – born in 1960 to prosperous, loving, WASP families; a sunny outlook on life and opportunity; raised to approach “the underserved” with respect and benevolence rather than solidarity; desperate to be “a good person.” The book’s definitions of “white dominant culture” may be foreign to many, but they hit home for me.
            I applaud Irving’s courage in publishing her story, her hard-earned, unfolding awareness of the depths of our systemic, centuries-ingrained, racist culture. If she succeeds in opening more white minds, her book is worth a lot.

             
My 60th year in 60,000 words
Day 321: 159 words, TOTAL = 52,362; 7,638 remaining

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    Author

    Robin Clifford Wood is a writer and writing teacher.  She lives  in central Maine with her husband and dogs, loves to be outdoors, and enjoys ever-expanding horizons through her grown children and their multi-species families.

    To read about the "60th year in 60,000 words" challenge, go to the August 27th blog post. 
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    https://www.robincliffordwood.com/youll-never-be-quite-the-same---blog/tomorrow-is-launch-day
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