The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.
In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.
Download and start listening now!
"Still reading this book, about half way through. It is helping me understand racism in a way that I had never thought about. "
— Nate (5 out of 5 stars)
White Fragility is a must-read for all educators because racism and racial disparities in access and opportunity continue to be an urgent issue in our schools. As educators, we need to summon up the courage and together act deliberately and honestly to develop the skills we need to engage in conversations about bias, race, and racism—especially our own.
— Val Brown, professional development facilitator and founder of #ClearTheAirRobin DiAngelo’s White Fragility brings language to the emotional structures that make true discussions about racial attitudes difficult. With clarity and compassion, DiAngelo allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people.’ In doing so, she moves our national discussions forward with new ‘rules of engagement.’ This is a necessary book for all people invested in societal change through productive social and intimate relationships.
— Claudia RankineWhite fragility is the secret ingredient that makes racial conversations so difficult and achieving racial equity even harder. But by exposing it and showing us all—including white folks—how it operates and how it hurts us, individually and collectively, Robin DiAngelo has performed an invaluable service. An indispensable volume for understanding one of the most important (and yet rarely appreciated) barriers to achieving racial justice.
— Tim Wise, author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged SonRobin DiAngelo demonstrates an all-too-rare ability to enter the racial conversation with complexity, nuance, and deep respect. Her writing establishes her mastery in accessing the imaginal, metaphoric mind where the possibility for transformation resides. With an unwavering conviction that change is possible, her message is clear: the incentive for white engagement in racial justice work is ultimately self-liberation.
— Leticia Nieto, coauthor of Beyond Inclusion, Beyond EmpowermentAs powerful forces of white racism again swell, DiAngelo invites white progressives to have a courageous conversation about their culture of complicity. . . . White Fragility provides important antiracist understanding and essential strategies for well-intentioned white people who truly endeavor to be a part of the solution.
— Glenn E. Singleton, author of Courageous Conversations About RaceA rare and incisive examination of the system of white body supremacy that binds us all as Americans. . . . With authenticity and clarity, she provides the antidote to white fragility and a road map for developing white racial stamina and humility. White Fragility loosens the bonds of white supremacy and binds us back together as human beings.
— Resmaa Menakem, author of My Grandmother’s Hands and Rock the BoatAs a woman of color, I find hope in this book because of its potential to disrupt the patterns and relationships that have emerged out of long-standing colonial principles and beliefs. White Fragility is an essential tool toward authentic dialogue and action. May it be so!
— Shakti Butler, president of World Trust and director of Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness VisibleA vital, necessary, and beautiful book, a bracing call to white folk everywhere to see their whiteness for what it is and to seize the opportunity to make things better now.
— Michael Eric DysonA penetrating new book.
— Pacific StandardA valuable guide . . . While especially helpful for those new to the critical analysis of whiteness, this work also offers a useful refresher to anyone committed to the ongoing process of self-assessment and anti-oppression work.
— Library JournalWhite Fragility is a book everyone should be exposed to. With any luck, most who are will be inspired to search themselves and interrupt their contributions to racism.
— Shelf Awareness, Starred Review[T]houghtful, instructive, and comprehensive . . . This slim book is impressive in its scope and complexity; DiAngelo provides a powerful lens for examining, and practical tools for grappling with, racism today.
— Publishers Weekly, Starred ReviewThe value in White Fragility lies in its methodical, irrefutable exposure of racism in thought and action, and its call for humility and vigilance.
— The New Yorker" More nonsense for the nonsensical. "
— Wasted Money, 3/9/2021" Easily the most racist book ever written. To think Black Americans cannot make it in America without their "White Woke Librals" to do it for them is without question the definition of racism. "
— Reason, 7/20/2020" Anyone who needs to call themselves an 'antiracist educator' is a psychopath, especially in a book alleging a negative quality is owned by an entire race. "
— Also truth i guess, 7/19/2020" Absolutely the worst book ever written!!!! "
— Amanda Willis no, 6/24/2020" I’m a conservative black woman and I try to understand different points of view. This book is just silly. We do not live in a racist society. Quit with all the white guilt. I know more racist blacks by far than white people. White people are racist you say, you are teaching hate. You should be ashamed of yourself. Give your money you are making off of preaching hate to the communities of underprivileged black Americans. You should be ashamed of yourself. This book is a joke. "
— Samantha, 6/24/2020" A good start for "white" people who don't want to talk about racism. It is a beginner's book and I hope that if you are someone who finds this book "eye-opening" it would be an excellent idea to use this book as a jumping-off point for reading some truly amazing black literature: The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, Native Son by Richard Write, anything by James Baldwin, most anything by Toni Morrison, The History of White People by Nell Painter, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander this is just a start. "
— Roazbear, 6/22/2020" When does Black Fragility come out? "
— Truth, 6/15/2020Robin DiAngelo has been an educator and trainer on issues of racial justice and social justice for more than twenty years. She is the author or co-author of several books including the New York Times bestsellers White Fragility and Nice Racism. She is an affiliate associate professor of education at the University of Washington. Find her online at robindiangelo.com.
Amy Landon, Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a voice artist and classically trained actress with numerous film, television, and off-Broadway stage credits. Her voice can also be heard on many television and radio commercials. She has an easy facility with dialects, which she also coaches and teaches, and she is happy to find her lifelong obsession with books pairing up with her acting and vocal work. Her narration of Texts from Jane Eyre placed as a finalist for the Audie Award for Best Humor Narration in 2016.