If you have not already been blessed by the absolute delight that is Amber Ruffin, then let me tell you that she is hilarious, whip smart and she'll charm your darn socks off! This book, co-written with her sister, Lacey, essentially takes the form of a socially-distant conversation. Their affectionate teasing and abundant humor tempers the stories they each share about their painful experiences with racism. Lacey, especially, who has remained in their hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, has some of the craziest, but also (sadly, because I am a white woman living in the Midwest) all-too-believable and sometimes cringingly familiar stories of her interactions with white people. So many of her stories occur in the workplace and it was affecting to be confronted with this unrelenting proof of how difficult the most banal human experiences become for a person who is not white. In a time when we're surrounded by stories (important stories) about some of the most deeply horrifying and violent racial episodes, it was somehow more powerful to get this reminder of how deeply racism has penetrated our institutions and our society; how often it goes unseen, unacknowledged and unchecked; and how much a person like me has the privilege of taking for granted. Amber and Lacey are both unbelievably generous with their readers - providing levity when needed and even including palate cleansers (like a strategically placed photo of a cute baby duck) at the end of particularly brutal chapters. But, they also refuse to let anyone off the hook. And, why should they? The stories they're telling are true and only a fraction of the experiences they've lived. The cumulative effect is extremely powerful. So, don't be fooled into thinking that because this book is funny in places, it's fluff. These amazing women have been incredibly generous with their stories and I feel so grateful for the opportunity to have read them.
— Nicole
“I didn’t think it was possible to combine education and humor so effectively in a book about racism, but Ruffin and Lamar proved me wrong. This incredibly well-structured, digestible, challenging, and engaging book opened my eyes to the many ways racism can permeate every interaction in Black people’s lives. The way the sisters play off each other and how Ruffin reflects on Lamar’s experience in contrast to her own make the book especially accessible. A must-read!”
— Emily Autenrieth, A Seat at the Table Books, Elk Grove, CA