Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race by Thomas Chatterton Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The author is the son of an African-American father and a Caucasian mother who married a (Caucasian) Frenchwoman and has two children. This book consists of his musings on race and identity and family.
It’s a well-written book that flows easily and, yet, at the same time, it’s not an easy book to read. If race is a social construct as many assert, then how does it play (or not play) into identity, society, and belonging?
The author discusses everything from whether it’s unethical for black people to procreate outside of race as opposed to strategically bonding together to Glenn Loury’s concept of racially transcendent humanism.
I suspect many people at the extreme left of the political spectrum would be unhappy with the author’s perspective on many issues relating to race and society. I will only say that this book adds a perspective and a voice that should be listened to with an open mind.



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