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Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor Kindle Edition

4.7 out of 5 stars 6,753 ratings

The New York Times and USA Today bestseller! This eye-opening book challenges you to do the essential work of unpacking your biases, and helps white people take action and dismantle the privilege within themselves so that you can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too.

"Layla Saad is one of the most important and valuable teachers we have right now on the subject of white supremacy and racial injustice."—New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert

Based on the viral Instagram challenge that captivated participants worldwide, Me and White Supremacy takes readers on a 28-day journey, complete with journal prompts, to do the necessary and vital work that can ultimately lead to improving race relations.

Updated and expanded from the original workbook (downloaded by nearly 100,000 people), this critical text helps you take the work deeper by adding more historical and cultural contexts, sharing moving stories and anecdotes, and including expanded definitions, examples, and further resources, giving you the language to understand racism, and to dismantle your own biases, whether you are using the book on your own, with a book club, or looking to start family activism in your own home.

This book will walk you step-by-step through the work of examining:

  • Examining your own white privilege
  • What allyship really means
  • Anti-blackness, racial stereotypes, and cultural appropriation
  • Changing the way that you view and respond to race
  • How to continue the work to create social change

Awareness leads to action, and action leads to change. For readers of White Fragility, White Rage, So You Want To Talk About Race, The New Jim Crow, How to Be an Anti-Racist and more who are ready to closely examine their own beliefs and biases and do the work it will take to create social change.

"Layla Saad moves her readers from their heads into their hearts, and ultimately, into their practice. We won't end white supremacy through an intellectual understanding alone; we must put that understanding into action."—Robin DiAngelo, author of New York Times bestseller White Fragility


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Popular Highlights in this book

From the Publisher

How did you feel the first time you saw the title of this book? Were you surprised? Confused?

It may seem like we're at a time in history when racism and white supremacy are resurfacing, but the

The system of white supremacy was not created by anyone who is alive today. But it is maintained and

The work is not about those white people "out there." It is about you. Just you.

This book is part education, part activism. You will find yourself expanding your intellectual

If we are all committed to doing the work that is outs to do, we have a chance of creating a world

But if you are a person who believes in love, justice, integrity, and equality for all people, then

Editorial Reviews

Review

''[Saad's] work is personal, practical, reflective, applicable, difficult, effective, and imperative. For the millions of us beginning to know where to begin -- where to begin to counteract our ugly history, and where to stand during this historical moment of polarization and hate -- Layla answers: Begin with me. Begin with you.'' --Glennon Doyle, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Love Warrior and founder of Together Rising

''A rallying call, for those humble enough to answer, to stop and examine how dominant systems shape how white people see themselves, see others, and how they move through the world...
Me and White Supremacy summons forth a new type of leadership and accountability that this time so desperately calls for and is the pathway to a greater healing that generations of people and communities so desperately need.'' --Latham Thomas, author of Own Your Glow

''America needed this book yesterday. In fact, America has always needed this book. Layla Saad is one of the most important and valuable teachers we have right now on the subject of white supremacy and racial injustice. With keen intelligence and tireless patience, she is working to remove our collective cultural blind spots and to help -- at last -- change minds and transform society. I have the deepest respect for her. Buy this book for yourself, your family, your students. Don't put it off, and don't look away. It's time.'' --
Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author

''Layla Saad moves her readers from their heads into their hearts, and ultimately, into their practice. We won't end white supremacy through an intellectual understanding alone; we must put that understanding into action.'' --
Robin DiAngelo, New York Times bestselling author

''A bracing, highly useful tool for any discussion of combating racism.'' --
Kirkus Reviews

''A timely and thoughtful guide that transforms truth-telling into accessible and actionable change in hearts, minds, and communities worldwide.'' --
Jamia Wilson, author and publisher of the Feminist Press

''Layla not only engages readers effectively -- she hands them the tools they need to change themselves so that they can better the lives of millions of people worldwide.'' --
Rachel Cargle, activist, writer, and lecturer

''An effective tool for ... addressing larger systems of racism and oppression.'' --
Shelf Awareness (starred review)

''An important book about taking ownership of racist behavior and making changes that are not easy, convenient, or comfortable ... This groundbreaking book should be required reading.'' --
Library Journal (starred review)

''Must be considered mandatory reading for anyone having to deal with the social injustice arising from racism and bigotry that.'' --
Midwest Book Review

''This book is not for the oppressed or the marginalized but rather for those whose privilege, when left unchecked, has harmful consequences.'' --
Booklist (starred review)

''An expanded, in-depth adaptation of her original workbook, which the author sees as a stepping stone for people who want to fight racism.'' --
Publishers Weekly

''Smoothly narrating twenty-eight days of journaling prompts, Saad includes specific examples and reasons why listeners need to examine them. Listeners must be ready to engage with each topic by pausing to write out responses, not just passively listening. Saad includes personal and historical anecdotes to provide context -- which is all the more powerful to hear from the author herself.'' --
AudioFile

''She is, no-joke, changing the world and, for what it's worth, the way I live my life.'' --
Anne Hathaway

About the Author

Layla Saad is a globally respected writer, speaker and podcast host on the topics of race, identity, leadership, personal transformation and social change.

As an East African, Arab, British, Black, Muslim woman who was born and grew up in the West, and lives in Middle East, Layla has always sat at a unique intersection of identities from which she is able to draw rich and intriguing perspectives. Layla's work is driven by her powerful desire to 'become a good ancestor'; to live and work in ways that leave a legacy of healing and liberation for those who will come after she is gone.

Me and White Supremacy is Layla's first book. Initially offered for free following an Instagram challenge under the same name, the digital Me And White Supremacy Workbook was downloaded by close to ninety thousand people around the world in the space of six months, before becoming a traditionally published book. Layla's work has been brought into homes, educational institutions and workplaces around the world that are seeking to create personal and collective change.

Layla earned her Bachelor of Law degree from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. She lives in Doha, Qatar with her husband, Sam, and two children, Maya and Mohamed. Find out more about Layla at www.laylafsaad.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07Y5PHNXB
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sourcebooks; 1st edition (January 28, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 28, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 244 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 6,753 ratings

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Layla F. Saad
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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
6,753 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book thought-provoking with journaling prompts that convict them, and consider it mandatory reading that centers on understanding white supremacy. The book provides a compassionate and structured method for examining unconscious racial biases, and customers appreciate it as a wonderful way to self-reflect. The clarity and difficulty level receive mixed reviews - while some find it easy to read, others note it contains self-negating arguments, and while the step-by-step approach is appreciated, some find it hard to work through.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

77 customers mention "Information quality"73 positive4 negative

Customers find the book enlightening, with thought-provoking journaling prompts that convict readers. One customer notes it provides comprehensive insights, while another mentions it gets to the heart of the matter.

"...throughout, but in the end, you will be so grateful for the powerful knowledge and so aware of the racism and white supremacy that western society..." Read more

"...I think this guide is a very practical, structured, and helpful guide for understanding all the insidious ways that white supremacy shows up in life...." Read more

"...This book helps to motivate and inspire one to take actions to make a shift in this world, independently and systemically...." Read more

"...all in this book to gain value from it, but certainly it is an important perspective and one that needs to be understood and addressed." Read more

51 customers mention "Value for money"51 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be an amazing resource that is worth the money, with several describing it as mandatory reading.

"...This is a road map to proceed. I am so grateful for all of the work, time and energy the author, Layla Saad, put into this book...." Read more

"...Layla Saad did an outstanding job, unearthing all that is necessary to combat the ever present issues of white privilege, white supremacy and racism...." Read more

"...Thank you so much for providing this amazing resource for us all to become better humans." Read more

"...Overall, I think it's a good process, and while it focuses on the individual, it never loses sight of the fact that it all happens in context of..." Read more

38 customers mention "Racism"32 positive6 negative

Customers appreciate how the book centers on understanding white supremacy, with one customer highlighting its structured approach to examining unconscious racial biases.

"...up hearing racist remarks from her family- this book helped me dig deep into my white supremacy and privilege...." Read more

"...This book is written for white people like me...." Read more

"...Combating racism is a long process and will continue to require constant self-education and joint ventures...." Read more

"...The book includes stories, definitions, and weekly journaling prompts pertaining to race and racism...." Read more

13 customers mention "Reflection"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book eye-opening and wonderful for self-reflection, with one customer noting it provides opportunities to practice and reflect.

"...The Writing prompts after each section are the key to the self reflection this book requires and helped me to break through my own deep seated biases..." Read more

"...But there is a LOT to unpack, think about, and reflect upon. The book shows me things that I either didn't think about or realize before...." Read more

"Though I agree that this is an important work to read “listen to”, reflect upon, and let land, it probably contains too many self-negating arguments..." Read more

"...Saad says “you cannot dismantle what you cannot see”, and she helps you to see, with a short reading and journal prompt everyday for 28 days...." Read more

18 customers mention "Clarity"11 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the clarity of the book, with some finding it easy to read while others note that it contains too many self-negating arguments.

"...Each day's reading itself is a short, quick, and easy read. But there is a LOT to unpack, think about, and reflect upon...." Read more

"...The journaling prompts got really repetitive and throughout the book, and they varied widely in usefulness, from “In what ways have you believed you..." Read more

"...It should be mandatory reading. Each topic that Layla discusses is well thought out and clear for all readers to understand...." Read more

"...This is book is clear, well written, and the chapters are short and digestible. Would highly recommend it to everyone!" Read more

13 customers mention "Difficulty level"8 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the difficulty level of the book, with some finding it step-by-step and easy to follow, while others describe it as hard to work through.

"...Let the work begin. This is a road map to proceed...." Read more

"...This is a hard book to work through but I can’t recommend it highly enough." Read more

"Covered the topics of racial disparity in clear language. Step-br-step, day-by-day instructions and opportunities to practice and reflect...." Read more

"...and her thought-provoking journaling prompts will convict you, challenge you, and help you become a better ancestor...." Read more

Recommend!
5 out of 5 stars
Recommend!
I’m only a few chapters in, but highly recommend this book. I appreciate the guidance of actionable steps to analyzing myself. I followed White Fragility with this book.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2020
    If you are a white person reading this book, you will want to throw it across the room several times throughout, but in the end, you will be so grateful for the powerful knowledge and so aware of the racism and white supremacy that western society is built on. You will feel as though a vail has been pulled away that you have unknowingly been explicit to. You will have the opportunity to be a better ancestor! Let the work begin. This is a road map to proceed.

    I am so grateful for all of the work, time and energy the author, Layla Saad, put into this book. It clarifies terms that describe what I see, but did not have the language for such as: anti blackness, white exceptionalism and white centering. If you are white, the hard part is when you see yourself and you will, but you will be ok. The only way out is through.

    The Writing prompts after each section are the key to the self reflection this book requires and helped me to break through my own deep seated biases. At the end of the book, in the appendix, there is a guide to work in groups. Reading this book on your own, Without support, can be isolating but still of great value. I do plan on going back and reading it again to be a part of a group circle.

    It may be a challenging book to read, but it is the kind of book you will want to reference again and again. You will want to refer to it as you see the world unfold through your more aware eyes And you will catch yourself too. I have started buying copies for friends so that when they want to throw this book, they can call me.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2024
    This book changed my life. As a white woman who grew up hearing racist remarks from her family- this book helped me dig deep into my white supremacy and privilege.This is a must read for every white person in the United States.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2021
    I purchased this book because I am part of a group that is going through this book together. We meet once per week. Each week, we go through and discuss one of the daily readings / reflective journal prompts. So far, we have completed the first 5 days. Each day's reading itself is a short, quick, and easy read. But there is a LOT to unpack, think about, and reflect upon. The book shows me things that I either didn't think about or realize before. And it also presents things from a different perspective. It is helpful, informative, and practical. I find that each of the prompts immediately hits me. But I also find that I continue to reflect upon the readings for several days and new things come to mind. I think this guide is a very practical, structured, and helpful guide for understanding all the insidious ways that white supremacy shows up in life. And it gives us some very immediate and direct ways to begin actively working to change ourselves and to begin dismantling white supremacy. Highly recommended.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2021
    I have referred back to this book often. I have recommended it to countless people who also have read it and recommended it to others.
    This is not just to be read then put on the bookshelf. Too often, there's a lot of talk and no action to make a difference in how our BIPOC community members are treated and considered. This book helps to motivate and inspire one to take actions to make a shift in this world, independently and systemically.
    Some readers might be offended by some of the work, but I have to say that they are the ones who might most benefit from reflecting on what it is that brings up the emotion(s) they feel in order to shift our paradigms and do right by human beings. Have grace with yourself and be brave enough to take on this important work.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2020
    This review written by Jim Loving, husband of CKL.

    I read this book in August, 2020 as part of a book circle conducted by my alma mater. I am a 66 year old white male, the circle had all white people, with me being the only male. I write this review bringing my own perspective regarding this topic, having grown up in the segregated, Jim Crow south (Richmond, VA, USA), and having developed an “Integral” (Theory) perspective, which among its beliefs takes an evolutionary view of cultural development, with the development of human values over many waves and epochs, with this broadly categorized into pre-modern/traditional, modern, and postmodern. This view believes that each stage of human development has partial and lasting truths, that need to be both transcended and included as we evolve as a culture. Integralists believe they have a new set of values that incorporates the “Good, True and Beautiful” of each stage of development (that is the theory, not always the practice!).

    Layla Saad’s book (interesting to note that Amazon lists Robin DiAngelo, a white woman, as co-author when she is not, she merely wrote the forward to the book) is part of an emerging postmodern canon on the topic broadly of White Supremacy and Anti-Racism, with the other big titles DiAngelo’s White Fragility and Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be An Anti-Racist the other big titles. Saad lists these titles along with over 40 others in the further learning section.

    Postmodernism emerged in the late 19th century, but really exploded in the culture during the 1960s and has captured the elite thinking within the Academy around the world. Within postmodern thinking, Critical Race Theory is a subset of this thinking and much of the Anti-Racist, White Supremacy canon has come from this theory. As noted earlier, there are many truths held within these teachings. At their best, these truths are revealed to many people within the dominant/majority culture (white people in the West) in a new way with these books and teachings, and at their worst, are presented, like pre-modern religions as THE TRUTH to be adopted and accepted or become an outcast within the new normative that is proposed. As others have written, at its worst, some postmodern thinking has not included modern and traditional values, it has blocked or rejected them which results in narcissism and nihilism at its worst, and elements of religious fervor in its teachings or illiberalism in the extreme.

    This book is written for white people like me. White people are the majority population within most countries in the West – the US and Canada in North America, and nearly all of the countries of Europe, along with Australia and New Zealand, so the audience for this book is well over 1-2B people. While this book and others note that “Race” is a social construct, there is an importance to note shades of skin tones and the term “BIPOC” – Black, Indigenous and People of Color is used to represent all other people (I am unclear where Asians fall in this construct, but for now this message mostly ignores them - ~ 4-5B people on the planet but India has mostly “People of Color” vs lighter skinned Asians from ASEAN countries).

    This book, and many of the others (based only on reviews, I have not read the others mentioned here or referenced by Saad) is presented as Revealed Truth – namely it is a message to White People about a reality that they have not seen, have not acknowledged, have mostly denied, and have for the most part, perpetuated willingly and unwillingly. The intent of the book and its teachings is to break through that unawareness, and to re-educate white people so that they may become allies to dismantle the described White Supremacy System of Oppression that they have built and perpetuated. From the back cover: “You cannot dismantle what you cannot see. You cannot challenge what you do not understand.”

    And clearly from the author, nearly all white people do not and have not understood the message delivered in this book, so the author notes that the emotional toll from being confronted with this message is to be prepared for, and managed carefully but forthrightly, because the wrong perception of history and today’s reality is going to be corrected with this revealed TRUTH. Being white is a condition of societal privilege, and it cannot be changed or Overcome – but it must be confronted – i.e. we need to become always ever-present racially aware society because White Supremacy has dominated the western culture for 500+ years based on the thinking and actions described as TRUTHS in this book.

    The book evolved from a 28-day series of posts on Instagram that Saad made,then converted to this book which corresponds to the 28 chapters, broken down into four weeks of daily short readings and (required) journaling reflections: Wk1: The Basics, Wk2: Anti-Blackness, Racial Stereotypes, and Cultural Appropriation; Wk3 Allyship; Wk4: Power, Relationships, and Commitments.

    There is a lot to take in and learn, and the topics discussed are also summarized in the helpful glossary. These terms are familiar to those that have been steeped in postmodern teachings within the Academy, but perhaps are not familiar to many people that have not recently gone to university or read the latest thinking and teachings of postmodern thought (popularly criticized as “political correctness, cancel culture, etc.).

    Glossary of (taught) terms: AAVE (African American Vernacular English); Ally Cookies, Anti-Blackness, BIPOC, BIWOC, Blackface, Blackfishing, Cisgender, The Circle Way (method used in book circles like the one I participated in), Colorisim, Cultural Appropriation, Digital Blackface, Intersectionality (huge concept within postmodern thinking), Misogynoir, Optical Allyship, Tokenism, Tone Policing, Volutourism, White Apathy (one of my conditions), White Centering (another for me), White Exceptionalism, White Feminism, White Fragility, White Gaze, White Privelege (not optional, if you are white, you have this by systemic White Supremacy design), White Saviourism, White Silence, White Superiority. All of these terms represent characteristics of White Supremacy – a total system of oppression for non-whites against BIPOC.

    I recommend this book and others to help people look at western history through non-white eyes and see the (partial) truths contained within the book. Every person, White and BIPOC will have to decide for themselves what to make of these truths and how they will participate within their societies as a result of reading this work. Saad says at the end of the book: “It is hard to imagine what a world without white supremacy would be like. And yet we must continue to work toward it.”

    I would like to close by suggesting that the most important chapter in the book is Chapter/Day 26 – “You and Your Values.” This is where I think all people need to begin any interpersonal work for themselves, their social circles and organizations, their places of work and worship, and their governments. Once you know what your true values are, then the challenge is to always ensure one lives consistent with those values and lives those values when you live and show up in the world.

    One does not have to agree with all in this book to gain value from it, but certainly it is an important perspective and one that needs to be understood and addressed.
    27 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Derry Brooker
    5.0 out of 5 stars life changing- taught me so much
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2020
    There are lots of negative reviews about this book but from reading then I feel those reviewers have missed the point.

    You need to read this book with an open mind- yes we feel uncomfortable, yes we feel defensive when we read it. It explains why that is. You need to spend time on the questions the author asks and reflect on the feelings it brings up, you need to do this over and over to continue to develop that learning. The result is you being better educated and opening your eyes to the structural racism we, as white people, are apart of and contributing to.

    I really appreciated how this book was set out. Some of the other books I have read around white privilege I struggled to understand if it wasnt spelled out to me (likely due to my privilege) and I found myself jumping back to that white fragility. Having the space to ask myself the hard questions and spend some time being uncomfortable was really helpful.

    This book gave me an understanding I would not have gained on my own as I didnt know what questions to ask myself. It gave names to things I was experiencing or doing that are part of the problem and explained them clearly to me.

    I have a long way to go and lots more work to do but I know more than I did before I read this book, I am committed to continue and I have begun. So to Layla I say thank you
  • Norm Hamilton
    5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, Enlightening and Progressive
    Reviewed in Canada on July 5, 2020
    I found the information, questions and work suggested in this book to be helpful in looking within myself and learning how to become a better ally, and ancestor.
    Is it necessary for me to agree with every sentence? No. However, Ms. Saad provides much to consider along with instructions on how to delve into my own place in the spectrum of racism. Doing the work as outlined may be difficult, even frightening for many but it is most of all, enlightening.
    When I look at the reviews on Amazon I notice that the dissenters have one thing in common...I don't see any that are “verified purchase” while the positive reviews all have that designation. Makes me wonder if the prior actually read the book, let alone did the work suggested.
    I, for one, highly recommend this reading if you are looking to know yourself better in relation to the issue of racism.
  • Mariana Rodrigues Martins
    5.0 out of 5 stars Necessário
    Reviewed in Brazil on October 16, 2020
    É um livro excelente. Simples, completo e muito prático.
    Uma leitura muito ativa. É ler e por em prática. Me senti tocada a cada capítulo.
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  • Chief Encouragement Officer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant - hold no punches
    Reviewed in Australia on June 20, 2023
    This book is a revelation. It opened my eyes to the things I've done and what I can do to actively work to improve.
  • Kay Kühne
    5.0 out of 5 stars Necessary read and action plan for white people
    Reviewed in Germany on December 26, 2021
    Saad does a great job dissecting white supremacy and helps the reader create an action plan to start doing anti racism work. Highly recommended!

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