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Loading... Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend: Notes from the Other Side of the Fist Bump (original 2021; edition 2021)by Ben Philippe (Author)This book's description makes it seem like it will primarily be a political book, but the essays are far more memoir-like with a few political topics thrown in. That on its own isn't what makes this a frustrating read for me. The author makes quite a few statements of opinion that he knows are fatphobic, he outrights acknowledges it at one point. He claims that he isn't being fatphobic, that he just really didn't like how he himself looked at that time in his life. That might have been a reasonable explanation, if not for all the times in later essays where he makes comments about how gross fat people's bodies are to him. He makes claims that he doesn't think he's better than other people, and then just a few paragraphs later tells a story that demonstrates the opposite. There's an incest joke, delivered very casually right before a sex scene The essays are full of toxic masculinity, and there's even one where he accuses a male roommate of being too emotionally open and then in the same essay claims that his own emotional openness isn't being reciprocated. Having finished the book, the only good thing I have to say about it is that at least now I don't have to worry what I might have missed if I hadn't read it. This is not a book I can recommend to anyone. I think that Ben tells his story with a dry and witty humor that not everyone will get, with that said, I enjoyed reading this book. This book made me take a look at my own interactions with black friends that I have had throughout my life. Not in a you suck way but in a way that makes you realize you were a jerk even if you didn't mean to be. Looking forward to reading more books from Ben in the future. What I most appreciate about this book is how it demonstrates there isn't a single Black experience for me or anyone else to understand. This author was born in Haiti, lived in Canada during his primary schooling, and then became a student and author in the US. His experiences, told through a mixed lens of philosophy, humor and cynicism, show how varied are the stereotyped views and expectations that make Black people have to constantly adapt and refine how they navigate common situations and key moments in life. I am a big fan of Philippe's writing so my enjoyment of this is predicated on that. This is more of a memoir than a book about race relations, which is the impression given by the cover art and subtitle. It's funny and very relatable; his discourse on "the one that got away" which addresses the things which shape us that have nothing to do with how we look, really struck a chord with me. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)973.04960730092History and Geography North America United States United States Ethnic And National Groups Other Groups African Americans African AmericansLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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The author makes quite a few statements of opinion that he knows are fatphobic, he outrights acknowledges it at one point. He claims that he isn't being fatphobic, that he just really didn't like how he himself looked at that time in his life. That might have been a reasonable explanation, if not for all the times in later essays where he makes comments about how gross fat people's bodies are to him.
He makes claims that he doesn't think he's better than other people, and then just a few paragraphs later tells a story that demonstrates the opposite.
There's an incest joke, delivered very casually right before a sex scene
The essays are full of toxic masculinity, and there's even one where he accuses a male roommate of being too emotionally open and then in the same essay claims that his own emotional openness isn't being reciprocated.
Having finished the book, the only good thing I have to say about it is that at least now I don't have to worry what I might have missed if I hadn't read it.
This is not a book I can recommend to anyone. ( )