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Recovering Racists: Dismantling White Supremacy and Reclaiming Our Humanity
"It is a rare thing for me to stand with a book, explicitly about race and equity, that is written by a white person. Why? Because it is a rare thing to encounter a white person who has followed the lead of people of color into their own transformation so deeply that I trust the message coming from their white body. Idelette McVicker has done the work."--Lisa Sharon Harper (from the foreword)As a white Afrikaner woman growing up in South Africa during apartheid, Idelette McVicker was steeped in a community and a church that reinforced racism and shielded her from seeing her neighbors' oppression. But a series of circumstances led her to begin questioning everything she thought was true about her identity, her country, and her faith.Recovering Racists shares McVicker's journey over thirty years and across three continents to shatter the lies of white supremacy embedded deep within her soul. She helps us realize that grappling with the legacy of white supremacy and recovering from racism is lifelong work that requires both inner transformation and societal change. It is for those of us who have hit rock bottom in the human story of race, says McVicker. We must acknowledge our internalized racism, repent of our complicity, and learn new ways of being human.This book invites us on the long, slow journey of healing the past, making things right, changing old stories, and becoming human together. As we work for the liberation of everyone, we also find liberation for ourselves. Each chapter ends with discussion questions.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 12, 2022
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February 8, 2022
Recovering Racists positions every person who is called White as a beneficiary of racism. And already the arguments begin—“Racism exists, but I’m not racist.” “It’s racist to say that all white people are racist.” “I don’t have a racist bone in my body.” “I don’t care if you’re purple…” “I grew up poor.” But if you’re quiet for a second and learn what it means to be White, then maybe you’ll begin to understand. To author Idelette McVicker, whiteness a “diseased social construct” (quoting Osheta Moore’s Dear White Peacemakers) that doesn’t describe European descent but a declaration of supremacy. Whiteness was created to contrast against Blackness—those in power against those subjugated. And if poor whites held no power, they could at least be thankful they weren’t Black.
One of the most interesting parts of Recovering Racists is that McVicker’s perspective is centered in South Africa and not the United States. Obviously, the book speaks to racism everywhere and does talk about some issues specific to America, but the personal focus is on McVicker’s journey out of Afrikaner nationalism. Books on American-centric racism tend to cover the same history, the same figures, the same events. Which is fine, because these stories need to be told, but McVicker’s account places the same racist ideology into a different context, a different culture, and from a different background. Like David responding to Nathan’s parable about his rape of Bathsheba, we often recognize sin in others but not ourselves. Seeing racism in an unfamiliar history, free of the biases ingrained in American culture, we may just find ourselves calling out for justice only to have McVicker turn the finger toward us and say “Thou art the man.”
The book is divided into five parts: Wake Up, Leave, Repent, Recalibrate, and Repair. The majority of the book is focus on leaving and repairing—the former being the catalyst to change and the latter being that change in action. It all begins though, with waking up to the fact that white people have been biased by, influenced by, immersed in, and the beneficiary of racism. Idlette humbly and authentically walks readers through her own journey of admitting complicity with a system she no longer wanted to be a part of.
Every chapter of Recovering Racists a series of questions for reflection. It’s more than a memoir or a philosophical discussion. McVicker is serious about practical application and deep thoughtful reflection. In seeking to move forward, McVicker is serious about white people owning up to the historic and systemic injustice inflicted by people who called themselves white in order to exert power over others. McVicker is going to challenge assumptions and pick at some wounds. Recovering Racists is deeply uncomfortable and unsettling, but it shows the pathway to healing.
McVicker concludes the book with a confessional statement for recovering racists, a beautifully powerful statement of acknowledgment, repentance, and commitments. There are so many people who are ready to take the step toward antiracism but just don’t know where to go. Recovering Racists shows the path forward. And it’s not what you might think. It’s not protests or legislative changes (though those are needed), but it begins with the individual and a commitment to change personally. If you get enough people to change personally, then you’ve changed a society.
Recovering Racists has the power to re-form and re-member our fundamentally broken society. It tells us that a new way is possible, but it involves building new foundations. It’s uncomfortable. It’s unsettling. It’s not easy to hear. But it is necessary message that will bring wholeness and healing.
One of the most interesting parts of Recovering Racists is that McVicker’s perspective is centered in South Africa and not the United States. Obviously, the book speaks to racism everywhere and does talk about some issues specific to America, but the personal focus is on McVicker’s journey out of Afrikaner nationalism. Books on American-centric racism tend to cover the same history, the same figures, the same events. Which is fine, because these stories need to be told, but McVicker’s account places the same racist ideology into a different context, a different culture, and from a different background. Like David responding to Nathan’s parable about his rape of Bathsheba, we often recognize sin in others but not ourselves. Seeing racism in an unfamiliar history, free of the biases ingrained in American culture, we may just find ourselves calling out for justice only to have McVicker turn the finger toward us and say “Thou art the man.”
The book is divided into five parts: Wake Up, Leave, Repent, Recalibrate, and Repair. The majority of the book is focus on leaving and repairing—the former being the catalyst to change and the latter being that change in action. It all begins though, with waking up to the fact that white people have been biased by, influenced by, immersed in, and the beneficiary of racism. Idlette humbly and authentically walks readers through her own journey of admitting complicity with a system she no longer wanted to be a part of.
Every chapter of Recovering Racists a series of questions for reflection. It’s more than a memoir or a philosophical discussion. McVicker is serious about practical application and deep thoughtful reflection. In seeking to move forward, McVicker is serious about white people owning up to the historic and systemic injustice inflicted by people who called themselves white in order to exert power over others. McVicker is going to challenge assumptions and pick at some wounds. Recovering Racists is deeply uncomfortable and unsettling, but it shows the pathway to healing.
McVicker concludes the book with a confessional statement for recovering racists, a beautifully powerful statement of acknowledgment, repentance, and commitments. There are so many people who are ready to take the step toward antiracism but just don’t know where to go. Recovering Racists shows the path forward. And it’s not what you might think. It’s not protests or legislative changes (though those are needed), but it begins with the individual and a commitment to change personally. If you get enough people to change personally, then you’ve changed a society.
Recovering Racists has the power to re-form and re-member our fundamentally broken society. It tells us that a new way is possible, but it involves building new foundations. It’s uncomfortable. It’s unsettling. It’s not easy to hear. But it is necessary message that will bring wholeness and healing.
June 2, 2022
Oh, Idelette, you did it! Again, a most necessary read for all the white folks (read: me) who seek to wear the label, “recovering racist.”
April 13, 2022
Congrats to Idelette McVicker on her excellent book, Recovering Racists. As a white person, she says this definitely isn’t the first book on racism you should read and quotes from several Black, Indigenous and People of Colour throughout, but it’s specifically for white people who want to dismantle white supremacy and reclaim our humanity.
This is a thoughtful journey for any white person who perhaps doesn’t identify as ‘a racist’ but at the same time recognises that white supremacy is a problem that they must grapple with, no matter what their background. She grew up in Apartheid South Africa, now lives in Canada and is very linked with America, so her global approach to racism is very helpful. She avoids modelling or advocating the kind of performative self-flagellation that ends up making a victim of white people. Instead, she deals gently with the associated shame and takes us through the inner work necessary to live an anti-racist life that values justice and true mutuality.
It offers a light Christian persective, but I’d say it’s suitable for all faiths and none. One of the most helpful things was her inclusion of @Nicole Joshua’s distinction between ‘communities of permission’ (the oppressed communities who approach the biblical text and find space for their lament and cry for justice) and ‘communities of requirement’ (the privileged communities who are required to ‘act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with their God’).
The end result is a book that invites white people to a greater liberation and a greater humanity. A superb, sensitively-written resource to equip white people in their journey to be anti-racist. Highly recommended.
This is a thoughtful journey for any white person who perhaps doesn’t identify as ‘a racist’ but at the same time recognises that white supremacy is a problem that they must grapple with, no matter what their background. She grew up in Apartheid South Africa, now lives in Canada and is very linked with America, so her global approach to racism is very helpful. She avoids modelling or advocating the kind of performative self-flagellation that ends up making a victim of white people. Instead, she deals gently with the associated shame and takes us through the inner work necessary to live an anti-racist life that values justice and true mutuality.
It offers a light Christian persective, but I’d say it’s suitable for all faiths and none. One of the most helpful things was her inclusion of @Nicole Joshua’s distinction between ‘communities of permission’ (the oppressed communities who approach the biblical text and find space for their lament and cry for justice) and ‘communities of requirement’ (the privileged communities who are required to ‘act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with their God’).
The end result is a book that invites white people to a greater liberation and a greater humanity. A superb, sensitively-written resource to equip white people in their journey to be anti-racist. Highly recommended.
March 25, 2022
Idelette McVicker weaves together personal narrative, quotes, and stories from a wide range of voices from around the world to present not only the problems and brokenness stemming from systemic privilege of white bodies, but also to paint a glorious picture of restored humanity. While the writing is easy to read, the content, along with reflection questions, require time for reflection. I could see this being an excellent book for book study groups.
As a Chinese Canadian, I wasn’t sure how much a book directed toward white people would speak to me but I am glad to have read it. McVicker has opened my heart toward understanding how racism dehumanizes everyone, not just those on the receiving end.
This book is a valuable read for anyone who cares about humanity and how we can move toward greater relational wholeness.
As a Chinese Canadian, I wasn’t sure how much a book directed toward white people would speak to me but I am glad to have read it. McVicker has opened my heart toward understanding how racism dehumanizes everyone, not just those on the receiving end.
This book is a valuable read for anyone who cares about humanity and how we can move toward greater relational wholeness.
July 13, 2022
"The work of racial healing and equity is the work of rehumanizing ourselves." — Lisa Sharon Harper (foreword)
Fantastic book, right up there with my recent read of "Dear White Peacemakers" in terms of anti-racism and spirituality. I can't believe it doesn't have more reviews! I've followed Idelette on social media for years and was really excited for her book.
The is the first anti-racism book I've read by a white person and she stewards the work and her own story so well. Normally the amount of quotes in here would be excessive for me but they are intertwined and expanded upon just right. There were many familiar voices as well as new ones I hope to learn from.
There is too much to note but one thing that really resonated was the distinction between the "communities of permission" vs. "communities of requirement" which was discussed in relation to Micah 6:8.
I loved how the end of each chapter encouraged reflection and discussion with other recovering racists. One question that really stuck with me: "Where does your story intersect with injustice?".
Fantastic book, right up there with my recent read of "Dear White Peacemakers" in terms of anti-racism and spirituality. I can't believe it doesn't have more reviews! I've followed Idelette on social media for years and was really excited for her book.
The is the first anti-racism book I've read by a white person and she stewards the work and her own story so well. Normally the amount of quotes in here would be excessive for me but they are intertwined and expanded upon just right. There were many familiar voices as well as new ones I hope to learn from.
There is too much to note but one thing that really resonated was the distinction between the "communities of permission" vs. "communities of requirement" which was discussed in relation to Micah 6:8.
I loved how the end of each chapter encouraged reflection and discussion with other recovering racists. One question that really stuck with me: "Where does your story intersect with injustice?".
April 13, 2022
This is such an incredibly important book.
It is a book for white people.
And for anyone who is white, it is a must read.
For anyone who believes from the depths of their heart that Black Lives Matter, this book is an invitation to live honestly, wholeheartedly & with integrity the words that we speak, the placards that we have held & the hashtags that we write on the platforms where we share something of our stories.
It is a book that confronts history as well as the present.
It asks us to get real about the white supremacy & privilege our white bodies have benefitted from & it invites us to walk away from ‘whiteness’.
It is, as Idelette writes, “…for those of us who have hit rock bottom in the human story of race. We’ve come to the end of whiteness. We want to be honest about our place in the human story and heal from internalised racism. We want to be anti-racist.” And we are ready to do the inner, transformatory work that this will involve…
Quoting the salutary words of Rev Kelly Brown Douglas that state: “The only thing white people can ever be are recovering racists”, Idelette shares with the reader her own story of recovery & her journey away from ‘whiteness’ as a white, Afrikaner woman who grew up in South Africa during apartheid.
This is a challenging read.
It is also a beautiful, honest & life- giving one.
It is a story of liberation and Idelette is a trustworthy, gentle guide.
She helps us realise that grappling with the legacy of white supremacy and recovering from racism is lifelong work that requires both inner transformation and societal change. As we work for the freedom for everyone, we also find freedom for ourselves.
And with regards to freedom, most poignantly for me, was the way in which Idelette prophetically speaks of our ‘…need of a repentance revolution. Not public. Not a show. But in the privacy of our kitchens, our bedrooms, our bathrooms. In the quiet prayers of repentance at sites of horror in human history. A repentance revolution…’ that ‘… can take place in the consistent, intentional, thoughtful decisions to move toward justice and a new way of being human together.’
This book is all about the creation of a different world.
‘Whiteness is not where our human story started, and it is not where it will end. We can be part of creating a different world. But to get there, we have work to do now.’
This book helps us to begin this work and gives us a practical framework to commit humbly to the long walk of love and liberation that it will involve. A walk of recovery from racism. I could not recommend it more highly.
(90% of the profits from the book will go to different organisations within Canada, South Africa & the US, who work towards reparations for the injustices of historical racism.)
It is a book for white people.
And for anyone who is white, it is a must read.
For anyone who believes from the depths of their heart that Black Lives Matter, this book is an invitation to live honestly, wholeheartedly & with integrity the words that we speak, the placards that we have held & the hashtags that we write on the platforms where we share something of our stories.
It is a book that confronts history as well as the present.
It asks us to get real about the white supremacy & privilege our white bodies have benefitted from & it invites us to walk away from ‘whiteness’.
It is, as Idelette writes, “…for those of us who have hit rock bottom in the human story of race. We’ve come to the end of whiteness. We want to be honest about our place in the human story and heal from internalised racism. We want to be anti-racist.” And we are ready to do the inner, transformatory work that this will involve…
Quoting the salutary words of Rev Kelly Brown Douglas that state: “The only thing white people can ever be are recovering racists”, Idelette shares with the reader her own story of recovery & her journey away from ‘whiteness’ as a white, Afrikaner woman who grew up in South Africa during apartheid.
This is a challenging read.
It is also a beautiful, honest & life- giving one.
It is a story of liberation and Idelette is a trustworthy, gentle guide.
She helps us realise that grappling with the legacy of white supremacy and recovering from racism is lifelong work that requires both inner transformation and societal change. As we work for the freedom for everyone, we also find freedom for ourselves.
And with regards to freedom, most poignantly for me, was the way in which Idelette prophetically speaks of our ‘…need of a repentance revolution. Not public. Not a show. But in the privacy of our kitchens, our bedrooms, our bathrooms. In the quiet prayers of repentance at sites of horror in human history. A repentance revolution…’ that ‘… can take place in the consistent, intentional, thoughtful decisions to move toward justice and a new way of being human together.’
This book is all about the creation of a different world.
‘Whiteness is not where our human story started, and it is not where it will end. We can be part of creating a different world. But to get there, we have work to do now.’
This book helps us to begin this work and gives us a practical framework to commit humbly to the long walk of love and liberation that it will involve. A walk of recovery from racism. I could not recommend it more highly.
(90% of the profits from the book will go to different organisations within Canada, South Africa & the US, who work towards reparations for the injustices of historical racism.)
March 31, 2022
I am just now reading Recovering Racists and and I am having to stop frequently to re read a sentence or paragraph because her words make me say “wait….. what? But …. But I am not a racist and yet truth speaks. Idelette McVicker is articulate, compassionate and heartfelt as she describes racism and how all of us who are white have benefited from our skin color. God didn’t create racism but all of us have been involved in its formative outcomes. Read this book with an open mind and heart and allow us to become Recovering Racists. It is out April 12th
April 13, 2022
Idelette McVicker is one of those people who, when you meet them, you know they speak a hard-earned truth. They just exude wisdom and you feel like they can see something deep in your soul. I "met" Idelette seven years ago through the community she founded, SheLoves. I met her in person at the 2016 festival of Faith and Writing and found her to be the person in real life that she exudes on the page. Throughout my time as an editor and regular contributor at SheLoves Magazine, I learned so much from Idelette about the deep work of transformation that God calls us to be a part of. She leads with an empowering and pastoral spirit that is rare. She has walked the walk of liberation as a white South African in ways that most others have not and is a wise guide for our journey. Every white Christian should read this book.
April 13, 2022
I have been in search of a thing I didn’t know what to call or how to find it. I have been in knots. And here it is. It found me.
Author Idelette McVicker was born in South Africa during apartheid. This book, Recovering Racists is a story about her journey to recover from the inherited racism of her own people. She demonstrates how interconnected our liberation is to one another, from across the globe and how damaging racism and denial is to the soul of white folks and models the journey to reclaim our humanity as we own and acknowledge our internalized racism within.
This is a book I needed, one that models the journey itself and what it practically looks like beyond the theoretical. It is part poetic, part confession, and a guided spiritual journey with practical embodied wisdom from her own life and her teachers. She is firm and unapologetic in her truth telling and the need to have these basement meetings in caucus to heal together from the disease of white supremacy and not further harm Black, Indigenous, and People of Color with our white tears and our messy process. Yet, she is gentle, encouraging self-compassion and joy in the long marathon journey.
I read more than half of this book in one sitting, and I know without a doubt that this is a helpful companion to the journey. I feel more at ease than overwhelmed because there is someone just ahead of me on this journey of racial sobriety and reclaiming our humanity and our interconnectedness with all people. She points the reader to learn from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color first, this book is not a replacement; it is a companion to the marathon journey toward the Beloved Community. What is unique about this book is it recognizes that white folks need a basement meeting in order to be able to integrate what we are learning and unlearning without adding further harm to People of Color. A whole-hearted recommendation to all the white folks and family I know.
“Now as we enter into this story and the continued work, may our bodies and our presence in this world become filled with love and liberation. May we recover from our racism.” Idelette McVicker
Author Idelette McVicker was born in South Africa during apartheid. This book, Recovering Racists is a story about her journey to recover from the inherited racism of her own people. She demonstrates how interconnected our liberation is to one another, from across the globe and how damaging racism and denial is to the soul of white folks and models the journey to reclaim our humanity as we own and acknowledge our internalized racism within.
This is a book I needed, one that models the journey itself and what it practically looks like beyond the theoretical. It is part poetic, part confession, and a guided spiritual journey with practical embodied wisdom from her own life and her teachers. She is firm and unapologetic in her truth telling and the need to have these basement meetings in caucus to heal together from the disease of white supremacy and not further harm Black, Indigenous, and People of Color with our white tears and our messy process. Yet, she is gentle, encouraging self-compassion and joy in the long marathon journey.
I read more than half of this book in one sitting, and I know without a doubt that this is a helpful companion to the journey. I feel more at ease than overwhelmed because there is someone just ahead of me on this journey of racial sobriety and reclaiming our humanity and our interconnectedness with all people. She points the reader to learn from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color first, this book is not a replacement; it is a companion to the marathon journey toward the Beloved Community. What is unique about this book is it recognizes that white folks need a basement meeting in order to be able to integrate what we are learning and unlearning without adding further harm to People of Color. A whole-hearted recommendation to all the white folks and family I know.
“Now as we enter into this story and the continued work, may our bodies and our presence in this world become filled with love and liberation. May we recover from our racism.” Idelette McVicker
April 12, 2022
"To dismember is to tear apart. When we re-member, we are putting things back together: fragments, stories, memories, communities. We join the Spirit's work of knitting us together. The fragments that have been scattered and the pieces of our humanity that have been sacrificed on altars of dehumanization and greed are slowly returned to us."
Idelette McVicker's new book is a beautiful act of re-membering, and a clarion call for a thorough and continual examination of our motives, beliefs, and endorsements when it comes to issues of racial justice. Sharing so much of her own story with humility and grace, she invites her reader to companion with her in emptying themselves of their assumptions and privileges, while taking up the hard and holy work of restitution, reclamation, and imagining a better way forward for all of God's children. She has an inspired way of making space for others within her own telling- giving voice to her own story while graciously allowing others to speak into the narrative and share from the wisdom of their own stories.
The twenty "stations" she provides are a very helpful and practical pathway for searching our hearts on a continuing basis. As a recovering racist, I will return to these stations again and again as a valuable tool for correction and healing. Many of these stations will also be useful as I contemplate my recovery from other "-isms" that have had a foothold in my cultural and spiritual formation.
This book is well worth the read, and I cherish the perspective it has given me, as a white woman, on the systems of our world and how I am to begin to challenge them in a redemptive way.
Idelette McVicker's new book is a beautiful act of re-membering, and a clarion call for a thorough and continual examination of our motives, beliefs, and endorsements when it comes to issues of racial justice. Sharing so much of her own story with humility and grace, she invites her reader to companion with her in emptying themselves of their assumptions and privileges, while taking up the hard and holy work of restitution, reclamation, and imagining a better way forward for all of God's children. She has an inspired way of making space for others within her own telling- giving voice to her own story while graciously allowing others to speak into the narrative and share from the wisdom of their own stories.
The twenty "stations" she provides are a very helpful and practical pathway for searching our hearts on a continuing basis. As a recovering racist, I will return to these stations again and again as a valuable tool for correction and healing. Many of these stations will also be useful as I contemplate my recovery from other "-isms" that have had a foothold in my cultural and spiritual formation.
This book is well worth the read, and I cherish the perspective it has given me, as a white woman, on the systems of our world and how I am to begin to challenge them in a redemptive way.
April 8, 2022
This book floored me. As a person of color, I am astounded, and grateful, not only at the author's deep vulnerability, but also the evidence of the hard work she's done at untangling herself from white supremacy. She doesn't position herself as someone who has "arrived" or as someone who had all the answers. Her book is also not flavored with judgement and accusations. Rather, there is a gentle invitation to reflect on how white supremacy has shaped the world we live in, and she invites us, with humility to untangle our lives from white supremacy and to work towards dismantling it in society. Her story does Centre her personal journey of recovering from racism in the context of South Africa, but she does a great job of finding parallels of the story of apartheid in South Africa, racism in Canada and the US that highlights how it is not a disease that lives in some contexts, but all over the world. This book gives me hope that whites around the world are beginning to own their stories and begin to explore how together we can create an Anti-racist world. Read this book. It will challenge you, inspire you and invite you into a healing journey that can begin to restore the dignity of those whose humanity was wounded through oppressing and benefited, and still continue to benefit from white supremacy.
April 9, 2022
Idelette takes us to a deeper understanding of humanity and how white supremacy has affected us all; no matter where we live or what we are aware of. She shares her story of how she did the work of digging into her life and finding transformation. Her story starts with her growing up in South Africa, but as she lives in many different places, she starts wrestling with how she grew up. She sought out opportunities to learn from others and to do the hard work. She rounds out her story with quotes and stories of of others from around the world. Each Chapter ends with reflection questions as a way to really help deepen our understanding and would be a great to incorporate into a book group. Through her example, experiences and authenticity, Idelette teaches us that we all have work to do and that we are never fully recovered from Racism.
April 12, 2022
Recovering Racists is a direct, honest and hopeful invitation to do the work of shining the light on where white supremacy remains lodged in us and of healing, reclaiming our humanity and joining the circle. Idelette speaks from experience and models by her experience what repentance, truth telling, and restitution can look like. She asks: “Are our hearts soft, repentant, humble? Are they willing to receive grace? Are they willing to learn new ways? Are they willing to make peace?” Leaving the comfort of whiteness, which is making white skin and white ideas the standard for being human, requires unlearning and then learning new ways of being human. It invites us into love and relationship. Ultimately, we are not free until every person is free. We do not dignify ourselves until every other person in treated with dignity, honoring the Imago Dei, the image of God in each person. This book is an invitation to listen for the truth-tellers, for when we know the truth, the truth will set us free. This is holy work, and Idelette is a thoughtful companion for the journey. I’ll be turning to this book again, hopefully grabbing a few friends along the way to journey together.
March 26, 2024
A personal journey of a South African woman grappling with the legacy of white supremacy in her life and the world.
The author interweaves her personal experiences growing up in apartheid South Africa, coming to realize the blatant white supremacy and pervasive racism of the South African regime and the Afrikaner community of which she is a part, and her attempts at working to overcome the legacy of white supremacy and racism in her life.
The author very much feels everything involved in the experience and conveys that emotional experience well. By necessity, she centers herself in the narrative, but in her life otherwise attempts to de-center herself.
If you're interested in resources about white people coming to realize how they were benefited by white supremacy, and what they try do to in order to counteract it, this is a good resource.
The author interweaves her personal experiences growing up in apartheid South Africa, coming to realize the blatant white supremacy and pervasive racism of the South African regime and the Afrikaner community of which she is a part, and her attempts at working to overcome the legacy of white supremacy and racism in her life.
The author very much feels everything involved in the experience and conveys that emotional experience well. By necessity, she centers herself in the narrative, but in her life otherwise attempts to de-center herself.
If you're interested in resources about white people coming to realize how they were benefited by white supremacy, and what they try do to in order to counteract it, this is a good resource.
April 23, 2022
I’ve read a lot of anti-racist books, but this one definitely stands out. I’m used to anti-racist books being really confronting and this book was no exception. At the same time this book offered a lens of collective and individual liberation. And a lot of grace. Not in a way that excuses white people from doing the work, not at all, but the kind of grace where I can take a deep breath and continue my journey as a recovering racist.
December 7, 2022
Good book for group study to confront personal racism. I found some of her reflections less helpful as we do not share the same life experience. That said, it's a moving memoir and the discussion guide provides good prompts for a group to work through the material and share their own experiences. It also has prompts for individual work as well. I encourage folks to work through it with at least a partner, however.
July 6, 2022
Idelette McVicker grew up in South Africa during apartheid. As an adult living in other countries, now in Surrey, BC, she started processing what apartheid was and how deeply formed by that she was. She works through how we white folks can learn to live differently as Christians to throw off the baggage of our white past. Recommended.
April 20, 2022
Idelette McVicker’s book is a powerful memoir that allows the reader to start dismantling their own white privilege but also move forward in reconciliation
April 3, 2023
essential reading for white people
May 31, 2022
This book is such a powerful read. Idelette’s story moved me and encouraged me to look at the racism that has been rooted within. Her experience helps white folks reflect and begin or continue on their their lifelong work of recovering from racism. Idelette is always clear about listening and centering BIPOC voices. Reading through the years of work she has done and continues to do, she has gives hope for a better world. This is a must read fir white folks everywhere.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews