Book Review: Davis, L. E. (2016). Why Are They Angry with Us?: Essays on Race
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Book Review: Davis, L. E. (2016). Why Are They Angry with Us?: Essays on Race Illinois: Lyceum Books, Inc. 139 pp., ISBN: 978-1-943137-12-1 Junior Lloyd Allen1
Published online: 25 February 2017 © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2017
Between January 2016 and the time of writing this book review, approximately 679 Americans have been shot and killed by police officers; of these, 168 were identified as Black/African Americans, with 159 being Black/African American males (Washington Post, 2016). These killings have ignited a myriad of national protests that have influenced and incited an influx of ongoing rallies with varying degrees of renewed mistrust between the Black/African American community and White police officers, as the majority of these officers were not convicted of their ‘alleged’ shooting crimes on Black/African American males. These killings, coupled with a perceived lack of police accountability, have raised longstanding conversational debates and questions regarding why and how Black/ African Americans became so disadvantaged—despite their numerous attempts to adapt to the multiple and changing roles expected of them. Ultimately, the overarching and resounding question being asked by many Americans is— how do Black/African Americans fit within the current and cultural fabric of these United States? To provide some insights and perspectives on this racial divide, Davis’ (2016) poignant and timely book, Why Are They Angry with Us: Essays on Race, offers its readers a personal, intimate, and compelling account of his understanding of the evolution, existence, and maintenance of racial prejudices and inequalities existing in the U.S. over Special thanks to Dr. Michael J. Holosko, The Pauline M Berger Professor of Family and Child Welfare, for his help in the preparation of this manuscript. * Junior Lloyd Allen [email protected] 1
School of Social Work, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
the years. To frame and contextualize the continued existence of these various race based social inequalities, he presents eight chapters: Chap. 1: Introduction; Chap. 2: Whites in the Family; Chap. 3: Why Are They Angry With Us?; Chap. 4: Internalized Racism: The Enemy Within; Chap. 5: Exodus from Paradise; Chap. 6: Why Can’t Blacks Be More Like Immigrants?; Chap. 7: Do You Know Anyone in Prison?; and Chap. 8: Racial Identity. Although each chapter provides a differing perspective, and focuses on varying issues on being Black/African American, and/or male in the U.S., they are all presented in easy to understand language, theoretical frameworks, and relatable examples. Overall, the uniqueness of each chapter is his own perspective, and voice, on these topics as a ‘Black/African American male’. When reading the text, one is immediately transported to a time of innocent racial naivety, where a young Black/ African American male growing up in the U.S. was learning to understand the multiple systemic and social issues associated with poverty, colorism, family, gender roles and expectations, economics,
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