This book is very much a primer or a Cliff Notes to racial injustice in the world, and in the US specifically, and provides surface level examples and explanations. This book would be a great starting point to anyone wondering how to get involved in the anti-racist movement, but I would encourage any one who reads this book to also explore the other books that Connelly mentions throughout. Additionally, this book has a very specific white, Christian audience in mind, and does occasionally frame racism through the church, which may not be engaging for all readers.

I think this is a great book to start discussion about racial injustice as well as checking your own intentions, actions and language. There are some excellent points made and it is obvious the author is passionate about what they believe. That said, I have read other books that do a better deep dive into the topic of white privilege and racism.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an early reader copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

May I never be considered a "good white racist" if this is the definition of it:

\ good · white · racist \ noun
1. A well-intentioned person of European descent who is nonetheless complicit in a culture of systemic racism
2. A white person who would rather stay comfortable than do the work of antiracism

I appreciated how this book continued my journey toward recognizing my personal blind spots and how it helped me see where I can do better. I'm far enough along to know this is going to be a life-long endeavor, and books like this really help push me along!

This is definitely an important book to read- especially in today's day and age. I appreciated the voice, the content, and the opportunity for reflection the content of this book ignited.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. This book was written with a white, American, Christian audience in mind, that needs to start their self acceptance journey. I'm neither American, Christian or starting my journey so that was not for me. Therefore, I'll refrain from commenting, as my comments would be out of context and not constructives. I'm sorry.

I have to be honest but I also need to be fair. Isn’t that is the overall purpose of the reviewer? To provide a fair assessment of a newer or upcoming book, in an effort to encourage and provide aid to others in their selection of the next book to read? So, this review must be both honest and fair.

Let’s start with the fairness. The book is pretty well-written and engaging. The author speaks directly to his reader as if one were in a face-to-face conversation. It also seems to be well-researched in the fact that historical and recent social justice concepts are brought into play and explained in a manner that can be easily understood.

To be honest, I did find the book to be subjective at times, making assumptions based upon opinion rather than fact. Overall, I would recommend this book to those who are seeking to understand all sides of the social justice movement. I would not recommend it beyond that.

Good White Racist by Kerry Connelly is a book that more white Americans should spend time reading and use it to reflect on their participation, whether intentional or not, in perpetuating racism in America today. The book was written conversationally that included both well-researched facts and explanations as well as her personal witty commentary. I think that is the best combination to help people understand white privilege and reflect on their actions.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have a lot of different thoughts about this book.

As someone who has read many, many books about racism and other cultural studies, I agree that there are a plethora of sources written by BIPOC on this topic in which to learn more about these issues. However, I also agree that white people are responsible for fixing the system that we have created. In this regard I feel that Kerry Connelly has done a decent job with calling out other white people to do some reflection and do the work. Based on the topic content I agree this is a good intro book for people who are starting to feel icky about situations they are observing or a part of. I think this would also be a good intro for many Christians who want to put niceness ahead of anything else and believe that niceness is all it takes.

There were certain points in which the language could be read as condescending towards BIPOC since she is stating that she does not intend this book to speak for them or to them, and she does this with an abundance of deference that could be read as condescending or paternalistic. However, if she were not to do this it would then be read as she is trying to speak over or replace those voices. Is it written the best way possible? Maybe, maybe not. But I dare anyone else to attempt to communicate it better. I know I don’t want to navigate those waters. I believe from reading it that she is being sincere and she does acknowledge and express gratitude to BIPOC who reviewed the book for her and gave her suggestions.

I also appreciate that this was not centered on white comfort, but was more challenging to comfort. We don’t change as long as we are comfortable.

While Connelly's book offers interesting information into this idea of racism being kept alive by our tendencies as white people to lean into being good and calling it a day on doing anti-racism work, I really, really struggled with this book. It wasn't the content. It was the fact that the content inside of these pages has been covered already by Black and Indigenous People of Color. There is no reason for a white woman to profit from a book on anti racism when she herself has never experienced racism first hand. How does that work? How does one write a book on something they themselves have not encountered?

White people are more inherently comfortable discussing these difficult topics with other white women... but anti-racist educators have stated time and time again that doing anti-racist work involves leaning into discomfort and BELIEVING THE EXPERIENCE OF BLACK WOMEN. The idea of a white person benefiting monetarily from a book like this is exactly how systems of white supremacy continue to perpetuate themselves and grow stronger in their reinstatement.

I will n

Good White Racist?: Confronting Your Role In Racial Injustice‼️
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Late night reading and here’s the down and dirty....most are cringing or eye rolling 🙄at the title already, and if you’re not, you’re probably on board anyway with most of what Connelly is saying, while still cringing and eye rolling 🙄🤣🤷🏻‍♀️
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This is a decent very basic intro book on the subject of racism and doing anti racism work by a white woman written for a target🎯 white audience and I LOVE her passion, as well as all the research she’s clearly done, but bottom line I’ve read books 📚by authors of both BIPOC as well as white, that had plenty more 🍖
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Not a problem though, there’s a starting point for us all, and it may not be the content, as much as the tone- her intentions were there, but it still felt a bit like pointing to and elevating of self too much at times....However, I’m convinced that’s just the nature of the BEAST maybe of being human and struggling in general through learning our own anti racism SIN work, that is a life long journey. So she is ME and I am HER and I get it🔄
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Anywho, read this, but don’t stop here, read from voices of people with skin tones not reflecting your own 💁🏽‍♀️and hear their stories first hand....🤙🏽
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I’ll leave this review closed out with maybe the best takeaway for me in the form of a quoted passage, “We loved charity, because charity is easy and it makes us feel good about ourselves. Justice, on the other hand, is a long game. It’s hard and frustrating and sometimes overwhelming to the point of surrender. Justice work is by nature divisive, because there will always be people who want to maintain the status quo for what they have to lose. This is why Jesus said he did not come to bring peace. Jesus was probably one of the most divisive guys to ever walk the earth...But Jesus was about peacemaking—which is about making a peaceful world for everyone. And that means some of us have to get super-uncomfortable for this Jesus kind of peace to happen.” ❤️
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IG handle: Janicedoesbooks

Thank you, Netgalley, for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I knew--going into this book--that it was a controversial topic. However, I must say I would have preferred for this book to be written by a non-white person. There were moments that were eye-opening and I truly felt like a racist despite trying my hardest not to be one. Overall, I felt this was more an autobiography with all the extended stories of her family than a book that discusses our role in racial injustice. It was a short sweet read, but certainly not on my list of books to suggest reading when you want to learn more about "good white racist" people.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not quite sure where to start with this one. I had a lot of thoughts running through my head as I read this. I want to say first off that I found one of the chapters to be well done - Chapter 8, Unequal Justice. But that’s where the positives end for me.

I’m not saying that I don’t agree with most of the material itself in this book. What I’m saying is I’ve read it presented a lot better by Black authors. I get what Kerry Connelly was trying to do. But she came across as angry and a know it all ... and she’s white! So there’s no way she actually knows it all on these topics!

She made it clear several times that if you disagree with her strong language (in what is supposed to be a Christian book), then you care more about that tiny “cursing” issue than the bigger issues she’s “bringing awareness” to. I totally disagree. I think this book comes across as self righteous and haughty, which are not Jesus centered traits at all. I think her heart was in the right place and I think she’s very passionate, but I don’t think her attitude is drawing people closer to Jesus - I think it’s pushing them away. Kerry centered herself more than she centered people’s eyes back to Jesus and that’s my biggest complaint.

I feel so blessed that was I reading “Reading While Black” by Esau McCaulley simultaneously with this book. I felt like Esau made similar points, but he pointed readers toward Scripture and showed what God has to say about these issues. I will dive deeper into how that resonated with me when I write that particular review, but reading McCaulley’s book gave me the strength to finish Connelly’s without throwing it out the window.

By no means did I expect this to be an easy read, but I did enjoy it. Being a privileged white woman in the south, I have never experienced racism myself, but I have been witness to it. This book's purpose was to offended us, make us uncomfortable, make us think and then break and reshape our perspectives. Unfortunately, I feel as though many people who actually NEED to read this book, will not, as they do not see themselves as privileged. The good thing, though, is that I feel so much more equipped to have the uncomfortable conversations about racism and call out the injustices that I see being done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

\ good · white · racist \ noun

1. A well-intentioned person of European descent who is nonetheless complicit in a culture of systemic racism

2. A white person who would rather stay comfortable than do the work of antiracism

I have things to say. Stick with me. :)

I'm a good white racist. I came to that shocking and dismaying revelation about myself a handful, or two handfuls, of years ago. Since then I have been doing work to become a good human who happens to have white skin. So I am always open and interested in reading authors who can help me get further down the road of the work. Enter this title by Kerry Connelly. Earlier this year I read Layla Saad's book "Me & White Supremacy" and was challenged. It was excellent, I highly recommend it. As I started reading this title, very different than Saad's, for example, for a few very obvious reasons - namely Saad is Black and Connelly is white - I knew I would be getting something out of this book as well. Connelly has a "having coffee with a friend" tone and curses as appropriate. Sometimes, as Amena Brown has said, "cussing is prayer." Connelly includes at the end of every chapter action items under the categories: learn, think, act. In one chapter, about 2/3 through the book, she uses the steps of the grieving process to walk the white person through confronting and beginning and continuing the work. I liked that chapter - it wasn't necessarily new information but I like how she used the steps of grief to lay out the work of antiracism.

For the good white racist who doesn't yet know they are a racist Connelly casually, but firmly, brings up example after example - things that all white people say and think (do not even deny it, if I - a white girl who has always loved the Black person - can be called out on my well-intentioned racist words and thoughts then you can too). She discusses the work of reparations, and because her circles have been largely Christian she discusses the work of reparations needed by American churches.

Connelly also makes clear, straight up in chapter 1, that she is not comparing the good white racist to neo-Nazi and KKK groups. Those are extremists and their ideologies and behaviors make good white racists look like antiracists. This book is not about those groups, it is about well-intentioned, even kind-hearted white people who are racist nonetheless and don't even know it. And she talks about why we don't know we are racists until we do. Each of us has the breaking moment or point that opens our eyes and what it is for you most likely won't be what it is for me...and that's okay as long as we both start interacting with humanity with open eyes and not clouded ones.

Listen, anytime a white person tries to tackle the complex and layered problem of racism they are going to have critics. From other white people, from BIPOC people, from people of all faith expressions, economic backgrounds, cultures. (Although from my experiences in America alone it seems to be the critics are largely white Christians, but I don't want to digress so I'll leave that statement sitting there.) So the negative reviews Connelly's title is getting isn't surprising but dismaying. Here's why.

We are all at different places when it comes to racism. Some of us have started the work, there are some of us who still don't think there's any work to do, others of us have been engaged in the work for a long time, and then there are the multiple points in between all of those places that people are currently at. This means there needs to be a variety of content out there that is, hopefully, going to reach all those different people. There should be content out there that serves as a 101, a mid-level course, and a masters/doctorate study - as well as content that hits in between all of that. So all the critics would do well to take a moment, travel backward in their minds and memories to when they were first introduced to the idea that they are good white racists, and then find the grace. Just because you are waking up doesn't mean that others are, give others the same chance to wake up that you received and quit trying to shut up people who have the necessary things to say to aide in that waking up. I'm just fucking sick of it. We all have our various testimonies to contribute to the changes that need to be made on a broad scale.

Critics are saying Connelly is a wannabe Robin DeAngelo. I don't pick up that vibe at all. What I do think Connelly is attempting to do is reach out to the circles she has lived in most of her life because she knows that they will listen to very few people so she's hoping a few of them will listen to her - a white woman who has traveled in the Christian circles for years. Some of those *sweet* Southern Baptist white girls aren't going to listen to DeAngelo but they MIGHT give Connelly a chance and even just one sentence might get them started down the road.

Good White Racist? by Kerry Connelly is a book about the acceptable ways American white folk perpetuate racist and harmful behaviour for BIPOC.

It is written by a white women for white folk, in particular. She explains her motives and shares her inspiration for writing such a book as a white person. I first read some of W E B DuBois' classic writings as well as Layla F Saad's excellent. excellent book "Me and White Supremacy," so this one by Connelly is a good *addition* to the "good white racist who is trying to learn"'s library, but I do not recommend this as someone's first or only book about how to be anti-racist and an ally.

Things I liked:
- Connelly hit major points touched on in other books: white fragility, importance of language, "it's just a joke" racial slurs, etc etc
- Each chapter ends with things to think on and action items
- Good organization, chapter and subsection titles

Things I didn't like:
- I expected this book to be in some way from a Christian perspective, but it's only hinted at in between the author using expletives. Other instances where anything religious is mentioned, I would consider heresy.
- This book could have been much shorter. It's good but not great. It felt like reading a long Instagram post. Good info, wrong medium, not worth cash money.

I give this book 2 stars because the info is legit. I can't give it any more than that for the things mentioned that I didn't like. I recommend Me and White Supremacy over this. It comes with a workbook, it's short and extremely intelligent.

Thanks NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I think I've learned my lesson not to trust John Knox Press. This was not Christian and shouldn't be labelled as such. At best, it's "spiritual".

The topic of racism is extremely important, which is why I signed up to read a copy of this book from NetGalley. But the snarky delivery from a white Christian women who swears a lot, and seems a bit too high on herself, just doesn’t do it for me. I get the informal style . . . I just don't like her tone for this topic. So I discontinued reading it a few chapters in.

I’d much prefer to continue to learn about my inherent racism from Black authors and educators who have experienced institutional racism, oppression and white fragility. They’re experts on the topic and they deserve our money.

Even Robin DeAngelo (a white woman) has more experience coaching people on how to be anti-racist. It appears that the author will use the book to promote her coaching practice. If it does sell, I hope Kerry Connelly donates the net earnings from this book,and her speaking opportunities, to Black philanthropic organizations who can directly benefit.

Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for the electronic copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is good for a starter book into injustice, but it seemed to fall a little flat for me with how the points were being put across.

I was excited about this book when I first received the ARC from Netgalley. However, I don't think it was quite what I was expecting.
I found it slightly problematic and a little bit condescending if I'm honest and found I'd much rather read racism from a person with inherent knowledge and experience on it to help me be a better ally.
Must admit, I could not finish it for the way it was written.

This is a great book to read when you are learning to examiner your own white privilege and leaning into the pain of racial injustice.

My wife is a black African (she's from Cameroon).
However, according to Connelly, I'm probably a good white racist anyway.

With the George Floyd protests, this is a timely book, which is why I wanted to read it.

As other critics have mentioned, Connelly's tone is condescending.

I feel like the Spanish Inquisition has strapped me a chair and no matter what, I am a sinner.

I'll quote the parts that made me want to vomit:

"To readers in the BIPOC [black, indigenous people of color]: Beautiful soul, thank you for reading even this far. . . . You've done enough, borne enough of this weight."

Yuck. It's like a mother patting her little black child on the head as if the child is some fragile creature that must be coddled and pampered.

She falsely asserts: "White people cannot be victims of racism. So-called reverse racism is just not a thing, people."

She's the classic politically correct person who is obsessed about "micro-aggressions."
Since she's treating us like babies, hasn't she heard about "sticks and stones may break my bones...."?

Grow up.

She talks about "gaslighting." Example: "A white woman might touch a black woman's hair while telling her it's pretty."

According to her rules, "this is inappropriate behavior."

My wife LOVESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS when people complement (or even touch) her hair. She has 20 wigs and finds it hilarious how easy it is to fool white people.

Of course, every person who gave this book one star is doing one or more of the dreaded Ds:
DENY/DETRACT, DISTRACT, DISCLAIM, AND DISAPPEAR.

In my case, I commit the DISCLAIM sin because I say that I'm not a racist because my wife is a black African.

You're damned either way if your skin is white, which, frankly, is a racist idea.

The author spouts a "truism" from one of her friends, who has some color. She said, "If the white people in the room are happy and comfortable, chances are the people of color in the room are not."

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Of course, I'm sure some POC feel that way, but to imply that it's universal is absurd.
My wife spit out her drink when she heard that line - and laughed so hard.
It's also racist for it suggests that POC and whites all think the same way.

Yes, this book is cringeworthy.

I feel a bit guilty blasting this book because Connelly obvious means well.
She wants to improve this planet and race relations.
She wants white people to be more self-aware of their privilege and to be sensitive.

These are noble goals.
The problem is that her execution is atrocious and offputting.

Racism is terrible. So is this book.