Oluo is an incredibly good writer. She takes meticulous research, organizes the information effectively, and makes complicated ideas more clear. In "Mediocre," she demonstrates very successfully how the white supremacy and patriarchy that dominate American society are harmful to all of us.

I really found Ijeoma Olou's "So You Want to Talk About Race" to be an excellent read and I knew Mediocre wouldn't disappoint.

and I was so right.

This collection of essays reveals so much of history and clearly articulates the extensive and systemic nature of white patriarchy. It's hard to read these stories because Oluo makes the case so clearly and the stories span history and go across politics, activism, SATs, football and much, much more.

She shows that time and time and time again the toxicity of the country created and ruled by mediocre white men and all that they are doing to maintain it. It's painful to read and undeniable that there's systemic racism and sexism across all of our history.

And yet, the best part of all this is that Oluo is not pessimistic. She has hope that we're capable of making change. You leave the book feeling possibility for humanity.

with gratitude to Perseus Books, Basic Books and netgalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This is a scathing collection of essays about how white men have perpetuated a society that places them at the top of the pyramid and when that supremacy is threatened, they lash out. Ijeoma Oluo's book So You Want To Talk About Race felt to me more about her own experiences with racism, whereas this book is more of look back on history to define how various parts of our society were designed to uphold white male patriarchy.

This is a blunt, at times sarcastic collection, and you can hear her clear voice through the writing. This book covers a variety of topics including the western rugged cowboy, feminism & history of men in feminism, 2016 election and Bernie boys, higher education, and American football.

This book is most likely going to be a book preaching to the crowd, but I did learn things that I did not know about certain histories such as the rugged cowboy. I did feel like some topics weren't explored with a wide enough lens or deeply enough for true analysis and there seemed to be some data skew. But overall, it's a quick, good read!

Thank you to @netgalley and @sealpress for an advanced electronic copy for an honest review.

Oluo has a wonderful job of taking contentious topics, breaking them down, and enlightening the readers at the same time. As a Black woman in American (and even the global society), a lot of decisions that impact me (and my intersectional community) most are made by white men with fragile egos, a chip on their shoulders, and a sense of entitlement. This book provides a history of American society, while including a different perspective on well-known events/people and even introduces a history that the general population is not taught. I have truly been enlightened by this book and will make sure that others around me are, too.

Timely, honest, a necessary read.

Ijeoma Oluo has done it again. Through Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America, she’s able to explain how the racism and oppression we face is due to a system built to repeatedly elevate sub-par white men. While this is basically a history book, it doesn’t read like a dry textbook. I believe that anyone who is of high school age and beyond can comprehend this book. She interweaves facts with her valuable commentary and the result is a book that everyone needs to read as part of their anti-racism journey.

People of color and other marginalized communities have been saying this for ages—we’ve lived these experiences. To read Oluo’s book is to be closer to understanding our experiences and to get a history of the entire system that is built to keep marginalized communities down. One thing that I liked about this novel is how deeply Oluo can delve into an event without being exhaustive. Numerous times, I found myself wanting to do my own research about the events to further my own understanding. She truly demonstrates how oppressive systems are ALL around us even if we don’t realize it.

Oluo is a tour-de-force when it comes to naming and describing institutional racism and sexism. The author's point is that all the terrible and horrifying things we see on the news, the ones we try so desperately to pretend are just isolated incidents caused by a few bad apples, are actually the result of an oppressive system that "works according to design." She is intersectional in her discussion of the ways in which white supremacy and patriarchy combine to oppress those who are not white men, and that the oppression is deepened based on other characteristics such as ability, sexuality, and gender identity.

Something I really appreciated is that there are lots of statistics and data points throughout the book; Oluo did her homework here. These are things that people of color, and especially women of color, have been saying for a long time, and Oluo's evidence means we cannot pretend any longer that these are anecdotes and unfortunate one-offs.

This book will be perfect to use in my US History classroom, to show how modern-day problems have historical roots and how the system was created to produce these outcomes.

Oh wow. This book made me so angry and sad a lot. I very much appreciated the hopeful tone she took at the end to help me not feel as defeated. I was already pretty familiar with the rhetoric she presented, but seeing it divided into digestible sections and covering the same ground over and over of white male supremacy... it heated me up. It made me incredibly grateful to not have been raised with the heightened level of this kind of talk my whole life. To have been privileged enough as a white woman in the solid middle class to have encountered ideas and people that counter the white male supremacy rhetoric just enough for me to question its validity at a young age. This is a tough book to read, but like pretty much everything Oluo has written, it’s extremely important that you do read it and take the time to digest it and contemplate it and act on it. I’m looking forward to this book coming out and having even more productive discussions on it.

A bold and truthful look grounded in history and politics at how white male rage has contributed to the crossroads that America is at today. From the beginning of the country right up until the present day, Oluo weaves personal narratives with historical fact to show how white man have continually worked to subvert women, the poor, and People of Colour in the effort to secure power and leadership for themselves. This book is carried the entire way through by the strength of Oluo's writing which engages the reader with academic thought on the history of it all while providing food for thought on how everyone can move forward to make America a place for everyone. This isn't an easy subject and Oluo pulls no punches but as we look toward the end of a horrible year with the hopes of things taking a positive turn, this is necessary reading if we are actually going to put in the work to get there.

I’m not one who needs to be convinced that a majority of the issues we’ve been dealing with since, well...the country’s inception, stems from white men who like being in charge, have always been in charge, and want to continue being in charge.
So, while the author was basically preaching to the choir, she did offer viewpoints on topics of which I either hadn’t considered or was completely unaware. I wish the digital ARC copy I received had a table of contents included so I could look back at which chapters I found particularly enlightening, but since there wasn’t one, I can’t remember well enough to list examples.
I found this book to be jam packed with a lot of information to chew on. It took me longer than usual to finish it, due to the fact that I would need the occasional break from being reminded of how shitty people can be.
One thing I did find myself periodically thinking throughout the text was that, while I agreed with the author’s examples of white men doing their damndest to keep everyone but other white men down, I didn’t necessarily always think that it should be attributed to them being mediocre. Sometimes, they are very smart and capable people who are just entitled assholes.
One sentence that I thought summed things up pretty succinctly was this one:
It’s the idea not only that they think they have less than others, but that they were supposed to have so much more.
Thanks to #netgalley and #sealpress for this ARC of #mediocre in exchange for an honest review.

MEDIOCRE is one of those books that makes the reader feel like they've put on a new pair of glasses and everything is clearer. So much of what Oluo dissects in this book are ideas that I've seen half-formed in many places, but she really expands on them and places them into the larger social context in a way that made lightbulbs go off all over the place for me. 📚
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The thesis of this book is that American men have been told the world is theirs, and when that wasn't delivered, they needed scapegoats - women, BIPOC, poor people - anyone who isn't them is taking away what is rightfully theirs. 📚
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Oluo traces several threads throughout American history - from the Wild West to the NFL - that have converged over time to bring us to where we are today. I feel like I have a much deeper understanding of these social forces now, and am better equipped to have conversations about them in the context of our current political landscape. I think if you are still trying to grasp all the reasons why Trump voters act the way they do, this book is a must-read. 📚
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Content warnings: Antisemitism, bullying, death, gun violence, hate crime, Islamophobia, mass/school shootings, misogyny, physical abuse, police brutality, racial slurs, racism, slavery, suicidal thoughts, violence, and xenophobia.

Thanks to Perseus Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo earlier this year, I was super excited to see Mediocre on NetGalley for request. In Mediocre, Oluo examines white supremacy and patriarchy in the last 15o years of American history, tracing its influence to today.

Reading the chapter about Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders on election night was quite a trip, but I really appreciated Oluo's insights. Covering politics, sports, social justice and a myriad other topics, this book details the influence of white supremacy and its (negative) effects on everyone -- including the white men it's supposed to benefit.

I find Oluo's writing so readable and educational without feeling like a text book, and I'm so glad I got this e-ARC. I'll be picking up a copy and more of her work in the future.

I could not resist this Read Now on NetGalley after finishing Oluo's book <i>So You Want to Talk About Race</i>. Thank you to NetGalley, Seal Press and Ijeoma Oluo for the advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are mine.

In <i>Mediocre</i>, Ijeoma Oluo dives into white male supremacy in America in the last century. Oluo covers various topics from social justice movements to sports. Describing how mediocre white men feel entitled to power and frustrated when that power is not granted to them. The book discusses the violent masculinity that is still found to define what it means to be a man. The book also shows how everyone, including white men, is disadvantaged by white male supremacy. Mediocre white men are giving opportunities for which women and people of colour have to excel in all aspects, leading to mediocre leadership in most if not all areas. I hope a systematic change will come showing men that it is okay to be kind and that truly the best people get the job. Until then, read <i>Mediocre</i> to learn how we got here.

Chapters:
Introduction: Works According to Design
Cowboys and Patriots: How the West was Won
For Your Benefit, in Our Image: The Centering of White Men in Social Justice Movements
The Ivy League and the Tax Eaters: White Men's Assault on Higher Education
We Have Far Too Many Negroes: White America's Bitter Dependency on People of Color
Fire the Women: The Convenient Use and Abuse of Women in the Workplace
Socialists and Quota Queens: When Women of Color Challenge the Political Status Quo
Go Fucking Play: Football and the Fear of Black Men
Conclusion: Can White Manhood Be More Than This?

While we would like to believe otherwise, it is usually not the cream that rises to the top: our society rewards behaviors that are actually disadvantageous to everyone.

Intelligent and incisive as always, Ijeoma Oluo delivers a well-researched and excellently-argued highlight reel of the extremes American society has gone to just to prop up mediocre white men as having some esteemed birthright to the control of our society. From the earliest days of the European colonization of what is now the United States and the tall tales cowardly and fame-seeking white men told to amplify their role in the already horrific genocide of American Indians to the Jim Crow laws and redlining to the fierce bullying and vitriol directed at women of color in high-ranking business or political roles. Throughout American history, white men have been sold a myth that they will inherit the earth, and their continued failure to do so has fueled a lot of anger and embarrassment.

The rewarding of white male mediocrity not only limits the drive and imagination of white men; it also requires forced limitations on the success of women and people of color in order to deliver on the promised white male supremacy.

Oluo makes a strong case that white men are not pushed to their full potential and face little incentive to improve themselves personally or professionally due to a societal structure that positions only other white men as their real competition. Take, for example, the resistance to integration in just the National Football League. I had no idea prior to reading this book that football as a competitive sport has its roots in toughening up mediocre wealthy white men. And that southern college teams refused to play northern teams once they integrated (although unfortunately it doesn't surprise me) and that the *ahem* Washington Football Team was the last in the NFL to integrate, resisting until 1962 when its virulently racist owner promptly had a literal stroke. And that the NFL only integrated because the AFL was already rostering Black players and the quality of play there was threatening the NFL's legitimacy.

She also highlights the racist and sexist abuse hurled at female leaders from former reddit CEO Ellen Pao to former NYT Executive Editor Jill Abramson to Congresswomen Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley, and Tlaib. Not to mention herself. Oluo makes a cogent case that women and people of color are routinely put in charge of businesses only once they are doomed to fail and are "often seen as Hail Marys for businesses in desperate need of change. They are tossed, eyes closed, fingers crossed, across the field with little direction other than a prayer that they will and the team somewhere better than it is now."

Oluo also has a whole chapter showcasing higher education and the roots of the argument that colleges that were once the solid and uncontested domain of white men alone have become centers of liberal propaganda. She clearly highlights that the very people making those arguments are themselves the products of higher education and would never dream of allowing their own children to forego that experience. She talks about explicit and implicit racism in admissions, the racist origins of the SAT (works as designed being a key theme in this book), extreme racism in funding for PWIs vs HBCUs or institutions primarily serving Hispanics or American Indians (this last group having been locked out of land grant funding until NINETEEN NINETY FOUR), and the traction for re-investing in STEM once liberal arts colleges began to (even just minimally) diversify their curriculum.

Mediocre touches on so many different examples of its core thesis, it's a challenge to write a succinct review. Every chapter enhanced my perspective on race and American history. Exemplary book.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Seal Press for the eARC in exchange for the review.

“The man who never listens, who doesn’t prepare, who insists on getting his way-this is a man that most of us would not like to work with, live with, or be friends with. And yet, we have, as a society, somehow convinced ourselves that we should be led by incompetent assholes.”

Impressive and insightful look at the cycles of fear and violence that are the result of white male supremacy. Everyone, including cis white males, are harmed by this outlook that has been the habit of our society for a long, long time. I was pleasantly surprised at the hopeful feeling I had at the end of the book. Change is possible, and on its way.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

I requested this book immediately after reading So You Want to Talk about Race. Mediocre is next level, pushing the reader to think outside the box when it comes to what power is, what leadership is, and the urgency to change the system.

This is a fascinating sociopolitical read that pushes boundaries and is exactly the book needed in a county that is polarized politically and socially divided.

From American football to mass shootings to higher education, Oluo delves into each topic with heavily researched detail and insight.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another five star book by Ijeoma Oluo! Mediocre is really eye opening and I learned a lot. I read this book quite slowly as there was a lot to take it and it’s all very heavy. In the end I’m so glad to have read it and hopeful for the future of America.

Through my own journey, I have learned that I want to solve everything and that isn't always a good thing. As I finished this book, I had the same problem. I wanted solutions. Don't tell me about a problem without providing somewhere to go. But, that isn't what this book was intended to do. Ms. Oluo invites the reader into a casual feeling conversation, as though you are chatting over tea and cookies, about the very serious topic of a white male centered society and the ramifications of that on all of us. Not just Black Americans, but all Americans. Her writing style contradicts her solid pointed message about how this problem has damaged our country through both historical and current examples. I was thoroughly impressed by how far I was through the book before she used the catch phrase "male toxicity." After all, that seems to be the go to phrase. But her adept writing goes beyond generalized qualifiers as she educates the reader about things they might already know a little about and things they never took in to consideration. Sadly, by publication date, Ms. Oluo could add a completely new chapter.

The deal: Ijeoma Oluo is the author of the NYT Best Seller, “So You Want to Talk About Race,” which all the white ladies bought this summer but apparently did not read. In this follow-up, Oluo explores the last century of American white male supremacy across research, interviews, and eviscerating personal writing. (Sidenote, I received an ARC from Netgalley — this isn’t out until December 1)

Is it worth it?: This book is so good, it’s honestly an insult to even ask this question. Oluo covers topics from the racist origins of the SAT to the soul-crushing phenomenon of the glass cliff, and she truly never misses. My opinion is not going to do this any justice, so instead, I’ll just implore you to pre-order it. If you’re even a tiny bit surprised about the “razor-thin margin,” PRE-ORDER IT! If you’re a little fuzzy on America’s bussing history, PRE-ORDER IT! If you don’t know who Shirley Chrisholm is, oooooooh baby PRE-ORDER IT! (from a place that isn’t Amazon).

Pairs well with: Actually reading the social justice books you buy; moving beyond thanking Black women and femmes for bailing our white supremacist country out yet again, and committing to supporting and elevating their work in every single arena

A+

“These oppressive systems were built by people - with our votes, our money, our hiring decisions - and they can be unmade by people.”

This eye-opening book breaks down how white male supremacy is deeply woven into American institutions. Everything from higher education to political campaigns to the workforce to football center around white men while oppressing people of color and women. Oluo explores both the historical roots and present day examples, plus includes her own heartbreaking personal stories.

I couldn’t put this down. I learned a ton. Oluo's personal touch makes it all the more appealing, especially how she doesn't shy way from sharing her own experience or showing the harsh language that repeatedly is directed at people of color and women. Excellent book all around.