The title of this book grabbed me. I learned the 6 word project has been going on for years, yet it was new to me. Michele Norris has accumulated thousands of short ( 6 word) sentences contributed by average people on race in America. Poignant, sad, shocking, horrifying, discouraging, yet this is the reality of race relations and what people experience day by day.

Some of the brief words were followed by interviews that elaborated on the subject. The fact that we are still dealing with these stereotypes and prejudices in 2023 is sickening.

I would have given 5 stars for interest, but I found it a bit tedious and long. By the end I was skimming. I had read enough.

A fascinating look into hearts and minds of Americans as they reflect on race, racism, and what it means to recognize race as both real (as a societal construct) and not real (biologically) and to reconcile old prejudices with new experiences.

Author Michele Norris invited folks across the country to participate in the Race Card Project. Folks could answer the prompt "Race. Your Story. Six Words. Please Send." She received over 500K responses, and this book is her compilation of many of those personal stories, photos and essays.
I was blown away by the impact of the messages in this book. People from all backgrounds shared emotional, heartbreaking and even humorous experiences around topics like identity, ethnicity, class, and race. The content prompted me to think more about my views and biases. Often, I had to pause and acknowledge the feelings and thoughts that arose as I read about other people's perspectives and experiences.
As the book's blurb shares, Our Hidden Conversations reminds readers that honesty, grace and a willing ear can provide a bridge toward empathy and maybe even understanding. It's an important book to read with an open mind and heart.

This is an amazing collection of stories and six word statements from the race card project. Not just black, but white, Indian, Spanish, Mexican, German, native American.... Really interesting book.

I've enjoyed reading the first three chapters of this book online, but I really want to engage with this material in print - to feel the pages and look over the photos. I feel that this topic described through personal stories and conversations needs to be held and touched and not just viewed on a reading app.
I'm excited to read the print version at my library!

This is not an easy book to read through quickly. I chose it because I loved Michele Norris on NPR.

The premise is simple: in six words, write what race means on a postcard. Over the 14 years this race card project has been running, Norris has received thousands of postcards.

The attempt to share them is admirable. I found myself struggling, though, to see how the selected postcards for each chapter fit with Norris's introduction to the chapter.

I think it's probably difficult to organize a book like this, and I give her team major props for what they've accomplished. I enjoyed it, even though the organization puzzled me at times.