This was a thoughtful and reflective exploration of Onyebuchi's experiences with the internet, exploring technology, the internet in its various forms, video games, VR and AR, content moderation, writing communities, streaming, COVID, and more. Incisive and considered reflections on race and being a writer online. I really enjoyed Onyebuchi's exploration of the limits and possibilities of the internet, and the ways it has changed over time: from a place of play and possibility, to an often politicised sphere which can provide community and knowledge, but also extreme violence, discrimination and trauma.

Racebook explores the internet through Onyebuchi’s personal experiences. The main theme running throughout this book is the responsibility of black writers and Onyebuchi questions if he has backed himself into a corner by being the Race Writer. This book is a series of essays, one of which discusses the early internet’s promise of equality. Internet culture is discussed particularly when it comes to race but also the idea that when we are on the internet we are performing. This doesn’t just discuss the internet though as gaming is also examined in this.

This was a phenomenal essay collection on race and the internet. I loved every single essay but I found the section on content moderation to be the most impactful alongside the discussion on virtual reality. This was an enjoyable read and this author’s writing reminded me of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Hanif Kureishi. This was so good, I’ll be recommending this essay collection and I can’t wait to but a physical copy of this when it releases. I definitely haven’t done this book justice with my review but I urge everyone to read this. It’s truly compelling.

Onyebuchi gives us a great combination of memoir, cultural criticism, and period specific reflection, ranging from Ghost in the Shell to german vocabulary about memory to Mario Maker to the black writer's duty in times of unrest to the nightmare hellscape that corporations are trying to position as the future of the internet. Great read, and highly recommended this fall.

This essay collection is everything. You will laugh. You will cry. You will generally have a great time and if you(like Tochi)are a nerd in any way, then you will see yourself in his essays. Some of them are utterly harrowing as the delve into the horrors that the internet has allowed us to have easy access to, some are moving recognitions of what it means to be Black on the internet and why it actually matters, and above all, they will make you think of your place on the internet as it exists today.

All in all, RACEBOOK is fantastic and I absolutely see myself coming back to it with a pen for underlining.

I loved Riot Baby and Beasts made of Night so I really enjoyed this insight into Tochi. I read an essay each evening finding it meditative and profound.