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  • Mediocre

  • The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America
  • Written by: Ijeoma Oluo
  • Narrated by: Ijeoma Oluo
  • Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (84 ratings)

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Mediocre

Written by: Ijeoma Oluo
Narrated by: Ijeoma Oluo
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Publisher's Summary

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race, an “illuminating” (New York Times Book Review) history of white male identity.

What happens to a country that tells generation after generation of white men that they deserve power? What happens when success is defined by status over women and people of color, instead of by actual accomplishments?

Through the last 150 years of American history—from the post-reconstruction South and the mythic stories of cowboys in the West, to the present-day controversy over NFL protests and the backlash against the rise of women in politics—Ijeoma Oluo exposes the devastating consequences of white male supremacy on women, people of color, and white men themselves. Mediocre investigates the real costs of this phenomenon in order to imagine a new white male identity, one free from racism and sexism.

As provocative as it is essential, this book will upend everything you thought you knew about American identity and offers a bold new vision of American greatness.

©2020 Ijeoma Oluo (P)2020 Seal Press

What the critics say

"Ripped, tragically, from yet another and another and another set of headlines, Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America breaks ground and forces a bold, startling, and necessary conversation about the implications of institutional supremacy, and its crushing impact on people of color and women." (Patrisse Khan Cullors, cofounder, Black Lives Matter, New York Times best-selling author of When They Call You a Terrorist, joint recipient of The Sydney Peace Prize)

"Once again, Ijeoma Oluo uses her elegant voice to speak directly to the root issues at the core of the United States' seeming inability to reconcile who we have been with who we had hoped to be. This book goes beyond how we got here, and digs into where we are, what we're going to do about it, and what's at stake if the people with the most power refuse to do better." (Ashley C. Ford, writer)

"Oluo is one of our great voices and Mediocre not only educates us, but it inspires us all to act and change the world for the better. But first, I need to read this book again. It's just that damn good." (Phoebe Robinson, New York Times best-selling author of You Can't Touch My Hair)

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Great read

she's by far my favorite writer, especially in the issue of race thank you for your knowledge ☺️

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Brilliant!

Timely and hopeful. Oluo is as generous as she is astute. Sophisticated analysis that is accessible. It is a must read. A sobering invitation to action. I am thank for for her courage, tenacity, and insights.

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Must read/listen

Heavy, but important. Another thought -provoking, extremely well researched, and engaging book by Ijeoma Uluo

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