The Red Letter Book Club is proud to debut featuring Bruce Reyes-Chow’s latest book, But I Don’t See You as Asian: Curating Conversations About Race. In it, Bruce curates a collection of cringe-inducing statements about race such as, “If they can say it, why can’t I?” ” “Do you know martial arts?” and “He’s a different kind of Black, ” hoping to turn awkward moments into a dialogue between friends. Sitting in the sweet spot between lectures in academia and activism on the streets, Bruce invites the reader into a salon type of atmosphere where he directly addresses thoughtless words and diversionary tactics, such as dismissing racial discussions as being impolite or avoiding race conversations altogether. He invites the reader to chuckle, gasp, and perhaps nod in understanding as he lists the kinds of statements often used against persons of color in a predominantly white culture. But rather than stopping there, Bruce asks readers to swap shoes with him and reconsider their assumptions about race. Useful for individual reading, or as a tool for opening group and community discussions, But I Don’t See You as Asian puts one person’s joys and struggles on the table for dissection and discovery.
Read an excerpt here, and an interview with Bruce here.
Reader reviews:
Pointing Out the Elephant in Our American Family Room — by: Donna Bowling
Ignorance is a Sign that Something Needs to be Done — by: Casey Carbone
A Good Cringe-Inducing Conversation — by: Amy Ruth Schacht
Acknowledging Our Social Location — by: David Ensign
Identifying the Language of Race and Privilege — by: Greg Bolt
A Journey of Recognition: Racism, Prejudice, Sexism, and Hate Do Exist — by: John Harrison
Is it possible to have a balanced, sane, and useful conversation about race? — by: Deborah Evans
Let’s Have a (Deeper!) Conversation About Race — by: Kathy Khang