Summer 2018 Book Reviews

I read Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race (Tatum) this summer with staff members from our IT Services organization, and my team is currently holding small-group discussions about its content. Tatum’s clear definition of racism as a “system of advantage based on race” (pg. 90) is very helpful in moving the conversation on race from abstract concepts into a measurable reality that we can change. As it turns out, another book not actually on the Inclusive Excellence Summer Reading List that had an even greater personal impact for me this summer is White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (DiAngelo). White Fragility helped me see with greater clarity my experience in white societal systems, provided insight into the reasons behind my own thoughts and actions (and reactions) as my fundamental beliefs are challenged, and illuminated key considerations and new principles to explore. These books have been thoughtful guides as I strive to grow personally as well as encourage my organization forward in Inclusive Excellence.

Read more about Book Review by Chris Van Liew

This summer I read Sing, Unburied, Sing, and I absolutely loved it. To transform a road trip and a ghost story into a meditation on racism, poverty, and drug addiction is a remarkable accomplishment. Jesmyn Ward's book is beautiful, and it's full of characters who show incredible strength in the face of nearly unbearable sorrow.

Read more about Book Review by Yancy Dominick

Make Your Home Among Strangers, a novel by Jennine Capo Crucet, is about a young woman who is first in her family to go to college and what that really means for her - a Cuban immigrant leaving Miami to go to upstate New York; coming from a high poverty high school that didn't prepare her; family and friends that feel betrayed that she left; a lack of funds to chip in for pizza or to fly home on holidays; dormmates and classmates who don't know most things about her and her own reluctance to share. She's homesick, failing her classes and feels as though there is no one to turn to. As the new admissions counselor in the School of New and Continuing Studies, I am meeting applicants with sometimes 3 or more prior undergraduate transcripts who are now considering completing their BA at Seattle U. These transcripts tell their own story of the complex, unprepared and under-resourced path of many of these first-generation students. We hope Seattle U will be the place where they ultimately find success, but we know we have a lot to do to help them prepare and persist, as they support their families, juggle jobs, pay off debts at prior institutions and overcome feelings of fear and failure. From free and simplified applications, regular nudges and personalized support from their faculty and academic advisor, my colleagues do amazing things to remove barriers and help students to achieve their dreams. SU's Outreach Center also offers welcoming supports, like peer mentors and emergency funds. But this book highlighted for me the many ways a college campus and fellow students are unprepared, unaware or unwelcoming to people who have taken such a big and risky leap. I am committed to learning from our hardworking students and finding ways to break down our own barriers, like extending SU business hours for working students, seeking a range of grants and scholarships, and listening for more ways to help students feel included.

Read more about Book Review by Christine Campbell