I'm Still Here- Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
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Web ID: 16836341Informative
“Racism never went away it only evolved.” Austin Channing Brown goes in to a very deep, informative reality of what it’s like to be a black woman in America. Brown was given the name Austin by her parents for people to think she was a white man. Thus getting her foot in the door of anywhere she wanted to go. Once being in the door people are often surprised she is not a white man, she is indeed a black woman. Austin “learned early in life Jesus may be cool with racial diversity, America is not’” Readers follow Austin from her early years to where she is now. Along the way we learn about her experiences of how she has had to navigate being a person of color in a world that is not always welcoming for her. There are challenges, tough conversations and eye opening view points. Brown discusses cliches associated with black culture and how to have a voice of equality. This is a small but mighty book. In less than 200 pages Brown really makes her voice heard. I recommend this strongly for anyone wanted to read about viewpoints they may not understand. Everyone deserves equality and to have a seat at the table.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Book!
First, I want to point out that when I first opened up this book I could feel a connection to the author & how she felt, being that I am also a black women it was easy for me to see her powerful point of view & experience, but I really wanted to make sure that I was seeing it from an unbiased perspective. The thing about this book is that the message is for POC to be heard, seen, and felt. Any caucasion person who will pick this book up will probably be offended by the story of a black christian women’s feelings towards racism & sexuality because they don’t know how it feels to go through these things because of their lighter skinned tone so if they wanted too they should be able to let go of their feelings for a second & try to connect & feel her words. Constantly while reading I thought about my ancestors & how far we’ve come today, but also how far we still have to go to get to equality. Brown was challenged through many years of her life because of her Brown skin & her name, her first name in particular. Austin grew up feeling deprived of greatness & thoughts of being successful because of colorism & sexists comments. For example one day in the library as a child she went to get a book and told the librarian her name was Austin Channing Brown & the lady responded with “ are you sure this is your card?” Austin wrote “ Then it dawned on me. She wasn’t questioning my literacy. She was another in an already long line of people who couldn’t believe my name belonged to me” & that struck me… The lady hadn’t even looked her information up & automatically judged Brown as a young innocent black child. Brown & her mother had many conversations about why she named her Austin & the response was “ It’s a good name. It’ll get you a good job.”. My thoughts at that were wow- i’ve heard many black people say that their child's name would get them a good job because of their race & biased people in the world. I am so glad I took the time to read I’m Still Here and review it with my peers. We all got to “Experience” this book & give insight on how we felt about it from different races & thoughts. We all made connections & it was definitely something we realized we should pay more attention to in life & how we could do different things to help resolve this issue one day at a time, and one person at a time. Thank you Austin, Thank you for giving young/grown African American ladies/men the courage to be themselves & to love them for who they genuinely are & also accepting their culture and learning their roots.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Book
I’m Still Here by Channing Tatum Brown. This book was surprisingly one of my favorite books I have ever read. I went into this book not very excited about it since I'm not a fan of memoirs, but reading this book changed my mind completely. In I'm Still Here, there is so much relatability and emotion all throughout the Memoir. Let's talk about the relatability in the book. In the early chapters of the book Brown talks about the struggles of being an african american with a “man's name” and just not any man's name but a white man. She goes into depth about how it feels to do even the basic tasks, for example, checking out a book at a library with her card with no picture. Brown explained all the hardships she went through even as a kid being in public and looking different. I personally connected to this a lot because I'm also different. Being able to relate to other peoples stories and sharing the same hardships make this a very meaningful and relatable book. The emotional swings throughout the book were undoubtedly heartfelt and genuine. The emotion and sadness made me have a huge bond to the book. Walking through Brown’s life and just reading the horrible things she has had to deal with on a daily base really puts the reader in a sensitive spot. But the book is not all hardships and struggle. Seeing Brown fighting through and rising up is very empowering. As a muslim teenage girl going through similar difficulties, seeing Brown accomplish so much and rise above all the people trying to pull her down is very inspiring. The set up of the book was very enjoyable. It had a very nice flow to it and the chapters were not too long, which for me is a plus. Brown’s style of writing was very personal and almost as if she was having a conversation with the reader. Brown also uses a lot of simple language, not slang, but very casual sentences which again, makes the book seem like a conversation with a friend. Overall I would 10/10 recommend this book for almost anybody, Not only to relate and feel inspired to overcome struggle, but to learn and be educated on the hardships some people have to go through for something they can't control.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Beautiful.
I didn’t think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. I knew when I picked it out of the many books for my English class memoir assignment that it would probably be a good book but, I didn’t expect the effect it would have on me after I read it. This book taught me many valuable life lessons, especially as a young black girl, that I will most definitely take into my adult life. I Still Here by Austin Channing Brown talks about her experience growing up as a black female and her experience working as a black female in a white dominated society. Her book starts in her early childhood and works its way up into her current adult life. She talks about how she encountered “a racialized America” at a young age and those experiences helped her to love and appreciate her blackness(as she should). This book also gives you advice on what you can do if you're a black person or a person of color in a white dominated workforce, especially if you have a high position in that workforce. When I first saw the price of this book I was like “Why is this little book $25!?”( I’m a cheap person) but, as I started to read this book I could see why it was that price. It was so much knowledge, information, and advice for young black on how to navigate and thrive in this white world that we live in. She tells her experience in order for people of all backgrounds to learn from. This book truly had “me all over the place”,I laughed, I cried, I felt anger. She writes this book in a unique way that captures the emotions and views of black people as a whole. It is a beautiful book to read and will definitely have you amazed.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Book!!
Fellow Readers, I think you would want to read the book I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. As someone who is in both the African American and White communities, this book stood out to me a lot. When I read this book, it was like my life put into words. Growing up as a mixed-race girl in a basically all white community, you have to learn to adapt to a society that is constantly coming at you from every angle. This book really pulled my heartstrings and put my frustrations into words. As the memoir went on, the things that Austin faced in her life became less impactful as she got used to people making comments at her and people looking at her weirdly. As someone who has dealt with people making comments about my hair or the way I act or dress, I have had to figure out my identity on my own. I think this book would be very impactful for white people who may not understand what it’s like to grow up in a world that is very cold and it sometimes feels like everyone around you is coming at you. This book is also very educating to me because I realized that I am not alone in this process and there are people all over the world who go through the things that I do. As someone from the community, I am thankful for the people who can come out and talk about their experiences and aren’t willing to stand out and show out to the world. In the end, I think this book is a big must-read because it’s very educational and allows people in the black community to not be alone.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great read
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown was an astonishing read for many reasons. I read this memoir for an English project and I don’t regret choosing to read it one bit. After everything that happened in 2020, my opinion on racism and the treatment of black lives in our country has become significantly stronger. Listening to Brown’s experiences and thoughts on racism helped me get a better understanding of how the black community is still oppressed and what it must feel like for them. After reading, I had more determination to fight for them and their rights. Racism is still very prominent today and it comes in many different forms. Brown goes a little more in-depth about this and gives us some more insight on things that not all of us might notice or think about. For example, she talks about her experiences with discrimination from her coworkers in the workplace. I was shocked to hear the things that she and many other black people have to deal with. Black people face many small acts of racism every day that some people might not even know is racist. I think hearing about her personal experiences is a good learning opportunity for white readers. I have a good amount of black friends who have to deal with racism as well. For example, one of my friends has told me about how people frequently make comments on her hair and has even had people come up to her and touch her hair… Sometimes people she doesn’t even know! This is something that Brown brings up multiple times and I think it is important for people to learn about things like this. After the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, her thoughts and ideas had more significance to our current society. Being put in her shoes and seeing the world from a different point of view, white people who struggle to understand will get a clearer look at what it is truly like. I personally think that all white people should read this book. We are tired of watching our neighbors get wrongfully treated and even murdered for their skin color. We will not stop fighting for them until equality is met.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Extremely powerful
The memoir I’m Still Here: Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness is a compelling story that opened my eyes to the reality of our racist society. Author Austin Channing Brown, a Black woman, wrote about her views on white people through her experiences in school, work, and everyday life. I began reading this book by selecting one book out of a handful for a english grade. Though, I do admit I typically select a book without caring to learn the plot or theme, I feel the need to express that this book especially was chosen because the title's words itself stuck out as if my conscious was screaming at me. ‘In A World Made For Whiteness’. Author Austin Channing Brown not only defined the meaning of racism in her memoir, she deep ended it. In more accounts than one she emphasized the different experiences people of color in society uphold, even her own. Her style of writing is straightforward and informative yet, still emotional. Her message screams through the pages, racism is real and embedded into our roots. Once I began reading, the more angrier and shocked I had become. Not because I felt my white “culture” being attacked (we have no authority to play the victim role) but because I am so astonished by the racism white people do and say to those being burned. As you read the life of Brown, you will come to learn that racism is a daily burden. Those who are white need to understand the reality of our racist society and the barriers ahead because we should not be proud of our history or the racial “justice we accomplished”. The awful acts by white people in the past should have never been normal, never been celebrated, and can never be forgotten. I recommend this memoir for all readers to educate themselves on the sensitive topic of racism. To those who are not white, I am deeply sorry for all that you have endured, and I will now try my very hardest to better myself and others in my environment. I will never know the pain but I can push for progress in the future and correct those who are ignorant. This memoir is no longer just a book to me, it is a life lesson I will need to hold on to forever.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved this!
I found the story very relatable! Austin paints a beautiful story and I can't wait to see what she writes in the future! Just FYI the book is not super informative, she is telling her story, which is still absolutely worth reading
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com