White Kids

Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America

By: Margaret A. Hagerman

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Riveting stories of how affluent white children learn about race

American kids are living in a world of ongoing public debates about race, daily displays of racial injustice, and for some, an increased awareness surrounding diversity and inclusion. In this heated context, sociologist Margaret A. Hagerman zeroes in on affluent white kids to observe how they make sense of privilege, unequal educational opportunities, and police violence. In fascinating detail, Hagerman considers the role that they and their families play in the reproduction of racism and racial inequality in America.

White Kids, based on two years of research involving in-depth interviews with white kids and their families, is a clear-eyed and sometimes shocking account of how white kids learn about race. In doing so, this book explores questions such as, "How do white kids learn about race when they grow up in families that do not talk openly about race or acknowledge its impact?" and "What about children growing up in families with parents who consider themselves to be 'anti-racist'?"

Featuring the actual voices of young, affluent white kids and what they think about race, racism, inequality, and privilege, White Kids illuminates how white racial socialization is much more dynamic, complex, and varied than previously recognized. It is a process that stretches beyond white parents' explicit conversations with their white children and includes not only the choices parents make about neighborhoods, schools, peer groups, extracurricular activities, and media, but also the choices made by the kids themselves. By interviewing kids who are growing up in different racial contexts - from racially segregated to meaningfully integrated and from politically progressive to conservative - this important book documents key differences in the outcomes of white racial socialization across families. And by observing families in their everyday lives, this book explores the extent to which white families, even those with anti-racist intentions, reproduce and reinforce the forms of inequality they say they reject.

©2018 Margaret A. Hagerman (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

One must listen hard.

The theme is of critical nature and the stories were strong but they were drone to me. I get the point and I see it every day. I would only recommend it to some families, colleagues and others.

Really good book

This book should be required reading for all white parents. Very interesting and informative and I’ve read a fair amount on this subject already.

Heavy bias yet interesting ethnography

It is clear that this book is written by someone with a heavy liberal bias, and this is reflected in all of the conclusions. For example, the author’s sense of good parenting is that one must weigh the outcomes of all American children equally in their decisions, giving no extra weight to their own kids. The only part I found of interest was the actual quotes from kids, and it is clear that the author did indeed conduct a large number of interviews of the titular “White Kids”.

Racism education for white people

Great read for understanding racism while being white. Another helpful step in my journey of understanding racism in America. I had many Awe Haw (not to be confused with Hee Haw) moments that help me recognize my own racist behaviors as well as around me. My goal is to have grace when I witness racism and most of all have grace and forgiveness for myself in my own recognition of racist thoughts, behaviors, and assumptions.

Agenda

I wanted to read a good ethnography but there was too much agenda within the writing that it turned me off. The reader mocks the speakers who have a conservative agenda and the writer describes their homes as “cookie cutter” while describing the homes of liberal whites as “eclectic”. Had the potential to be interesting and informative but it fell flat for me.