Think Like A White Man

Sep 17

Think Like a White Man by Dr Boulé Whytelaw III and Nels Abbey
Guest review from @mattsaisi
📘📘📘📘

If you approach from the premise that this book self-defines as a “racially spiced non-fiction satirical self-help book” (a genre of 1), then you will appreciate just how rare this book is 🤯🤯.

In these 200-odd pages, Nels Abbey (Prof. Whytelaw) tries to create an anecdotal picture of what it’s like to be a black professional in the modern 9-5 corporate work environment.

The book is generally targeted towards Black People but I think generally anyone who’s experienced being a minority or generally any other form of oppression while trying to hold down a steady job will appreciate many of the reference points touched on here..i.e Harvey Weinstein, Melania Trump’s rise to the "top" etc...

It’s rare for me to read a book from start to finish in one sitting -I’m a start-stop kinda guy- often juggling multiple titles at a go, but this book’s subject matter was so familiar I couldn’t help but slurp up the author’s razor-sharp wit and surprisingly relevant anecdotes.

How Nels Abbey was able to channel a rather silly fictional character with such a strong voice and still address the real and heated topic of Race is beyond me!

But the literary world is better for it! And no, that’s not a bold claim…….reading this book will likely have two effects, you will either be offended....and LEARN, or your will chuckle knowingly to yourself…and also LEARN!

Basically, if this were a cup of coffee ☕☕, you would know, just by looking at it, that it was an Americano. Bold, strong, and certain to wake you up with the lip-pursing bitterness of two espresso shots.

With TLAWM however, as you braced for that inevitable sting, you might discover that the ‘barista’ has been kind and added several generous splashes of vanilla syrup before cutting it with water🥴. A challenging yet fun read whatever the case…

guest reviewthink like a white mannels abbeyDr Boulé Whytelaw IIIcanongate booksblack authorsblack historyblack men

Linda Malek

I've always had the urge to set up a forum and voice my thoughts after each read, but never had the confidence to do so alone. 18 months ago, I got my fellow book-loving friends involved and formed The Candid Book Club! Aside from having an exponentially growing to-read pile and deteriorating shortsightedness, we've been lucky to have been invited to publisher events and have attended several talks with our favourite authors (Thank you and long may they continue!) To take a break from the pressures of PhD Chemistry, Jess and I exchanged books all the time and in my youth, I was that kid with the first editions of Harry Potter having already read Gulliver’s travels and some Charles Dickens. At work, my desk is a library and luckily for me I sit next to another bookworm Jack who entertains all the photo-taking. I'm suffering from a chronic case of wanderlust (age-related crisis) so books which are set as far away from home as possible tend to float my boat: Middle East, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Asia...you name it. But if it's got anything to do with Egypt then I'm all over it. So you get the drift...I read all the time, everywhere (on the tube mostly), everyday, a book a week, and very quickly I'm onto the next! And then sometimes there is a book that stops me in my tracks, makes me want to swallow the pages whole, and have it next to me at all times, with some sentences staying with me forever: Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts, anything by Khaled Hosseini, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo (absolute gem of a woman), A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shuklaand and anything by Naguib Mahfouz.

Think Like A White Man

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