Some of My Friends Are.

The Daunting Challenges and Untapped Benefits of Cross-Racial Friendships

De: Deborah Plummer

Narrado por: Melanie Taylor

An insightful look at how cross-racial friendships work and fail within American society.

In a US national survey conducted for this audiobook, 70 percent of respondents strongly agreed that friendships across racial lines are essential to making progress toward improving race relations. However, further polling found that most Americans tend to gravitate toward friendships within their own racial category.

Psychologist Deborah L. Plummer tells us why that is so. She examines how factors such as leisure, politics, humor, faith, social media, and education influence the nature and intensity of cross-racial friendships. With engaging stories and inspiring anecdotes drawn from national focus groups, interviews, and analyses of survey results of contemporary patterns of adult friendships, she provides insights into the fears and discomforts associated with cross-racial friendships.

Through these narratives and social analyses of friendship patterns, Plummer explores how we make connections to form solid bonds and why it is so challenging to do so across a racial divide. She discusses how we cross that divide and get beyond the prickly, uncomfortable moments and have meaningful, enlightening, empathetic conversations about race.

With the inclusion of personal stories, this audiobook stirs up authentic racial discourse, prompts listeners to examine their own friendship patterns, and encourages us all to create a better path toward a more enlightened future by crossing racial lines in friendship and deepening the strength of current cross-racial friends.

©2019 Deborah Plummer (P)2019 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Her analysis of the process by which people develop their personal racial identities, based in a gestalt psychological model, will be enlightening to white readers who don’t understand how to approach comprehending their own race.” (Publishers Weekly)

“If you have ever wondered why genuine cross-racial friendships are challenging to develop and maintain in our racially polarized society, and why they are essential to racial reconciliation, read this thoughtful book!” (Beverly Daniel Tatum, author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? and Can We Talk About Race?)

“We know that seemingly incidental features of our lives can - by provoking a sense of identity threat - act as small barriers to crossing racial lines in friendship. In Some of My Friends Are..., Dr. Plummer identifies these cues and charts a pathway to establishing more friendships that heal divisions among racial groups. In doing so, this book offers hope for a better and more inclusive tomorrow.” (Professor Claude Steele, author of Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do)

Excellent Outlook!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Dr. Plummer's views and research. As a BIPOC and 1st Gen American, it was nice to hear other perspectives on coss-racial relationships.