You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar

 

Our bookclub in June was a momentous occasion with five of us meeting in person! Yay for vaccines.

Lisa's pick for June was You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar. These stories were crazy. They were told in a light-hearted, humorous way, but it was shocking to see how rampant racism is in society today. These true anecdotes ranged from white people not being able to tell black people apart to heartbreaking tails of calculated sabotage. Time and again the authors had to convince whites that they had money, were educated, and were successful because of their own talents and capabilities. The sheer number of these stories underscored how blacks have to deal with these issues every. single. day.

We discussed how although there is greater awareness now after the George Floyd protests, some blacks in the workplace are being asked to lead discussion groups and workshops on racism and diversity - this might seem like a good thing, but they are being asked to do these tasks in addition to their jobs without additional pay. Again, whites are placing the burden on blacks. We also talked about positive trends in education for our own children but how many don't believe racism still exists.

As usual we branched into other topics including vaccines, children, parents, pets, careers, television, books, menopause, simulation theory, and much more. And of course, there was food. Go bookclub!