--- product_id: 5131804 title: "Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race" price: "¥3125" currency: JPY in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.jp/products/5131804-waking-up-white-and-finding-myself-in-the-story-race store_origin: JP region: Japan --- # Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race **Price:** ¥3125 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race - **How much does it cost?** ¥3125 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.jp](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/5131804-waking-up-white-and-finding-myself-in-the-story-race) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description For twenty-five years, Debby Irving sensed inexplicable racial tensions in her personal and professional relationships. As a colleague and neighbor, she worried about offending people she dearly wanted to befriend. As an arts administrator, she didn't understand why her diversity efforts lacked traction. As a teacher, she found her best efforts to reach out to students and families of color left her wondering what she was missing. Then, in 2009, one "aha!" moment launched an adventure of discovery and insight that drastically shifted her worldview and upended her life plan. In Waking Up White, Irving tells her often cringe-worthy story with such openness that readers will turn every page rooting for her-and ultimately for all of us. Review: A good idea to read twice - This is a first rate book for those of us who grew up in the "white bubble" because we don't know what we don't know. Debby Irving actually lived in a place and had the advantage that she could take courses and seminars to learn where we are in the bubble and why we are there. I did learn some things from the book despite not having started out with quite as much naivete as the author. Discussing race is hard for most of us because we have been taught not to "make personal remarks" about how someone looks. A four-year-old might ask someone why he has one arm, and his mother is immediately embarrassed, basically because we don't want to hurt someone's feelings. Discussion of race falls immediately into the "personal comments" category. But we, in our bubbles, don't realize that people of color are under stress every day because of their color and often talk about it. We might be so careful to try not to offend that we actually can never be real friends because there is a whole forbidden area. So, even in our non-bigotry, we have set up barriers. The author actually attended seminars about how to get past these problems. The book is very useful and is a good read for us all. The author defines culture well. She says culture is to a group what personality is to a person. And, she points out there is actually a white culture that we who grew up inside it don't always recognize. Ms. Irving is quick to point out her own obliviousness, one that many of us have. There are enough interesting insights in this book that it is worth reading twice. And for elementary school teachers the lesson near the end to get a skin color recipe is worth the price of the book. Review: Effective and engaging. - Just finished this last night, great book for a new understanding of something that can be hard to discuss. I just finished a communication degree (BS) and there were many discussions of equity, culture, intersectionality, identity, race etc. My last course was intercultural communication. Anyway, I'm relatively up to speed for a middle aged white man, and I thought this book terrific. My children's school encouraged parents to read this as part of a new book club, so we'll be discussing it next week. While I personally wasn't exposed to a lot of new-to-me information in this book, it IS quite consistent with what I've learned thus far-and I think goes pretty far to match my understanding after a good bit of attention to the subject in college. With the caveat that the author's upper-class upbringing may be off-putting to some (push past that - totally worth it) it is very approachable and easy to read. Most chapters are about 15-20 minutes to read and the writing is detailed without seeming academic. I think this book is a great tool, a doorway to knowingness for those of the dominant class in the US to see things that are often invisible, and you can't change behavior you don't recognize. BTW, there's a show "Dear White People" that attempts to tackle this subject that I enjoyed. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #125,496 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2,727 in Community & Culture Biographies #3,952 in Memoirs (Books) #5,226 in Education & Teaching (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 3,609 Reviews | ## Images ![Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61P60f1UpsL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A good idea to read twice *by S***R on April 29, 2017* This is a first rate book for those of us who grew up in the "white bubble" because we don't know what we don't know. Debby Irving actually lived in a place and had the advantage that she could take courses and seminars to learn where we are in the bubble and why we are there. I did learn some things from the book despite not having started out with quite as much naivete as the author. Discussing race is hard for most of us because we have been taught not to "make personal remarks" about how someone looks. A four-year-old might ask someone why he has one arm, and his mother is immediately embarrassed, basically because we don't want to hurt someone's feelings. Discussion of race falls immediately into the "personal comments" category. But we, in our bubbles, don't realize that people of color are under stress every day because of their color and often talk about it. We might be so careful to try not to offend that we actually can never be real friends because there is a whole forbidden area. So, even in our non-bigotry, we have set up barriers. The author actually attended seminars about how to get past these problems. The book is very useful and is a good read for us all. The author defines culture well. She says culture is to a group what personality is to a person. And, she points out there is actually a white culture that we who grew up inside it don't always recognize. Ms. Irving is quick to point out her own obliviousness, one that many of us have. There are enough interesting insights in this book that it is worth reading twice. And for elementary school teachers the lesson near the end to get a skin color recipe is worth the price of the book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Effective and engaging. *by X***N on November 9, 2019* Just finished this last night, great book for a new understanding of something that can be hard to discuss. I just finished a communication degree (BS) and there were many discussions of equity, culture, intersectionality, identity, race etc. My last course was intercultural communication. Anyway, I'm relatively up to speed for a middle aged white man, and I thought this book terrific. My children's school encouraged parents to read this as part of a new book club, so we'll be discussing it next week. While I personally wasn't exposed to a lot of new-to-me information in this book, it IS quite consistent with what I've learned thus far-and I think goes pretty far to match my understanding after a good bit of attention to the subject in college. With the caveat that the author's upper-class upbringing may be off-putting to some (push past that - totally worth it) it is very approachable and easy to read. Most chapters are about 15-20 minutes to read and the writing is detailed without seeming academic. I think this book is a great tool, a doorway to knowingness for those of the dominant class in the US to see things that are often invisible, and you can't change behavior you don't recognize. BTW, there's a show "Dear White People" that attempts to tackle this subject that I enjoyed. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Becoming Aware of ways being white privileged out development. *by #***R on June 13, 2022* The author shares her insight from her own (sometimes awkward) attempts to understand race in America; what white privilege is and how it affects everyone's lives. How whites benefit from it and how African Americans suffer underneath it. How we take our jobs, schools, homes, friendships for granted. How the lives of those without such privilege are affected. One of the points made that I had never thought about is the impact of the benefits we reap due to generation after generation of white privilege. My father went to college on the GI Bill. A benefit largely denied to African American veterans. My parents bought their first home with a VA Home Loan, a loan largely denied to minority veterans. I had no idea about either of these privileges but I can certainly see how I am continuing to reap the benefits of something (many things) that happened for my family 79+ years ago and continue to benefit me and my children today. The author offers plenty of questions as food for thought to help the reader think through this important and sensitive issue. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.jp/products/5131804-waking-up-white-and-finding-myself-in-the-story-race](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/5131804-waking-up-white-and-finding-myself-in-the-story-race) --- *Product available on Desertcart Japan* *Store origin: JP* *Last updated: 2026-07-08*