Our hidden conversations What Americans really think about race and identity

NPR and Washington Post journalist Norris hoped that the book tour for her memoir, The Grace of Silence (2011), which shared the stories about racism that her family had held close until the election of President Obama, could provoke candid conversations about race. In order to give her audience a starting point, she created the Race Card Project: postcards with the prompt "Race. Your Thoughts. 6 words. Please send." Over the next 14 years, she received thousands of cards in the mail and online. Strangers sent their six words, expanding on why they chose them and how their lives had shaped them. In Our Hidden Conversations, Norris explores themes that emerged from the thought-provoking, insightful, and often painful experiences people shared. Each chapter tells stories from one postcard, interspersed with six-word responses from others. Norris creates a picture of a complicated moment in American history, in which what it means to be American is a fraught question, and at a time when demographic shifts, political extremism, and violence have increased awareness of ongoing racism in the U.S. This is an eye-opening read and an affecting examination of how race affects our lives.

A notable collection of short, pithy messages about race and identity. As Peabody Award--winning journalist Norris, the author of The Grace of Silence, notes, many Americans find it difficult to discuss race in an open-minded, productive way. In 2010, to gauge opinion about the subject, the author started a project in which she distributed cards, asking them to be returned to her with a six-word message about experiences or views connected to race. She first assumed she would receive a trickle of responses, but it became a flood, representing an impressive range of racial categories in the U.S., from white to Black to Asian to Native American and beyond. Gradually, the project expanded to include longer stories and interviews. This book is a curated collection spanning a wide spectrum of thinking. In many cases, the sense of resentment goes back decades or even generations, so deep it is difficult to see how it can be assuaged. Despite the variety of contributions, there is no clear answer to the central question of whether racial differences should be emphasized or minimized. Many Black respondents tell stories of police who automatically assume they are guilty of something, and many Asians reflect on how they feel persistently stereotyped. Numerous white contributors indicate they believe they are assuming blame for past events in which they were not involved. Norris eventually comes down on the side of the "bridge builders" who can reach across differences, rather than the dividers. "America has made commendable and incredible progress in matters of race," she writes. "I never take that for granted, but continued progress will require collective and constant toil." The author's own message? "Still more work to be done." The book features dozens of full-color photos. Norris offers crucial insight into how Americans think about race, combining the painful with the inspiring. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.