Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America

Ijeoma Oluo

Dec 2020 · Hachette Audio · Narrated by Ijeoma Oluo

About this audiobook

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race, an  “illuminating” (New York Times Book Review) history of white male identity.

What happens to a country that tells generation after generation of white men that they deserve power? What happens when success is defined by status over women and people of color, instead of by actual accomplishments?

Through the last 150 years of American history -- from the post-reconstruction South and the mythic stories of cowboys in the West, to the present-day controversy over NFL protests and the backlash against the rise of women in politics -- Ijeoma Oluo exposes the devastating consequences of white male supremacy on women, people of color, and white men themselves. Mediocre investigates the real costs of this phenomenon in order to imagine a new white male identity, one free from racism and sexism.

As provocative as it is essential, this book will upend everything you thought you knew about American identity and offers a bold new vision of American greatness.

Ratings and reviews

A false narrative penned by a codependent, rallying other codependents to remain entrenched in ego. Hence, the so-called best seller status. It's more fear-mongering, which is what codependents do. But not to worry, when each of you self-destructs, you will hit bottom and find out that love was the only answer. If you're not about love, you are codependent, stuck in your traumas and wounds and blaming everyone for your own self-hatred. And if you doubt what I'm saying, then re-read your words.

I got this audiobook after listening to Ijeoma Oluo as a guest on a podcast. She did great research, and all of the stories she shared helped clarify and support her message. I rarely buy books due to hearing authors speak. Unfortunately I don't feel the same about "Mediocre." It was not as clear of a message, and I assume the delivery undermines its effectiveness in convincing people. It's not clear who the intended audience is, but I would only recommend this book to people who have at least expressed openness to becoming anti-racist.

I enjoyed the insight and also discovered reasons why a lot of things happened in my own life. She definitely knows what she's talking about I've been there. I see why people get mad, truth hurts.

About the author

Ijeoma Oluo is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race. Her work on race has been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post. She was named to the 2021 Time 100 Next list, has twice been named to The Root  100, and received the Harvard Humanist of the Year award. She lives in Seattle, Washington.