Social Forces
"Hagerman boldly unearths the development of racial identities among white children, and the choices and justifications white families make that perpetuate inequality and entitlement ... Hagerman’s work provides indisputable evidence that choice (of schools and neighborhoods) is for the privileged, and not even the privileged know how (or want) to alter structure. Margaret Hagerman’s book is a much needed investigation of whiteness and the making of such; this would be a great addition to any course that touches on race and inequality in the United States."
American Journal of Sociology
"By studying how affluent white children think about race, we can see how racist attitudes permeate the structures of power in our society and what it would take to change them... its sobering message should be required reading for all affluent white parents (and affluent white college students)—and especially those who believe in social justice."
Monica McDermott
"This innovative, absorbing ethnography reveals that there is no single way that whites learn about race. Environmental influences such as schools, neighborhoods, and even extracurricular activities profoundly shape the ways that affluent white children think about racism and its impact on people of color. Its fascinating to learn how one child develops a critique of police shootings while another insists that racism does not exist at all. This immersive study will transform the way we think about racial socialization among the privileged. White Kids is a must read for anyone interested in how racial attitudes in America take shape in their earliest moments."
NBC's "Think" blog
"Hagerman's book is a careful, painful and convincing argument that when white people give their children advantages, they are often disadvantaging others. Racism is so hard to overturn, in part, because white people prop it up when they work to make sure their children succeed."
Amy L. Best
"A terrific book tracing the different trajectories of racial meaning young white children make about themselves and others as they navigate the worlds of school, friendship, and neighborhood, as well as the larger world beyond. This book is full of rich insight that should give us both pause and a sense of possibility."
STARRED
"Margaret HagermansWhite Kidsbrings to mind two words: must read....Hagerman unearths the segregation, income inequality, and racial biases which run rampant in her subjects lives... Hagermans writing is crisp and riveting...She puts forth a crucial analysis on the 'well-meaning,' 'colorblind' racism that her subjects perpetuate, stripping down the coded language of suburbia until it reveals the ugly truth underneath."
Author of Racism Without Racists Silva
"More than anything else, whiteness is an everyday practice constructed out of mostly mundane, seemingly & beyond race interactions. In her masterful White Kids, Margaret A. Hagerman demonstrates this fact by showing how privileged children in a Midwestern town are socialized into whiteness and, more significantly, make choices to reproduce whiteness. Hagermans book deserves to be read widely as it is a sociological gem!-Eduardo Bonilla"
Racism Without Racists - Eduardo Bonilla Silva
"More than anything else, whiteness is an everyday practice constructed out of mostly mundane, seemingly & beyond race interactions. In her masterful White Kids, Margaret A. Hagerman demonstrates this fact by showing how privileged children in a Midwestern town are socialized into whiteness and, more significantly, make choices to reproduce whiteness. Hagermans book deserves to be read widely as it is a sociological gem!"
Racism Without Racists
"More than anything else, whiteness is an everyday practice constructed out of mostly mundane, seemingly & beyond race interactions. In her masterful White Kids, Margaret A. Hagerman demonstrates this fact by showing how privileged children in a Midwestern town are socialized into whiteness and, more significantly, make choices to reproduce whiteness. Hagermans book deserves to be read widely as it is a sociological gem!"
Foreword Reviews
"Margaret HagermansWhite Kidsbrings to mind two words: must read....Hagerman unearths the segregation, income inequality, and racial biases which run rampant in her subjects lives... Hagermans writing is crisp and riveting...She puts forth a crucial analysis on the 'well-meaning,' 'colorblind' racism that her subjects perpetuate, stripping down the coded language of suburbia until it reveals the ugly truth underneath."
Fast Food Kids: French Fries
"A terrific book tracing the different trajectories of racial meaning young white children make about themselves and others as they navigate the worlds of school, friendship, and neighborhood, as well as the larger world beyond. This book is full of rich insight that should give us both pause and a sense of possibility."
Working-Class White: The Making and Unmaking of Race Relations
"This innovative, absorbing ethnography reveals that there is no single way that whites learn about race. Environmental influences such as schools, neighborhoods, and even extracurricular activities profoundly shape the ways that affluent white children think about racism and its impact on people of color. Its fascinating to learn how one child develops a critique of police shootings while another insists that racism does not exist at all. This immersive study will transform the way we think about racial socialization among the privileged. White Kids is a must read for anyone interested in how racial attitudes in America take shape in their earliest moments."
From the Publisher
"More than anything else, whiteness is an everyday practice constructed out of mostly mundane, seemingly & beyond race interactions. In her masterful White Kids, Margaret A. Hagerman demonstrates this fact by showing how privileged children in a Midwestern town are socialized into whiteness and, more significantly, make choices to reproduce whiteness. Hagermans book deserves to be read widely as it is a sociological gem!-Eduardo Bonilla"
MAY 2019 - AudioFile
Hagerman's qualitative study of white upper-middle class families and how they engage or disengage from their white privilege comes across as earnest and thought provoking in Tavia Gilbert's well-balanced narration. Gilbert's pacing and emphasis enhance Hagerman's cultural context and critical insight so that even listeners unfamiliar with white privilege and how it operates can make sense of what Hagerman is finding in her study. Gilbert create distinct voices for the quotes from parents and children that make it clear that these deviations from Hagerman's narrative. In total, her narration will make Hagerman’s prose all the more palpable and useful to parents who are trying to navigate their children’s experiences of privilege and racial identity in American society. L.E. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-06-18
A sociologist examines how affluent white children think about race.Hagerman (Sociology/Mississippi State Univ.) spent two years immersed with 30 privileged white Midwestern families to produce this timely ethnographic study. "Race shapes the lives of everyone in the United States," writes the author, "whether people believe this to be true or not." Her assertion is borne out in these interviews with 36 children (ages 10-13) and their parents, who "design" their kids' social environments (neighborhoods, schools, etc.), shaping their interactions with and attitudes toward other races. She finds that these children "think about race and class inequality differently" depending on family experiences and daily interactions. Hagerman's writing is scholarly and sometimes stodgy, but she provides revealing portraits: The Schultz parents think that "if ‘they' could behave exactly like ‘us,' we would welcome them"; Victoria and Ryan Chablis believe "current racial inequalities are the fault of people of color"; and the "well-meaning" Norbrooks, who keep their children in public school, "fail to acknowledge inequality and racism…[and] are unintentionally complicit in the reproduction of it." Children, generally racially aware, often think for themselves: "Sometimes my mom is racist and tries to pretend like she isn't," says one 12-year-old girl. Yet while critical of racial inequality, the kids "believe they are better and more deserving than everyone else." Hagerman is especially good on the "conundrum of privilege." These families often want diversity but "choose to opt out of diverse spaces," giving children the benefits of their wealth with all-white dance lessons and vacations. The ironies abound: "While some parents of black children are teaching their kids how to navigate racism to stay alive, some parents of white children are teaching their kids that race no longer matters in the United States." The author concludes that white parents can fight racism "by rejecting the idea that their own child is more innocent and special and deserving," but individual choices may not matter much "as long as structural inequality persists."A complex and nuanced academic book.
