Available instantly

Audiobook
$0.99
with membership

Hardcover
$8.01

Paperback
$17.90

$8.01 with 71 percent savings

List Price: $28.00

$4.93 delivery April 14 - 16. Details

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$8.01 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

In Memory of Laura Books

Sold by

In Memory of Laura Books

Returns

30-day refund/replacement

Payment

Secure transaction

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (113) from $6.37 & FREE Shipping

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

John McWhorter

Follow

Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America Hardcover – October 26, 2021

by John McWhorter (Author)

2,519 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$8.01","priceAmount":8.01,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"01","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"LEI0ypXUN%2FH2vVsHO15MM834Y7Iqu6uoum0dQHSAnxvemNjrQyon2guO2Nq3C0b53IsOaYZh3Q9S73hfnvc%2FoUkUK2r9bdYWPLcFKvqN%2F6xQZdnKHwSyjCD%2FkkhhBUFwvZnmqokd6zGK%2F%2BWroI%2BzkkPOee6Fe%2F41uNW%2B0kuq6jCbMl%2FpNv9NjA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed linguist John McWhorter argues that an illiberal neoracism, disguised as antiracism, is hurting Black communities and weakening the American social fabric.

Americans of good will on both the left and the right are secretly asking themselves the same question: how has the conversation on race in America gone so crazy? We’re told to read books and listen to music by people of color but that wearing certain clothes is “appropriation.” We hear that being white automatically gives you privilege and that being Black makes you a victim. We want to speak up but fear we’ll be seen as unwoke, or worse, labeled a racist. According to John McWhorter, the problem is that a well-meaning but pernicious form of antiracism has become, not a progressive ideology, but a religion—and one that’s illogical, unreachable, and unintentionally neoracist.

In Woke Racism, McWhorter reveals the workings of this new religion, from the original sin of “white privilege” and the weaponization of cancel culture to ban heretics, to the evangelical fervor of the “woke mob.” He shows how this religion that claims to “dismantle racist structures” is actually harming his fellow Black Americans by infantilizing Black people, setting Black students up for failure, and passing policies that disproportionately damage Black communities. The new religion might be called “antiracism,” but it features a racial essentialism that’s barely distinguishable from racist arguments of the past.

Fortunately for Black America, and for all of us, it’s not too late to push back against woke racism. McWhorter shares scripts and encouragement with those trying to deprogram friends and family. And most importantly, he offers a roadmap to justice that actually will help, not hurt, Black America.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a passionate, often fiery book, but it is also seriously considered and scrupulously reasoned. Whether or not readers are persuaded by McWhorter’s analysis, they must, in the name of intellectual honesty, consider the book mandatory reading."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"McWhorter brings us much-needed pointed social commentarywith humor and grace. Give this book to those who are questioning the new religion, even those who have found it. Woke Racism has the capacity to melt the hatred and fervor that is now all the rage, and to bring love and forgiveness, logic and discourse, back into fashion.”—Heather E. Heying, evolutionary biologist and coauthor of A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century

“Scathingly brilliant and strawman-killing from the get-go, Woke Racism will make you stop in your tracks no matter what your politics are—and very possibly reexamine some of your deepest held convictions. Masterfully and beautifully written, this book is a powerful appeal for common sense.”—Amy Chua, professor at Yale Law School and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Political Tribes

“Honest commentary about racial controversies is rare, and John McWhorter is a writer who can be counted on to provide it. Woke Racism is a heartfelt evisceration of the sloppy thinking that forms the foundation of so much social justice activism today. It’s an essential contribution to our national discussion about racial inequality, and McWhorter’s willingness to put unvarnished truth above politically correct niceties deserves our gratitude.”—Jason L. Riley, Wall Street Journal columnist and author of Maverick

About the Author

John H. McWhorter teaches linguistics, American studies, and music history at Columbia University. He is a contributing editor at The Atlantic and host of the language podcast Lexicon Valley. His writing has been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Time, Daily Beast, New Republic, The Root, and many other venues.McWhorter is the author of over twenty books, including Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter—Then, Now and Forever, The Power of Babel, Losing the Race,and Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio (October 26, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593423062
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593423066
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.79 x 9.29 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #37,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #97 in Discrimination & Racism
- #112 in Political Conservatism & Liberalism
- #114 in Political Commentary & Opinion

Customer Reviews:
2,519 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

John McWhorter

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

John McWhorter teaches linguistics, philosophy, and music history at Columbia University, and writes for various publications on language issues and race issues such as Time, the Wall Street Journal, the Daily Beast, CNN, and the Atlantic. he told his mother he wanted to be a "book writer" when he was five, and is happy that it worked out.

Customer reviews

2,519 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Review this product

Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book thought-provoking and clear, with one review noting how it helps put personal experiences in context. Moreover, the writing is well-thought-out and concise, and customers consider it a highly recommended read. Additionally, they appreciate the author's courage and pacing, with one describing McWhorter as brilliant. However, the satire receives mixed reactions from customers.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

Thought provoking Writing quality Readability Courage Pacing Satire

60 customers mention "Thought provoking"47 positive13 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and insightful, with one customer mentioning how it helped them understand their personal experiences, while others appreciate its interesting perspective.

"...I thought this book provoked deeper thought even if I did not agree with everything, it was worth my time" Read more

"...or harmful efforts in this area, critiqued by this book, are very helpful efforts that deserve our substantial and unqualified support...." Read more

"...He also includes useful recommendations about how to limit the problems caused by woke racism, a problem that is starting to tear apart American..." Read more

"...Khmer Rouge - I do not merely agree, I believe that this fact-based, passionate, right-on-the-mark book should be read by every school administrator..." Read more

60 customers mention "Writing quality"47 positive13 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as eloquent and clear and concise, with one customer noting its well-thought-out appeal to common sense.

"This book was a fascinating different take on the current political climate...." Read more

"...His critique is informed, nuanced and articulate...." Read more

"This is a perceptive, courageous and thoughtful book from Columbia University Professor of Linguistics, American Studies and Music History John..." Read more

"...to not only address the elephant in many a room, but to explain in detail his origins, why elephant was not only invited in but also why allowed to..." Read more

54 customers mention "Readability"50 positive4 negative

Customers find the book highly readable and worth considering, with one customer describing it as a powerful read.

"...deeper thought even if I did not agree with everything, it was worth my time" Read more

"...This is a powerful book." Read more

"...view of religion I think his critique is well argued and very much worth considering...." Read more

"...But I’m still surprised by how good and important this book is...." Read more

6 customers mention "Courage"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's courage, with one noting that standing up to bullies requires outrage.

"This is a perceptive, courageous and thoughtful book from Columbia University Professor of Linguistics, American Studies and Music History John..." Read more

"...Standing up to bullies requires outage. McWhorter demonstrates this in his regular writing, and distills it in this book...." Read more

"A brave and honest assessment of the internet-fueled woke ideology." Read more

"Refreshing and Brave - well worth a read!" Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one describing it as a powerful look and another noting McWhorter's brilliance.

"...He is brilliant, and has extraordinary command of English and multiple other languages making his writing compelling...." Read more

"...religious ideology it is...and he does so in his typical funny, lucid, highly accessible way. No better person to lead the charge, in my opinion...." Read more

"John McWhorter is brilliant and classy and thoughtful. I read this book after seeing him interview. Life changing." Read more

"A powerful look at a very terrible phenomenon" Read more

11 customers mention "Satire"4 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the book's satirical style, with some finding it funny and insightful with humor, while others describe it as a relentless polemical diatribe.

"...His concept of religion seems wholly negative, consisting primarily of the unquestioned acceptance of irrational ideas and beliefs...." Read more

"...the racist, religious ideology it is...and he does so in his typical funny, lucid, highly accessible way...." Read more

"...The tone is mildly hostile, or at least unfavorable, to religion of any flavor or texture. That's a significant downside to the volume...." Read more

"...Designating certain people as "the Elect," is snarky, silly, and quickly devolves to the "us-and-them" dynamic he starts off saying is..." Read more

Reviews with images

See all photos

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

Voice
Interesting Read
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2025
Verified Purchase

This book was a fascinating different take on the current political climate. I think if we cannot read a book because it disagrees with our viewpoint (Confirmation Bias) then that is concerning. I thought this book provoked deeper thought even if I did not agree with everything, it was worth my time

Read more

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Sydney Williams
An independent-minded black professor views racism through the lens of common sense
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
Sydney M. Williams

Woke Racism, John McWhorter
November 19, 2021

“The failure of so many thinkers to understand the difference between the effects of racism
In the past and racism in the present has strangled discussions about race for decades.”
John McWhorter
Woke Racism, 2021

John McWhorter is an independent thinker – a rare (at risk of becoming extinct) individual in today’s academy. He is professor of linguistics at Columbia University, where he also teaches American studies and music history. At age 56, with a PhD from Stanford, he has written almost two dozen books. In his spare time, he is a contributing editor at The Atlantic and an opinion columnist for The New York Times. He describes himself as a “cranky, liberal Democrat.” He is a black man who believes that affirmative action should be based on class, not race, and that woke racism hurts those it claims to help.

In this book, he argues that woke racism represents a third wave of anti-racism, “…from people wishing they hadn’t missed the late 1960s.” This wave, he claims, has assumed the traits of a religion, with white privilege as original sin. The third wave “has taken it from the concrete political activism of Martin Luther King to the faith-based commitments of a Martin Luther.” He castigates the proselytizers of this religion, “The Elect,” as “pious, unempirical virtue signalers.” They resemble, in his words, early Christians who “thought of themselves as bearers of truth, in contrast to all other belief systems…” Like other such movements, they appeal “to an idealized past, a fantastical future, and an indelibly polluted present.” For the Elect, black people’s noble past is Africa, a glorified future is one without hate, but the present consists of oppressors and oppressed. He finds the Elect’s sanctimony insulting to blacks, who are led to believe that victimhood is destiny and success is due to special treatment. When conservative blacks deny victimhood, they are smeared by the Elect: Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor-elect Winsome Sears is a “white” supremacist and South Carolina’s Senator Tim Scott is an “Uncle Tom.”

Mr. McWhorter does not deny the existence of racism. He writes: “Racism, in all its facets, is real, but since the late 1960s a contingent of black thinkers has tended to insist that things are as bad [today] as they were in 1940, leaving many black people who actually experienced Jim Crow a tad perplexed and even put off.” The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 were positive steps toward racial equality, but they feed the argument “that black people could [no longer] have a basic pride in having come the whole way…” In the 1950s, black leaders criticized minstrel shows like Amos ‘n Andy for not showing successful black people Today, black leaders denigrate shows like Julia for not showing poverty and racism experienced by American blacks.

Interracial marriages in 1970 represented less than one percent of all marriages in the United States. Today, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, “about 17% of new marriages in the U.S. are interracial couples.” Blacks represent about 11% of college graduates today; fifty years ago, that number was less than five percent. These are facts ignored by the Elect. Ironically, colleges often teach black students a view of whites as oppressors. Mr. McWhorter quotes a Pew Research Center survey, which noted that nine percent of black high school students report experiencing racism regularly; “the number doubles among black college graduates to 17.5 percent.” “Half of black people with college degrees say that racism has made them fear for their safety; just a third of younger black students do.”

It is the condescending attitude of the Elect toward blacks that troubles him most. He writes: “An enlightened America is supposed to hold a public figure accountable for her ideas. On the issue of the Revolutionary War, Hannah-Jones claim is simply false, but our current cultural etiquette requires pretending that isn’t true – because she is black.” The claim that America is systemically racist ignores societal changes over the past several decades. Is there further to go? Of course. Are those like me brought up in educated white families privileged relative to blacks brought up in poverty? Of course. But should the focus be on pretending there has been no change or celebrating the fact that racism has declined over the past fifty years? Privilege is less a factor of race and more a matter of class.

McWhorter writes that if we could accept “three real-world efforts that combine political feasibility with effectiveness” that would address what ails America today: “There should be no war on drugs; society should get behind teaching everybody to read the right way; and we should make solid vocational training as easy to obtain as a college education.” In the book, he elaborates on all three. As to accusations that he is not “black enough:” “I know racism when I encounter it, even when it’s subtle. I have written about it often. And yet I still believe every word I am writing in this book.”

Professor McWhorter is better educated than most of his critics who comprises the “Elect,” which gives this short book heft at a time when emotion outranks composure. “Reason,” he writes, “must prevail. This is the heart of the enlightenment. The abolitionists knew it; Civil Rights leaders knew it; today’s liberals know it. Only the Elect propose that rationality, where it discomfits them, is mere ‘whiteness’.”

I encourage all my friends, especially those who consider themselves liberal Democrats, to read this book. Heather MacDonald, in City Journal, wrote words on science being viewed through the lens of “equity,” which apply to Mr. McWhorter’s book: “Step by step, we are shutting down the very processes of open inquiry and the cultivation of excellence that have freed humanity from so much unnecessary suffering.” Dispassionate discussion on race is being similarly treated. Anti-racism is racist, as it targets the group, not the individual. It is contrary to Martin Luther King’s plea that people should be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Common sense and tolerance, with a focus on the person should be our guides regarding race, not the absolutism of religious puritanism. This is a powerful book.

Read more

141 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Paul M. Dubuc
Very good except for the "religion" part.
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book needs to be judged by its introduction rather than its title. The author, John McWhorter--a black intellectual, prolific writer and university professor--claims that this book is not written to convince those who have thoroughly absorbed the mindset that he critiques in the book. He writes them off as being beyond the help of reasonable discourse. Neither is it for the those already convinced of the merits of his argument. He isn't interested in affirmation by "preaching to the choir". He writes for those who sense that something is amiss in the dominant narrative about race in our society; who need to know why their intuition makes sense and would like some advice in how live more confidently in their convictions in the face dominant assumptions and expectations to the contrary. The real strength of this book consists not only in McWhorter’s critique, but also in the final chapters where he convincingly offers a few suggestions which would go a long way in actually helping black lives to flourish (not just “matter”) and the advice he gives on the need to confront the efforts of those pushing such a harmful “elect” ideology.

The narrative that McWhorter critiques has been developing since the late 1960's first in academia, then the major news media and has more recently gone mainstream in the writings of Ta Nehisi Coates, Ibram X. Kendi, Robin DiAngelo and Nikole Sheri Hannah-Jones to name a few. I first encountered it in required affirmative action seminars and speeches as an employee of a large technology firm in the 1980's culminating in one led by the fanatical Jane Elliott in which we were segregated from our coworkers by eye color and subjected to humiliating slurs and exercises in a mock classroom. That experience altered my intuition and I began to consider other sources. Elliott's rhetoric on racism essentially corresponded to what has become the dominant mainstream narrative on race today and by now she seems to have risen to the status of saint in the “religion” that McWhorter calls "woke racism". McWhorter is only one such alternate source to consider. (There are a growing number of others.) His critique is informed, nuanced and articulate. His frustration with what he sees comes across particularly well in the audiobook where he is the reader. It's a damning critique of the dominate narrative about race; one that I think is spot on in most respects.

The one significant flaw I see in McWhorter's analysis, particularly irritating to this reader, is his characterization of this "Woke Racism" as a religion rather than an ideology. His concept of religion seems wholly negative, consisting primarily of the unquestioned acceptance of irrational ideas and beliefs. While it's hard to fault him for having this impression given the numerous examples to be found of such, I find it to be very misinformed on the whole and in my own experience where doubt and questioning are very much an accepted part of the faith and practice of Christianity. Alternatively, I’ve encountered many self proclaimed “rational” agnostics and atheists whose adherence to their beliefs and opinions fits well within McWhorter’s concept of religion.

While it's certainly true that many irrational and immoral things have been justified in the name of religion. I think that without religion things would be much worse. It takes an appeal to a transcendent authority, explicit or implied, for moral judgments and reasoning, like the kind McWhorter takes for granted, to apply them to others who don't happen to agree with them. It's the unacknowledged assumption behind all our moral judgements. Reason can justify any evil action for those who have the power and the will to do them. Reason can't prove that murder is wrong for someone with the power to get away with it. Without some transcendent authority we're reduced to "might makes right" and our moral judgements apply only to those who happen to agree with them. Reasonable human beings live in a world that assumes that which they cannot really prove independently. While it's certainly true that religion has been used to justify evil, we still need its tacit assumptions to justify that judgement. Reason can distinguish moral issues from non-moral ones, but it can't independently make moral judgments.

McWhorter is no theologian, and it shows, but given his view of religion I think his critique is well argued and very much worth considering. My hope, though, is that it will do more for its readers than to justify noninvolvement in very helpful efforts to better the lives of black Americans. Among the ineffectual or harmful efforts in this area, critiqued by this book, are very helpful efforts that deserve our substantial and unqualified support. Seek them out, give them your support and get involved.

Read more

69 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report

Top reviews from other countries

AmazonRandom
The convenient panacea to the Elect.
Reviewed in Canada on December 20, 2021
Verified Purchase

This book is a great piece of work, and I believe it will age like wine in the decades to come. This book is non-partisanship, and illuminates the novel religion harming a prosperous, vibrant future for all, regardless of ethnicity and stuff of that nature.

You don't need a creational foundation to create a religion, it's a type of belief structure that John will walk you through. We aren't insane, and this fabulous panacea will be our bible that we connect ourselves with to push back against the Elect. The author is a bona fide intellectual, and his work clarified my disordered thoughts about this topic into an organized format.

Read more
Report
Dave Kabay
The bad things about the book
Reviewed in Australia on March 17, 2022
Verified Purchase
The bit about lifting the ban against harmful drugs needs to be better thought out. A free ride for drug cartels needs to be avoided and increased or no decrease in drug addiction needs to happen and quickly
Dave Kabay

Read more
Report
Lydia
Woke Racism
Reviewed in Brazil on January 18, 2022
Verified Purchase
If a black person says that some posture is betraying black americans you should listen why and how it is so. Very well written and explained
Made me think about other New Religions rising and their damage.

Read more
Report
Walter Meloni
Open the minds
Reviewed in Italy on December 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
Well written book…

Read more
Report
Nick
Outstanding - a must read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2024
Verified Purchase
Intelligent and perceptive, this book sets out the case woke beliefs are a religion just like any other faith. As such they present a threat to freedom of thought and liberal society. It's a must read from a courageous author who's not afraid to stand up to the Elite as he terms the proponents of this new religion and the silent majority who seem too cowed to speak up for themselves. Excellent.

Read more
Report

See more reviews

Follow the author

Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America Hardcover – October 26, 2021

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

John McWhorter

Customer reviews

Review this product

Customers say

Select to learn more

Images in this review

Reviews with images

Should be required reading for U.S. “leftists”

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read

5.0 out of 5 stars An independent-minded black professor views racism through the lens of common sense

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good except for the "religion" part.

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars The convenient panacea to the Elect.

3.0 out of 5 stars The bad things about the book

5.0 out of 5 stars Woke Racism

5.0 out of 5 stars Open the minds

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding - a must read

Interesting Read

An independent-minded black professor views racism through the lens of common sense

Very good except for the "religion" part.

The convenient panacea to the Elect.

The bad things about the book

Woke Racism

Open the minds

Outstanding - a must read