The topic of white privilege has always triggered widespread debate, and the current media attention to police brutality and race relations in the United States has infused the conversation with highly polarizing, emotional responses. In White Privilege: What Everyone Needs to Know�, Abby Ferber provides a succinct but in-depth coverage that will serve as a solid foundation for educated conversation. She touches on the essential components of white privilege -- historical context, how it operates at an institutional level, how it is discussed publicly, and how it intersects with other kinds of privilege, including gender, sexuality, and disability. While the book focuses primarily on white privilege in the U.S., Ferber notes how it is experienced globally as well. She further addresses common misconceptions about privilege (e.g., How can I be privileged if I face discrimination too? How can people alive now be held responsible for historical injustices, such as slavery?), and concludes with a section on how white privilege is changing now and into the future. Clear, concise, and informed, this book offers a valuable primer for anyone interested in this complex and often contentious topic.


Abby Ferber is Professor of Sociology at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.