| Title | : | My White Best Friend |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1350225940 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781350225947 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published September 1, 2020 |
Originally commissioned by The Bunker Theatre as a critically-acclaimed festival that ran in 2019, My White Best Friend collects 23 letters that engage with a range of topics, from racial tensions, microaggressions and emotional labour, to queer desire, prejudice and otherness. Expressing feelings and thoughts often stifled or ignored, the pieces here transform letter writing into a provocative act of candour.
Funny, heartfelt, wry and heart-breaking, whether a letter to their younger self or an ode to the writer's tongue, this anthology of exceptional writing is always engaging and thought-provoking.
My White Best Friend Reviews
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"Maybe not every day enjoying our privileges and coasting through life, comfortable. Maybe some days putting ourselves out there for somebody else. Standing up, loudly, visibly, for someone less privileged, and bearing the brunt of the brazen misogyny, racism and homophobia that can incur."
A powerful play with an incredibly powerful set of voices behind it. As a white person myself, I found the parts written directly addressing white privilege particularly impactful. A lot of the play was very eye-opening for me, helping me to better understand how to use my privilege to help minorities without taking valuable space away from them, without speaking so loudly that their voices can no longer be heard.
Each of the sections is incredibly well-written, and each of the playwrights' differing styles, when contrasted side-by-side with one another, makes each voice distinct. It works wonderfully well as an anthology and I'd so love to see it performed live.
I have to mention, though, that I found Lena Dunham's part in it very jarring, not only because of who she is (and everything problematic I've read/heard about her), but also because, in one of the earlier entries, she's mentioned in a most unflattering (and deserved) light: "written by lena dunham / wait she don't like indians". I struggled to understand her part in the play and wasn't at all enlightened after reading her section. If there actually is a good explanation as to why she was included among these playwrights and the stories they had to tell, I'd genuinely love to hear it, because I want to understand. By myself, however, I found her part felt forced, out of place, and out of touch with the rest of the play. It lost a star for this.
Otherwise, this is a brilliant play. There's a stunning authenticity to it, a raw, gritty realness to the words said and the stories told - and that's what makes it so powerful. That's what gets the message across so well, especially to white people such as myself who need to listen to these voices and hear these stories in order to know what we can do to help. -
I enjoyed this collection of unsent letters that are themed around the idea of privilege.
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So good
