Why Is A White Woman Talking About Black Issues?
Why Is A White Woman Talking About Black Issues? New Bestselling Novel
Whispers, from Screenwriter/Director Bonné Bartron, Underscores Why Everyone Needs To Join The Conversation
By Kenny Boucher November 23 , 2020
Whispersbooks.com, the official website of Bonné Bartron’s scathing satirical mystery, has people talking about a lot more than urban legends.
(newswire.net — November 23, 2020) Los Angeles, CA —
Upon first glance, Bartron’s number one bestselling novel appears to be another story about kidnapping, monsters and hints
at bloody pages to come, but one by one readers are discovering the story is anything but predictable. Yes, there’s an urban legend loose who’s hunting children, but that’s about as far as the fiction goes. With the whole world watching as the United States continues to embark on a new wave of civil rights and social consciousness, the burden of explaining has been misplaced, according to Bartron, “White people created racism, so why assume it’s up to anyone other than white people to end it? That’s like watching someone get beat up and then asking them to explain to the aggressor why hitting is bad.”
Her response may seem controversial to some, but don’t tell that to her, “White people don’t see racism. Not because we don’t have to, but because we are actively part of reenforcing the standard that allows the idea of white supremacy without ever mentioning it by name. It’s insidious and permeates everything in our Country.” Whispers isn’t just about race but as Bartron states, “One of the main characters is Black and it’s important that she is, but in this post Breonna Taylor world, it’s a disservice to have a Black American female lead without recognizing what that really means.”
The story centers around three sisters, two by blood and one by marriage. The three women are closer than most families and vacation together in Orlando with their four children. Emily and Amalia have two girls each, and the vivacious contract attorney that acts as our narrator has yet to procreate. Sisters Emily and Stacey realize that, though they believe they share a similar experience and world view as Amalia, they have a lot to learn about their own privileges easily dismissed when benefiting from them Only when one of the kids is stolen from their vacation rental do they come face to face with their own inherent ignorance and contribution to a system that actively oppresses half of their family.
Following the lead of voices like Ibram X. Kendi in his memoir How To Be Antiracist, Bartron uses Stacey to confess her own inherent bias, inaction and dismissals. Bartron hopes that in illustrating her own unfolding path of understanding through the fictional medium, she can speak directly to a group of people who may not understand why all lives can’t matter if Black Lives don’t.
Bartron didn’t want to write someone else’s story “I couldn’t write {Whispers} from a Black woman’s perspective, that would be inauthentic. I don’t know what it is like to live as an American Black woman, but I did want to share what made me see the fact that racism is not a historical note, it’s an active corrosive foe and we can either contribute to it or to help others recognize that fact.”
So, why is a white woman talking about Black issues? “Black women have been saving us for generations, we have Black women to thank for our civil rights even though, collectively, we haven’t stood up for them. I’d like to be a part of changing that.” That’s the thing about Whispers, they may be easy to ignore when it’s only a few, but with enough voices they are inescapable.
Starting on Black Friday, Whispers will be FREE to download on Kindle for four days only! This is your chance to be among the first to read a book that’s already got the grassroots on fire. Miss the FREE Kindle download days? Check your local library for Whispers.
About Whispersbooks.com
Book readings, interviews and insight into the world of Whispers are updated frequently and the author herself reads every review posted to either of the review links. Amazon and goodreads alike. There are also buttons to help you find and purchase the book, no matter what major territory you reside. You can also contact the author directly via her website whispersbooks.com with any questions and she posts answers to her popular tiktok channel @bodipity.
Direct link to purchase the paperback: Amazon
Bonné Bartron
Whispers Author
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Source: www.whispersbooks.com