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Working While Black: The Black Person's Guide to Success in the White Workplace
This guide offers practical suggestions for black Americans to develop mental awareness, a psychological game plan, and an increased level of business savvy in order to negotiate the minefield of the white work world. Included are commonsense scenarios and real-life solutions that will help every black American to evaluate his or her options—from getting hired to getting fired, from adjusting one's attitude to suing an employer. Tips are offered on how African Americans can fit their styles, mindsets, and history into the workplace, and insight is provided into how best to deal with situations, problems, and issues unique to being black in a white working world.
215 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
25 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 21, 2015
My rating distribution for book reviews in general:
Content: 0-1 star
Delivery: 0-1 star
Relevance: 0-1 star
Impact: 0-1 star
Bonus (if warranted by additional components of the book that enhanced my experience with the read): 0-1 star
Why I read this book:
The title, alone, suggests that success for a black person in a white workplace is defined by how well we get whites to receive us and/or how well we conform to their standards and expectations. The title
disturbed me and attracted me at the same time. So I decided to buy the book. Also, Kansas City is my hometown and I found out that the author does an advice column with the KC Star. Although I no longer live there, I try to support anything Kansas City if I can.
Content: 1/1
In terms of content, this book does contain some very important factors to consider and to be aware of and I do feel that a book of this nature is more than necessary. Some of the experiences shared in the book and some of the advice provided truly made the book worth reading. I also appreciated how the author created a new edition to the book in response to changes in the world that have impacted the topic since its original edition. Finally , the foreword and the intro were attractive enough to get me engaged and ready for the read.
Delivery: 1/1
Disregarding one typo I noted while reading, the content was delivered with honesty and completeness. I appreciated the honesty in the author's tone and content more than anything. The truth must be told and she did a sound job keeping it real about what the workplace is "really" like for most of us. In addition to the honesty, I appreciated that the author was thorough. It was well-written in terms of details, examples and advice. It was thorough. It was honest and it was real. That's how I prefer communication to be delivered to me, thus my needs were satisfied.
Relevance: 1/1
Race issues are ever-so-present in work environments from all angles. And they're continual, disturbing and should not be ignored or sugar-coated. They exist everywhere and every single day, which supports the author's notion that being black is a full-time job, alone. We have to deal with so much in terms of racial issues and perceptions on top of doing our jobs. Her assertions are true and relevant, indeed. The book is relevant in and of itself.
Impact: 0/1
Here's where the book failed me. The word "guide" is mentioned in the title and this book was more of a testimony than it was a guide. I'm ok with the testimonial. What I am saying is, it didn't give me what I thought I was getting and it didn't provide what it said it would. I enjoyed the read because I live in the very truth on which the book is about. I enjoyed the author's style. But it was not a guide and I didn't learn strategies that I didn't already know. I didn't put the book down feeling any different than when I picked it up. It was a good read, but had no real impact on my plans, my needs or my experiences. I found myself agreeing and being able to relate to most of what was being asserted, but didn't end with anything of substance. I would have liked to have ended with a different perspective, new strategies or motivation to influence/encourage change. That's what "guides" provide and this one did not. This was more of a sistah to sistah commentary than it was anything else. And the idea of conforming to fit in with the masses rubs me the wrong way, which is indicative of a negative impact, since I'm speaking of impact.
Content: 0-1 star
Delivery: 0-1 star
Relevance: 0-1 star
Impact: 0-1 star
Bonus (if warranted by additional components of the book that enhanced my experience with the read): 0-1 star
Why I read this book:
The title, alone, suggests that success for a black person in a white workplace is defined by how well we get whites to receive us and/or how well we conform to their standards and expectations. The title
disturbed me and attracted me at the same time. So I decided to buy the book. Also, Kansas City is my hometown and I found out that the author does an advice column with the KC Star. Although I no longer live there, I try to support anything Kansas City if I can.
Content: 1/1
In terms of content, this book does contain some very important factors to consider and to be aware of and I do feel that a book of this nature is more than necessary. Some of the experiences shared in the book and some of the advice provided truly made the book worth reading. I also appreciated how the author created a new edition to the book in response to changes in the world that have impacted the topic since its original edition. Finally , the foreword and the intro were attractive enough to get me engaged and ready for the read.
Delivery: 1/1
Disregarding one typo I noted while reading, the content was delivered with honesty and completeness. I appreciated the honesty in the author's tone and content more than anything. The truth must be told and she did a sound job keeping it real about what the workplace is "really" like for most of us. In addition to the honesty, I appreciated that the author was thorough. It was well-written in terms of details, examples and advice. It was thorough. It was honest and it was real. That's how I prefer communication to be delivered to me, thus my needs were satisfied.
Relevance: 1/1
Race issues are ever-so-present in work environments from all angles. And they're continual, disturbing and should not be ignored or sugar-coated. They exist everywhere and every single day, which supports the author's notion that being black is a full-time job, alone. We have to deal with so much in terms of racial issues and perceptions on top of doing our jobs. Her assertions are true and relevant, indeed. The book is relevant in and of itself.
Impact: 0/1
Here's where the book failed me. The word "guide" is mentioned in the title and this book was more of a testimony than it was a guide. I'm ok with the testimonial. What I am saying is, it didn't give me what I thought I was getting and it didn't provide what it said it would. I enjoyed the read because I live in the very truth on which the book is about. I enjoyed the author's style. But it was not a guide and I didn't learn strategies that I didn't already know. I didn't put the book down feeling any different than when I picked it up. It was a good read, but had no real impact on my plans, my needs or my experiences. I found myself agreeing and being able to relate to most of what was being asserted, but didn't end with anything of substance. I would have liked to have ended with a different perspective, new strategies or motivation to influence/encourage change. That's what "guides" provide and this one did not. This was more of a sistah to sistah commentary than it was anything else. And the idea of conforming to fit in with the masses rubs me the wrong way, which is indicative of a negative impact, since I'm speaking of impact.
September 21, 2012
This was well-written and easy to read. It's not revolutionary; if you're black and you've worked with white people, you know the rules. Johnson does provide key information about employment laws and why HR should never, ever be trusted in any organization. I'd recommend this book to blacks entering the workplace with whites for the first time and, ironically, every white person working with black employees, since they're often clueless about our culture, thinking, and experience.
March 10, 2024
One of the great things about reading is the ability to lurk around others perspectives and improve mentalizing abilities through limiting internal dialogue and engaging with the writer on their terms from their point of view.
From Fox News to The Root comments sections it can be really interesting to see how people talk to each other "in tribe", but the real gift is getting longer form and often less incendiary perspectives from books.
...speaking of, I need to get back to In Defense of Looting: A Riotous History of Uncivil Action one of these days.
Avoiding leftist word salad "allyship" groupthink while still not being a ignorant ass is an interesting challenge, and an ongoing one.
The book is structured mainly from the perspective of professional work, though there are examples of blue collar workers sprinkled in.
The thesis is fairly straightforward, if simplistic:
People present as "Survivors, Strivers, or Thrivers" at work, but can move between modes. Once one truly has an understanding of work dynamics and clear goals, one can become a "Driver" who pragmatically engages with situations to get the best career outcomes possible.
Johnson also introduces an "85/15%" concept where she believes that 85% of work issues are collectively shared, and 15% are racially unique. She acknowledges that these percentages are pulled from her experience in labor law and vary from person to person. I could see her reasoning, but also could see readers getting bogged down in the split instead of the point.
Waffled between "it was ok" and "liked it", but readability won out for three stars.
WTR - 634 (that re-escalated quickly)
From Fox News to The Root comments sections it can be really interesting to see how people talk to each other "in tribe", but the real gift is getting longer form and often less incendiary perspectives from books.
...speaking of, I need to get back to In Defense of Looting: A Riotous History of Uncivil Action one of these days.
Avoiding leftist word salad "allyship" groupthink while still not being a ignorant ass is an interesting challenge, and an ongoing one.
The book is structured mainly from the perspective of professional work, though there are examples of blue collar workers sprinkled in.
The thesis is fairly straightforward, if simplistic:
People present as "Survivors, Strivers, or Thrivers" at work, but can move between modes. Once one truly has an understanding of work dynamics and clear goals, one can become a "Driver" who pragmatically engages with situations to get the best career outcomes possible.
Johnson also introduces an "85/15%" concept where she believes that 85% of work issues are collectively shared, and 15% are racially unique. She acknowledges that these percentages are pulled from her experience in labor law and vary from person to person. I could see her reasoning, but also could see readers getting bogged down in the split instead of the point.
Waffled between "it was ok" and "liked it", but readability won out for three stars.
WTR - 634 (that re-escalated quickly)
October 4, 2023
Only If White America Would Read The Book
It's a pretty insightful book. It's basically information the average in touch woke conscious African American who knows his/her history, struggles, and the resilience African Americans have to go through on any white American own corporation job. It is refreshing reading that you are not definitely alone by a long shot as an African American on the modern-day plantations.
I love the way the author, Michelle Johnson, broke down the survivor, striver, thriver, and driver approach of the mindset of employees, particularly African American employees. I found myself saying over and over, yes, that's definitely me, the thriver...lol...Michelle Johnson's scenarios of job situations from real life experiences and intertwining it with the survivor, striver, and thriver employees were pure brilliance. I was both amazed and entertained with actually some laughter being able to truly relate to such actual job situations I have actually experienced and is currently experiencing.
Michelle Johnson made me ask the question, why does a blue collar job like I have has to be stressful, after all, it is a blue collar job that almost a trained animal could almost do?🤔 It's quite simple, I'm African American. It's the 85% and 15% she discussed in Working While Black no matter if you have a white, blue, or yellow collar job. Actually, I think it's often more 50% and 50%, but that's just me.
My perhaps only disappointment about the book is that I got the impression as if the author, Michelle Johnson, had to explain every injustice white folks do to Black folks on the job to make herself feel as if she wasn't being too hard on white people. It's as if whenever the author took a shot at the white establishment she often sugar-coated the situation. By doing so, I think the author took some of the sting out of her messages when she had some golden opportunities to really make more of her messages register with an even more powerful punch, so to speak. But that's just my take, and that's why I was one star short of giving Working While Black 5 stars. I thought we do enough of the softies while we as Black folks are actually working on the job, so while should we hold back now in a book? I know if I ever write a book about working while black, I am coming out swinging like Mike Tyson and lasting like Ali. But once again, that's just me.🤷🏾♂️
The author did a great job with possible solutions for stress, mental wellness, emotional wellness, and physical wellness. She also gave some very good legal advice, for which she was dead on target. It's such a sin and a shame, as my father would say, that these politicians and the working people as well, have given corporate America that much power to simply abuse its employees and manipulate the law into their favorite to the extent of feeling powerless as an employee to even entertain the thought of fighting back.
Great book for all to read, even more so white folks.
It's a pretty insightful book. It's basically information the average in touch woke conscious African American who knows his/her history, struggles, and the resilience African Americans have to go through on any white American own corporation job. It is refreshing reading that you are not definitely alone by a long shot as an African American on the modern-day plantations.
I love the way the author, Michelle Johnson, broke down the survivor, striver, thriver, and driver approach of the mindset of employees, particularly African American employees. I found myself saying over and over, yes, that's definitely me, the thriver...lol...Michelle Johnson's scenarios of job situations from real life experiences and intertwining it with the survivor, striver, and thriver employees were pure brilliance. I was both amazed and entertained with actually some laughter being able to truly relate to such actual job situations I have actually experienced and is currently experiencing.
Michelle Johnson made me ask the question, why does a blue collar job like I have has to be stressful, after all, it is a blue collar job that almost a trained animal could almost do?🤔 It's quite simple, I'm African American. It's the 85% and 15% she discussed in Working While Black no matter if you have a white, blue, or yellow collar job. Actually, I think it's often more 50% and 50%, but that's just me.
My perhaps only disappointment about the book is that I got the impression as if the author, Michelle Johnson, had to explain every injustice white folks do to Black folks on the job to make herself feel as if she wasn't being too hard on white people. It's as if whenever the author took a shot at the white establishment she often sugar-coated the situation. By doing so, I think the author took some of the sting out of her messages when she had some golden opportunities to really make more of her messages register with an even more powerful punch, so to speak. But that's just my take, and that's why I was one star short of giving Working While Black 5 stars. I thought we do enough of the softies while we as Black folks are actually working on the job, so while should we hold back now in a book? I know if I ever write a book about working while black, I am coming out swinging like Mike Tyson and lasting like Ali. But once again, that's just me.🤷🏾♂️
The author did a great job with possible solutions for stress, mental wellness, emotional wellness, and physical wellness. She also gave some very good legal advice, for which she was dead on target. It's such a sin and a shame, as my father would say, that these politicians and the working people as well, have given corporate America that much power to simply abuse its employees and manipulate the law into their favorite to the extent of feeling powerless as an employee to even entertain the thought of fighting back.
Great book for all to read, even more so white folks.
March 26, 2023
While I don't like to make race/ethnicity a feature in my professional life, I've been around long enough to know that if you forget who you are, you will be reminded. Being African American in a professional workplace takes skill, a high level of emotional intelligence, and constant situational awareness. This book will help you have a better sense of the landscape, and in it, a better chance at achieving your overall career objectives.
September 14, 2020
Happy this is written by an attorney and real life situations, relatable, honest, and even shares brief parts of her journey in this must-read.
p 22: "if you're 45...thinking about job change (stop right there...since I have considered this)" Then goes on to the best part: "Your job is not who you are, but working is what you do and it should reflect who you are." Pause. Reflect. Decide. Go!
I own a copy and finally reading it...while healing.
p 22: "if you're 45...thinking about job change (stop right there...since I have considered this)" Then goes on to the best part: "Your job is not who you are, but working is what you do and it should reflect who you are." Pause. Reflect. Decide. Go!
I own a copy and finally reading it...while healing.
June 11, 2018
I read this book for a graduate course. I am not the target audience, but it was incredibly insightful and enlightening.
May 4, 2010
This book kept it real about what our people (Black People) are up against. My only issues is that it encourages us to continue supporting white supremacy. The author Michelle Johnson is speaking as a professional person in the legal system. She talks about the collective black problem as unemployment and job discrimination! If that were the collective problem why are the black self-employed community suffering along with the unemployed and discriminated employee? This book tip toes around racism and uses our collective problem as a small precentage of our lives as Black Folks. There was a lot I did like about the book for example the different types of workers/personalities: survivor, striver... I suggest that you read the book to find out the rest! Very interesting Black prospective but I wouldn't call it a bit revolutionary!
October 31, 2008
Written with ease and honesty, I found Johnson's book helpful in idenitfying myself in the workplace and being able to contextualize and understand certain situations. A better book, I imagine for those early in their careers than those later in their careers.
Something that would have been helpful is a list of tatics for certain scenarios. Overall, I found the book very helpful.
Something that would have been helpful is a list of tatics for certain scenarios. Overall, I found the book very helpful.
September 5, 2013
Working While Black is a interesting and excellent title to read. Working While Black is a education and give a good advice how to become a successful business women and men. This book will help me what should I wear and how do I say for interview. It explains me what's different between survive, striver, & thrive. Michelle Johnson did a excellent job. This book and author deserve five stars.
May 25, 2008
The title pretty much says it all, but sometimes it's nice to get a perspective from someone who knows what it's like to be the only one in the room.
August 30, 2011
Got some pretty practical tips from this quick read. Content is better than what your initial perception may be from the title of the book
October 8, 2012
Good advice, but I expected more.
June 21, 2015
It was okay, in certain chapters there were great things to learn.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews