Under Our Skin: Getting Real about Race. Getting Free from the Fears and Frustrations that Divide Us.

by Benjamin Watson, Ken Petersen (With)

Can it ever get better? This is the question Benjamin Watson is asking. In a country aflame with the fallout from the racial divide--in which Ferguson, Charleston, and the Confederate flag dominate the national news, daily seeming to rip the wounds open ever wider--is there hope for honest and healing conversation? For finally coming to understand each other on issues that are ultimately about so much more than black and white?

An NFL tight end for the New Orleans Saints and a widely read and followed commentator on social media, Watson has taken the Internet by storm with his remarkable insights about some of the most sensitive and charged topics of our day. Now, in Under Our Skin, Watson draws from his own life, his family legacy, and his role as a husband and father to sensitively and honestly examine both sides of the race debate and appeal to the power and possibility of faith as a step toward healing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Race, Christian, Social Justice, Audiobook, Social Issues, Cultural

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2015

Reviews

[Barnabas Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a white man I think every white person would benefit from reading this book. Watson's perspective is balanced and his tone is gracious but he does not shy away from pointed realities and uncomfortable truths. I felt convicted and encouraged reading this book and am REALLY thankful he wrote it. He blends the realities of cultural issues with personal responsibility with the gospel. It is a hopeful book, but not in an unrealistic or willfully ignorant way. I gained great respect for Benjamin Watson reading this.

[Anwar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"So when our God-given differences make us think we are somehow better than others, we must reevaluate the foolishness of our thinking."

-Under Our Skin By Benjamin Watson is an amazing read which I recommend to every race and gender. This book is needed especially with the racial divide going on today. Mr. Watson attacks all angles of the Racial Hate crimes, excessive force and police shootings. As a successful Black NFL player he acknowledges that Racial biases are evident but there are ways of thinking through the circumstances to see the other side that may just bring races together instead of pushing the further apart.

[Brice Karickhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is rare that I read a book that a so strongly agree with, AND am simultaneously challenged by! This book, though not as academic or historic as many other race-related books on the scene right now, had some of the most helpful and vulnerable content I’ve read. I am a huge fan!

One striking takeaway from this book is how much context and tone can matter when communicating a challenging idea. Namely, the idea that everyone has a sense of racism in their heart that they need to repent of. I have read this in many other books this year (so you want to talk about race, me and white supremacy, and between the world and me to name a few), and every time I have read this idea I’ve been viscerally opposed. This opposition honestly probably comes from a place of defensiveness and pride. However, this has a lot to do with who I’m reading. When you read an author who is defensive and prideful, you become defensive and prideful. Benjamin Watson flips this on its head - he is vulnerable and humble when he writes. Consequently, I was a vulnerable and humble reader (I hope) and the ideas, most of which I’ve read before, hit with a new weight.

Furthermore, I think Watson was humble on both a personal and systematic level. By that I mean that his opinions on systematic racism, police brutality, and the like are nuanced and understanding. He doesn’t hold back in airing his frustrations with the system, but he also doesn’t sell out to any ideology about why things are the way they are.

The only thing I didn’t love about this book was that it felt a bit repetitive. Each chapter introduced its own theme, but within a few pages, most chapters felt like they’d reverted to the same few talking points. Thankfully, I really valued those few talking points so this wasn’t a real problem.

4.5/5 rounded up because go dawgs!

[Lindsay Coppens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this book pretty blindly, hoping for something that would make me think and help me see things more clearly. I was also looking for a book that would be a good addition to my high school class library. I didn’t know much about Benjamin Watson besides that he was a great football player, but I hoped his relative fame and every-man athleticism might make the book appealing to students who wouldn’t pick it up otherwise. I wish I had done a little more research and knew going in how religious Watson is, and I also wish the blurb on the back were more forthcoming about how much of a Christian text this is.

Watson shares some powerful stories and makes thoughtful, earnest points and connections, and he writes in an almost conversational way that is easy to read and would make this book accessible to my students. But I was frustrated by Watson’s proselytizing, and while I respect that religion may be the way many people are introspective and make powerful positive changes in their lives, I firmly disagree with Watson’s assertion through the book that it’s the only way.

Every time he built to a point concerning a nuance of race or racism it led, eventually, to Jesus. It was hard for me to read that “It is only by the power of God that our hearts can be transformed from the inside out. It is only by the power of God that changed hearts will produce changed behavior and a changed society,” and that “only through our relationship with Jesus Christ will the earthly distinctions between us fade.” It’s the use of the word “only” so often through this book that frustrated me incredibly and make me realize this book is not so much about race relations but about Watson’s ministry.

Prayer and religion are one way to be reflective and introspective. They are one way to goodness and action. They aren’t the only way, and I do wish the final assertion was not to “pray for God’s healing hand on America,” but a call for us to take action, to use OUR voices and minds and hands to make a change.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a 49 year old white christian man, married with 3 kids, never been in jail, never harmed anyone intentionally, grew up in an all white town, never associated with many other races until I joined the military, with all the racial tension in America I thought it wise to start checking my own heart.

As a football fan, I was interested in hearing from Ben Watson who plays Tight End for the New Orleans Saints currently, and won a Superbowl with the Patriots. I picked it up and was quickly drawn in, it's a book one wishes you could get into the hands of many people, but left wondering if it will be taken seriously by some because Mr. Watson employs two words that many people will just roll their eyes at, JESUS & SIN!! Racism is seen by the author as a sin problem, he is right.

This book will reveal some of your own prejudices, it will paint a picture you may not have seen, it will tell a story you may not be familiar with. The anecdotes will warm your heart, turn your stomach, and cause you to rethink some things. When people of all colors, nationalities, shapes and sizes look at one another as a human, made in the image of God, just a brother or sister from another mother, we will then and only then be on the way to truly getting beyond the hatred that blossoms when we cannot empathize, talk honestly, or tell the story of our pain caused by others. When we can turn from our sin, ask for forgiveness from one another and receive grace for the things we've done, or be set free from anger, hatred and bitterness for the things we've had done to us, maybe we have a shot at healing these generational wounds.

This book will challenge you, it will get your heart rate up no matter what color you are, you may see bias, you may disagree, and think the author is leaving out things that are important, but Ben Watson gets around to clarifying a lot as he goes on, so hang on and breathe deep, look to be part of the solution not the problem. A must read!

[Glenn McMillon, Sr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful. An open and honest presentation of racism as a sin problem. While Benjamin Watson does interjects theology and faith into his presentation, he is not overly preachy. I can and already have recommended this book as a source for addressing the race problem in America.

Powerful. An insightful, objective and honest presentation of racism as a sin problem. Although Watson approaches the issue from a theological and faith perspective, he is not overly preachy. In fact, much of his presentation is based on research in the fields of sociology, education, psychology and political science. Under Our Skin would make an excellent guide book to addressing the problem of racism in America.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Watson posted a series of thoughts on his Facebook page after the grand jury decision in the Ferguson case. As a result of the viral response, he wrote this book to expand on his reactions as a black man to this decision.

Benjamin Watson is a tight end who plays for the New Orleans Saints and participates on the executive committee of the NFL Players Association. He is an African American and also deeply committed Christian. On Monday, November 24, 2014, he was playing against the Baltimore Ravens in a Monday night game when the grand jury decision was announced that found no probable cause to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown.

The following day, he wrote a post on his Facebook account headed by the following "I'm..." statements:

I'M ANGRY
I'M FRUSTRATED
I'M FEARFUL
I'M EMBARRASSED
I'M SAD
I'M SYMPATHETIC
I'M OFFENDED
I'M CONFUSED
I'M INTROSPECTIVE
I'M HOPELESS
I'M HOPEFUL
I'M ENCOURAGED

It went viral and was "liked" more than 800,000 times and opened conversation on his team, in churches, and the media. As a result, Watson wrote this book to expand on this post and promote a wider dialogue, rooted in honesty. The book follows the outline of the original post with a concluding chapter titled "I'm Empowered."

What impressed me about this book was both Watson's candor and his willingness to wade into the complexities and tensions that often get lost in sound bites. He speaks bluntly about how angry he is with continuing segregation in society and in the church. Yet in the same chapter he argues for a both-and approach to the complexities of Ferguson. For example he says, "I believe that Michael Brown committed a theft and ran away from Darren Wilson. And I believe that if a white man had committed the same theft and acted in the same way, he'd probably still be alive today." He goes on to say, "That's why the problem of black and white in our world is not a black-and-white issue." (pp. 16-17).

He talks about his own estrangement from a white friend when told he had no hope with a white girl he had a crush on, because he was not white. He talks with admiration of the heroes and heroines of Selma and his embarrassment at violence, however justified the anger behind it is. He expresses his frustration with hip-hop, at once a music of anger and protest and urban poetry that also celebrates drugs, violence and misogyny.

In the chapter "I am fearful and confused" he describes yet another incident of a black being stopped by police, in this case himself and his wife as he is driving her to the hospital at 3 a.m. to give birth. No explanations, nor offers of assistance. And no probable cause. Yet he calls on blacks to obey, even when police do what they think unjust, to live another day.

He speaks bluntly of the offensiveness of the N-word and the Confederate flag and of the feelings of hopelessness in the continued presence of racialization and outright hate groups. Yet he also speaks of the hope he finds in his faith, in the realization that all that differentiates him from others is a skin pigment, but that underneath, we all deal with a common condition called "sin" and have the hope of a common redemption. He concludes with the empowerment that may come as the people of God turn to prayer, and as black and white take intentional steps toward each other.

What was striking to me in this book is that this is someone who is athletically and financially successful, educated, and articulate. And yet he speaks of experiences that are an enduring part of his world that are painful, and only the consequence of the pigment of his skin, hence the title of his book. My hunch is that some whites will be repulsed by the anger and bluntness. And some blacks might think he concedes too much. What stands out to me is that this is someone, who out of his Christian faith, wants an honest dialogue, and honest dialogue partners.

I could see this book being used in a discussion group of whites and blacks in a college or athletes fellowship or multi-ethnic Bible study. There is a credibility and winsomeness in the way Watson raises issues that lays the groundwork for the whites to re-examine their preconceptions and ask their black conversation partners, "tell me more." Likewise, Watson's personal stories open the door to share other stories. There is a willingness to acknowledge the complexities of the issues that models not settling for easy, and often polarizing, answers but encourages us to sit with the complexity, to struggle and question and pray. And when we do this together, as black and white, perhaps then there is hope that we might begin to heal the deep wounds between us.
____________________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t ever write reviews but I have to say I am thankful I read this book. It took me a while to start it but once I did I read it in less than a day. I think everyone would benefit from Watson’s insights and truthfulness. He doesn’t shy away from hard truths on any side in the racial divide and he’s given me a lot to think about and process.

[Elsa K · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 While Benjamin Watson is not a seasoned author, but a professional athlete, he seems a man worthy of respect. He speaks eloquently and graciously. The book reads more like a blog post, which makes sense as it was a longer response to a post he made online. I read this book a few months after "Waking up White" (which offers no real tangible solution) and I like that Benjamin Watson offers a solution to the problem of racism. He says racism is not a skin problem, it is a sin problem. He says that only by the help of Jesus can our country solve this issue. I liked hearing from his perspective as a professional, intelligent, African American man with strong family values and a deep faith in Jesus. I pray God continue to use him as a voice of truth.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed hearing the perspective of a Christian black man growing up in America. I love how Watson said, “I don’t know how we can talk about the race problem without talking about God.” Racism is a huge issue and at its root, it is sin. As such, that means there is hope in Christ. Let’s not stop talking about race, praying for unity, and defeating racism in our own hearts first.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book. I have long been impressed with Watson's playing and his life off the field. This book should be required reading. It is humbling and convicting. Well done Benjamin Watson!

[Matt Persson · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a great book!! I believe this book should be read in every classroom in America!

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is MUST reading for ALL people!! I was challenged and convicted and broken and encouraged! This is a dialogue that needs to happen! Thank you Mr. Watson for writing that post & this book.

[Nathalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a sweet book! I liked it a lot better than I thought I would. But his blind faith in Christianity as a cure for the ills of society is biased and closed minded.

[Rita Petranovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent well written book that gets to the heart of the matter. I highly recommend it.

[Brian Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great "first book" for many white Christians to read concerning the issue of race. Watson works hard to present a balanced, optimistic, and faith-filled perspective.

This book expands Watson's viral facebook post where he responded to the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson. The national conversation on race has continued since then, so I think it's helpful to remember this book was published in 2015.

[Tung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Days after Michael Brown was killed, NFL Tight End Benjamin Watson posted a heartfelt note on Facebook expressing his raw emotions about Ferguson and race relations in America. The post went viral. Under Our Skin is Watson’s expanded thoughts on race and racism. Each chapter covers one of his emotions (anger, fear, frustration, hopelessness, etc) and details his thoughts and experiences growing up black in America. He shares anecdotes about himself and his family and friends, while also pulling in current events like Brown, Trayvon and Tamir. Throughout, Watson takes a balanced approach and attempts to examine both sides of each emotion and each issue because he believes that too often, the national discourse on race consists of people just defending their natural biases rather than having an honest discussion. Such a discourse ignores the complexities and nuance of our reality. For example, while Watson expresses great anger over what happened in Ferguson, he notes “Truth is often more complex than we want it to be. And it’s easier to paint ourselves as white or black, either/or, rather than both/and. Could it be that Michael Brown both did something wrong and did not deserve to be shot six times? Could it be that Darren Wilson both was just doing his job and responded inappropriately to a perceived threat?” And just like in his original Facebook post, Watson points to faith in Christ as the ultimate and only solution to the core issue of racism – our sin nature and total depravity. Some will find Watson’s musings naïve or reductive; I found his words to be extremely thoughtful, insightful, and honest. Highly recommended.

[Nancy DeValve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I appreciated this book so much. It's written by Benjamin Watson (with Ken Peterson), who is a tight end at the time of the writing with the New Orleans Saints (also played for the Patriots, the Ravens, and the Browns). At the time of the Ferguson riots, Watson wrote a facebook post that went viral. In the post he talked about his feelings about the riots, about race, about the policeman being acquitted. He then expanded on that post and turned it into a book.

As long as we don't try to understand where each other is coming from, we'll continue to have race problems. Mr Watson does a great job of helping white people understand what life is like for black people in America. But he also talks frankly to black people. He talks a lot about how essentially our DNA is the same; the only difference between us physically is the amount of melanin in our skin. As he says, we don't have a skin problem, we have a sin problem.

Mr Watson has so much common sense, gentle firmness, and compassion for all. He presents the problems, but he also offers solutions.

[Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a timely tome about race relations in the US written by a professional athlete. Not following sports, I had no background of the author before picking this up – he has many incisive takes and musings on race relations and personal experiences of being pulled over simply for his concentration of skin melatonin (while driving his pregnant wife to the hospital no less). The veering towards religion as a panacea throughout and at the end were a bit of a let down – as a country supposedly founded on ‘Christian’ principles the US has had plenty of time to allow Christ’s teachings to sink in, seemingly with little to no effect. No, it seems that one should put aside mysterious sky-people and instead concentrate on the rampant embedded racism that is at the core of the US psyche. That said, the book would be recommended to those who do find comfort in sky gods…

[Ryan Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was honestly disappointed with the book. It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t a great read nor extremely helpful. From what I know about Watson, I really appreciate his insights into things and his stances, but I think this book sounded more rambly than well thought out. Moreover, it came off sort of shallow— unsubstantiated points being taken for granted, trying to take the middle ground almost always, and statistics that weren’t delved into much but instead just assumed to be totally true. Overall, it read like his Twitter thoughts elongated. This isn’t bad per se, but it didn’t read like a helpful, very well thought-out, researched, and applicable book on the issue of racism.

I don’t necessarily recommend it. Again, it’s not because I disagree too much with Watson, but it isn’t a great book. But I still give it 3 stars because there were still some good nuggets within.

[Parker Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly enlightening to read this book, especially as a white person. The author writes things that I didn't even know how badly I needed to hear. One of the greatest surprises to me was how even the most law-abiding black citizens view the police given the nature of historical and current altercations. I often forget how different the world can be for a black man my own age with his own family. He has to teach his kids about things that I won't have to teach mine and endure what I don't have to endure. Yet we are the same: fathers, husbands, employees...

This book is about race, understanding, and humanity but it is about so much more. It's about the heart and about a love that has the power to change centuries of prejudice and hate. The author is right, it starts with me...

[Delores · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so well written. Mr. Watson helped me to understand more about myself and how I view race. He helped me look deep inside and see areas where I should change my assumptions about various ethnicities, primarily whites, but other races as well. This is a book that I highly recommend and that everyone should read.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became a fan of Benjamin Watson, like others I'm sure, after reading his social media post in the aftermath of the Ferguson riots. His first book is basically taking the individual thoughts in that post, and expanding each into a chapter. I really enjoyed his stories he shared and how he was able to make me think about my own personal biases. You don't have to agree with everything he says to like his book. My favorite quote sums up a lot of my personal feelings and is why I don't have any interest in reading about race/race relations/racism/etc. from a secular point of view:

"But if we look to government to solve it, we might as well feel hopeless. If we look to corporate America to solve it, we'll be waiting a long, long time. And if we agree with Ta-Nehsi Coates, who tentatively suggests that 'the only work that will matter, will be the work done by us,' then we will truly despair, for we know how well THAT has worked."

Watson presents it as a sin problem, and how the Gospel is the answer for it. One of the latter chapters is about encouragement, and I definitely felt that after finishing his book. Definitely worth reading.

[Marie Peterson]

This is the review I wrote nearly 3 years ago. Today, this book is still as important, if not more so!: I recently read Under Our Skin by Benjamin Watson, a black Christian pro-football player and father of five. The book is an expansion of his own thoughts about Ferguson and racial tension. It was a tough read in places, not because the stories weren't engaging, but because they didn't match some of my own stories. And that was a major part of his point-- to remind us of the danger of seeing others as a single story rather than multiple overlapping ones. I appreciate how he points out that our problem is chiefly sin and not skin-- he too laments the tendency to groupthink and label everything as political or racial. I'm grateful for the opportunity to listen to his side of things and understand better where he's coming from!

[Hanna Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and written concisely and interestingly. Benjamin Watson expands on his viral social media post from the Ferguson shooting to explain that racism is at the center a sin problem. This book takes the form of a memoir in some ways and you get a glimpse into Benjamin’s life, the things that shaped him, and the way he is choosing to raise his family today. I think this is a great book about race, from a gospel perspective, with a unique look into the life of a man who initially set out just to share his feelings on a tragic event and ended up connecting with the world.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally

I have struggled to try to better understand the experiences of black Americans. This book gave me new insight, awareness, and empathy. The author is honest in his assessment of the real areas of need in race relations in our nation, but I found myself willing to learn because he doesn’t “scream” white privilege in my face as I have had done by many others. Of course, I attribute his heart to our common faith and belief that only the love of Christ can truly heal these divides. Recommending that our biracial church read this book together and work through the discussion guide.

[April Guiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of Benjamin Watson, so I thought it fitting to support him and discover what his first book “Under Our Skin” had to offer for the human race. If you don’t mind reading about uncomfortable points in our history and current day, are willing to set aside any preconceived notions, and have a strong need or desire to positively affect the racial divide...read this. Get uncomfortable, look deeply at yourself, make change and love your neighbor.

[Heather ***Has Moved To StoryGraph*** · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read. Hard to swallow. Ben Watson is very level-headed and even-handed in his discussion of racism in America. He rightly identifies that the seeds of racism exist in all of us of every race because we are all sinful at heart and apt to rank ourselves above others. Gospel-focused. Great read.

[Amanda Wagman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great starting place for people of faith wanting to do better when it comes to race relations, but I don't think it should be where we end. His experiences are both heartbreaking and hope giving. Watson's ideas and experience have much to teach us, but just like with any other human issue, a broader base of perspectives is necessary for a fuller picture. When we are able to understand his experiences and try out some of his ideas, it's time to move on to a perspective that might challenge us a little more and push us a little harder to do better.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book! While I do not agree with everything Benjamin Watson says, he made me reexamine my opinions multiple times. This book caused me to think more than any book in a long time.
I highly recommend this book.