My First White Friend: Confessions on Race, Love and Forgiveness

by Patricia Raybon

Book Overview

"In mid-life Afro-American journalist Raybon made a conscious decision to stop hating white people. Her journal/analysis provides discourse on hatred and forgiveness, the rise of her hatred, and her efforts to conquer her fears and forgive the past. An unusual account of conscious change."--Kirkus Reviews.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140244360
• ISBN13: 9780140244366
• Release Date: June 1997
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

My First White Friend: Confession on Race,Love & Forgiveness

I brought this book because I couldnot put her other book. This book is interesting because it deals with issues in my own life. It lends it self to a therapy session everytime you pickup the book. I am not Afro- American but I am Hispanic and have dealt with alot of the same issue that Pat has. But not to the extend she has. She has a way of writing that by the time you finish the chapter you have really gotten to the core of the matter being spoken about. I will continue to look for books by this author she is great!

Excellent book for anyone needing to forgive

At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book because of the title. But, I had an occasion to interview the author so I decided I should read the book before I went. I found the book to be exceptional in both the writing and keeping my interest.This book also helped me in some of my own healing because I related to so many challenges that Patricia speaks about that were directly related to her family. The book was about forgiveness and how one woman decided it was time to move on with her life.Because I work with women regularly who are attempting to do the same, I will recommend this book to many.Diana Hart, MA, Career and Life Coach, Hart to Heart Communications, Inc.

You HAVE to read this book. Have to.

I've belatedly begun studying African-American culture and history, and stumbled across this marvelous book. It's not a fast read, because you savor her language--each phrase, each paragraph is rich. But it is a compelling, raw, and honest look at race relations in America, and a very well-written book with beautiful, poignant prose. It should be on _everyone's_ required reading list. I'll try to explain why I feel this way, as this book moved me very deeply.As a white but "color-blind" American, I feel my life has been vastly enriched by reading this book. I feel I understand so much better what it means to be Black in America from reading Ms. Raybon's words and her heart-wrenching life experiences. I never quite understood racial hatred, posessing none of my own, and through her eyes I began to comprehend the pain many individuals go through every day in this country. I was so unaware, so oblivious to this. My lack of awareness has been a crime. I will never again look at life the same way as I did before reading this book, and for that I am extremely grateful. As an author myself, and a critical reader, I don't hand out such high praise easily. This book is an absolute must-read for _all_ Americans. Her theme of forgiveness is truly the only way to heal the terrible scars of not only the evils of racism but all human wounds. I would like to thank Ms. Raybon for having the courage to publish this book, and encourage everyone, of all backgrounds, to read it.

Ms. Raybon Put Words To The Story Of My Life

I finished the prologue and I cried. Ms. Raybon ends her introduction with a simple statement... "Let the rains fall down on me." In that moment, I knew that by reading this book I was not only going to witness one Black woman's healing process from the pain of racism. I, myself, was committing to enter in and let the rains fall down on me. Miss Raybon's story was my Great grandmother's story, my grandmother's story, my mother's story and my story. I couldn't believe how many of her experiences were not just the random experiences of one Black family. They truly were the recollections of a Black family caught in a tide of Black experience. Ms. Raybon put words to experiences most of us only intuit. She named it and naming it is among the first steps in the healing process. She also "went there". She went places and was gut-level-real about things most Black people know about but never speak of. What courage. In addition to her gut-level honesty, Ms. Raybon is surprisingly well researched. She speaks not only from the gut, but also from a rare place which takes into account historical, psychological and sociological realities which may have influenced her development, as she diligently pursues her own healing. Most of all, I appreciate the acknowlegement that it is her faith alone that gives her the strength - the motivation - even the ability to complete the healing process and be reconciled. Her's is a rare process and one truly born of wisdom and honesty. Her book is a rare kind of book as it chronicles a seldom seen side of racial reconciliation, that of a Black woman. What a breath of fresh air. It was a healing journey to read this book. I highly recommend it for African American people who want an an honest roadmap for their own process of racial reconciliation. It is also a book for people of all races who want to understand the other side of the racial reconciliation process thus far embraced mainly by White America.

Courageous book

In a time when so many authors simply whine about injustice, Raybon does something about it. But what she does isn't the usual attack-the-bad-guy stuff. Instead, she does something much more courageous: she forgives the bad guy. This is a book of encouragement, of hope, of rare character from someone who would have every right to seek revenge. Raybon has written a book that dares us all to look inside ourselves and to God in our quest for harmony with one another.