Muted Colours - by Judith Lam Tang (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Powerful personal testimony guides readers on a journey of racial insight, self-discovery, and empowerment.

Racism. It's a word we hear thrown around in accusation, in defense, and as a pin in a grenade that threatens to blow up society as we know it. But what does it mean for racialized folks? Can a racialized person be racist?

Muted Colours uses the stories of fourteen racialized women to provide an insightful look into the concept of internalized racism and how it impacts life and identity. Racialized readers will learn language to name their experiences and recognize the biases they've been socialized to hold. White readers will gain a better understanding of how racism impacts racialized folks on individual and systemic levels.

Concluding with self-reflection questions and concrete strategies for unpacking and reducing implicit biases to action change in everyday life, Muted Colours powerfully strengthens our understanding of internalized racism and invites us to embrace our racial identities and work toward a more just society.

Review Quotes

Muted Colours shines a light on BIPOC women's experiences of internalized racism, a subject often silenced by shame and discomfort. I loved the mix of theory and personal narrative on topics such as racist bullying, colonized beauty standards, and intra-ethnic othering. This powerful, accessible book is a welcome addition to the literature on race and belonging and offers the reader a path to healing racial trauma within ourselves and our communities.-- "Farzana Doctor, author of The Beauty of Us"

About the Author

Judith Lam Tang is a Chinese Canadian author, advocate, and activist. Her essays have appeared in The Globe and Mail, Voices from The FOLD, The Fiddlehead, and Edmonton Public Library's Capital City Press Anthology. She lives in Edmonton.