Play the Game. Change the Game. Leave the Game. - by Robert Livingston (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Instead of waiting for White people to change, Black people must prioritize their own prosperity, power, and self-determination by navigating, challenging, and exiting racist systems--a radical argument from a Harvard behavioral scientist.

It's time to face an inconvenient truth: our current approach to fighting racism is just not working. For a brief moment following the murder of George Floyd, it seemed as though the country had finally acknowledged the destructive legacy of slavery and White supremacy, and had committed to putting things right. Now, a horde of prominent voices--many of whom professed to be antiracist allies--are pulling back, cutting support, and defunding programs that sought to level the playing field.

Harvard psychologist Robert Livingston contends that racism operates like an addiction for so many White people: hard to admit, and even harder to quit. Given their unwillingness to kick the habit, where does this leave Black people? In this provocative book, Livingston has flipped the script, asking: How can Black people attain prosperity and peace of mind despite the enduring presence of racism? Livingston reveals three paths:

• Play the game, or find ways to work within mainstream, predominantly White systems without sacrificing your identity or dignity. Think of Kenneth Chenault, a "tempered radical" who rose through the ranks to become the first Black CEO of American Express.
• Change the game, or challenge the status quo in an effort to upend White supremacy--like Colin Kaepernick, whose idealism cost him his football career but made him an icon.
• Leave the game, or turn away from White environments to carve out spaces where Black people can flourish--from HBCUs to entrepreneurship to the creation of ethnic enclaves, like the all-Black, middle-class neighborhood where Livingston himself grew up.

Drawing on social science, his own experiences, and interviews with trailblazing Black leaders and luminaries, Livingston reveals the contours of these oft overlapping paths for effectively navigating, mitigating, and circumventing White supremacy. Play the Game. Change the Game. Leave the Game. is a bold, groundbreaking proposition that empowers readers to make the leap from being played to creating their own game plan.

Review Quotes

"My grandmother used to tell us that racism 'is white people's problem, ' not ours. I think she was trying to teach us that we had to live our lives fully on our terms, without internalizing the limits other people would place on us. Play the Game is a wise, generous book that recognizes that you have more power than you may think to set your own rules and create your own change. An intellectually provocative and emotionally useful book for our times."--Deval Patrick, seventy-first governor of Massachusetts (2007-2015)

"Written with a keen understanding of the complexities of race and identity, this book is an uplifting message that marginalized groups are both mighty and resourceful. A timely reminder for those who feel lost during these difficult times."--Kimberlé Crenshaw, distinguished professor of law at UCLA and faculty director of the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies, Columbia University

"Play the Game. Change the Game. Leave the Game. is a compelling exploration of resilience and change. There's so much in this world over which we have no control, but Livingston reminds us of just how much control we do have. I think this will be the biggest book about race and careers in a generation."--Dr. David A. Thomas, twelfth president of Morehouse College (2018-2025)

"In this groundbreaking work, Robert Livingston blends pragmatic advice with rigorous research to teach us how to navigate, confront, or exit our stubborn institutions. At a trying and testing time, this book is a restorative that shows us--once again--that its author is a national treasure."--Kenji Yoshino, author of Covering and Say the Right Thing, professor at NYU, and faculty director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

"With uncommon clarity and conviction, Robert Livingston offers a compelling road map for so many Black Americans who are working to make sense of the state of our nation and world. His is an insightful and illuminating work--filled with advice and role models whose journeys will inspire you on your own."--Anthony Foxx, U.S. secretary of transportation (2013-2017)

About the Author

Robert Livingston is a diversity scholar who serves on the faculty of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is the author of The Conversation, selected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2021 and nominated for a 2022 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Achievement. His research has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, and Harvard Business Review. For over two decades, he has been a diversity consultant to more than a hundred Fortune 500 companies, public-sector agencies, and non-profit organizations.