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This has been a difficult review to compose, especially for such a short, highly accessible book!
I met Neil Altman, only once, several years ago. We were attending a conference in Siracusa, Italy, if I remember correctly. It may have been a different conference. It was so long ago. I do remember we were sitting at an outside table under an umbrella, and I reveled in the short conversation with him. There were very few white analysts that I knew of then who were writing on working as a white therapist in a racially-divided country. Both he and I had written on the subject, so it was a pleasure to speak with someone who shared my interest, and to whom I did not have to explain my passion about the issue. He has written more since our meeting, as have I, and has detailed for the reader his various “countertransference” experiences when working across race.
His relatively short, well written book entitled, “White Privilege,” is a bit of a departure from his articles, all of which are written with the intention of encouraging white therapists to become more “user-friendly” for patients of color. This book is one that can be usefully read by anyone, whether they be therapists, educators, or anyone who cares about the topic. In fact, it seems to me that his intended audience here is any white person who is looking for ways to understand the mental mechanisms that entrench racism and prejudice in their hearts and minds. However, I am not sure if I am right about whom he is addressing. The first part of his book appears to educate lay-readers, and the last part of his book seems to be aimed at educating therapists. His clear and simple descriptions of analytic concepts that may be at play in ways that may reinforce racism are explained beautifully and can be understood by all readers who are the least bit psychologically-oriented. On the other hand, in his later chapters he provides many in-depth clinical examples that speak to therapists, and may or may not be accessible to