White Picket Fences: Turning toward Love in a World Divided by Privilege

Written by Amy Julia Becker

Narrated by Brian McPherson

A Gentle Invitation into the Challenging Topic of Privilege The notion that some might have it better than others, for no good reason, offends our sensibilities. Yet, until we talk about privilege, we'll never fully understand it or find our way forward. Amy Julia Becker welcomes us into her life, from the charm of her privileged southern childhood to her adult experience in the northeast, and the denials she has faced as the mother of a child with special needs. She shows how a life behind a white picket fence can restrict even as it protects, and how it can prevent us from loving our neighbors well.White Picket Fences invites us to respond to privilege with generosity, humility, and hope. It opens us to questions we are afraid to ask, so that we can walk further from fear and closer to love, in all its fragile and mysterious possibilities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristianAudio.com
• Release date: Oct 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781545909133

Reviews for White Picket Fences

[nadinec.keels · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

And now, as I confront the harm to me, to my friends and family, and to countless others by a social structure that has been built on exclusion, do I want to get well?It's a loaded question author Amy Julia Becker asks in White Picket Fences: Turning toward Love in a World Divided by Privilege. I didn't choose to read this book because I think I'm the target audience for it. I'm not. But I was interested in hearing this author's perspective.Yet, when it comes to those who are the closer targets for this book, it will likely require some "pushing past" to even pick it up and open it.Pushing past the indifference or skepticism that says privilege isn't a big deal, or that it might not be a real thing, or that it's merely a divisive or hot button term attached to a political agenda. Pushing past the fear-based discomfort that says to just ignore it, or the fear-based hopelessness that says privilege is so longstanding, so ingrained, and so prevalent that there's no point in trying to change things now.If you are indeed someone who flinches at the mention of privilege, know that this isn't a book meant to demonize you. To make you feel guilty about your skin color or for being born to a particular social status. And be advised that the author doesn't limit her discourse here to the subject of race.It feels a little severe to call it a "discourse," though, and it almost seems out of place to say I enjoyed it. But for someone who mostly reads fiction, this book often made me feel like I could have been reading an understated but affecting contemporary novel. Becker has a lovely writing style, and she addresses tough, complex issues with grace and nuance.A book well worth pushing past discomfort to read.__________Tyndale House provided me with a complimentary copy of this book from NavPress for an honest review.