The Skin We're In

by Desmond Cole · read February 24, 2020

Review

This book was an excellent resource for learning more about racism, colonialism, and activism in Canada. It was written in an understandable, personal style that really gripped me, and I was impressed by Cole's ability to communicate so much information in just one book. He addresses several different incidents from 2017, ranging from police brutality to Toronto Pride to deportations, providing necessary context and connecting them to systemic issues. I found that these connections were particularly effective because they provided a way for me to coherently understand the forces underlying what initially seemed like discrete events. My biggest takeaway from the book is that power is extremely effective at protecting itself and that nothing will meaningfully change without activism and intervention.

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