David Mura will join the East Side Freedom Library for a reading and discussion of his new book, The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself: Racial Myths and Our American Narratives, in conversation with Shannon Gibney at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13. This hybrid event will take place in person at the East Side Freedom Library and online via Zoom (registration link to come!). 

From the country’s founding through the summer of Black Lives Matter in 2020, David Mura unmasks how white stories about race attempt to erase the brutality of the past and underpin systemic racism in the present. Mura shows how deeply we need to change our racial narratives to dissolve the myth of Whiteness and fully acknowledge the experiences of Black Americans. 

"Full of insightful analysis and powerful personal anecdotes, Mura’s top-notch cultural criticism delivers. Challenging and provocative, this one’s sure to stick with readers." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"More than anything, David Mura reminds us that history is still just a story, and life and death lie in who gets to tell it and what’s been told. This is a reexamination of the American imagination itself and the myths we need to dismantle for a proper foundation to finally grow. It’s fearless, illuminating, and revolutionary." —Marlon James, winner of the 2015 Booker Prize

"The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself is the book I wish I could have been handing out during the height of the Black Lives Matters protests. There are many works written about the overarching effects of white supremacy in America, but what’s essential about this book is the clarity provided by the wisdom and holistic vision of David Mura. The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself is the rare book that pulls off the magic trick of taking an incredibly explosive issue and disarming it with such grace as to make elusive truths feel suddenly accessible." —Mat Johnson, author of Pym, Loving Day, and Invisible Things

"A powerful meditation on the conscious and unconscious effects of racist narratives. Anyone who's lived through the past three years of racial reckoning and is wondering how we got here and where we go next will find this book useful." —Shannon Gibney, author of Dream Country