A Collar In My Pocket: Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Exercise Paperback – August 3, 2016

This is the most educational yet entertaining book I've read in my entire life. I'm a black American and this book and the exercise's that Mrs. Elliot puts non-minorities through is very good. I wish they would put this in all school systems. People who claim who want to help stop discrimination but who have little understanding or experience, yes I'm talking about the blue eyes in this world aka non-minorities in America, need to understand what it is exactly they are fighting against. I mean how can you wage war against something you don't understand. It's like entering the battle field blindfolded and with cleaning utensils instead of swords and shields. But this is also a cure for people who don't give a crap about racism and discrimination. If you're a blue eye you are very likely to see this book as another reason why racism is wrong but if that's the case then you have missed the purpose of this book. The purpose is education. Education is the cure for ignorance. This is also a good book for brown eyes out there. This book reminds us that we're no better than the next human being and despite how society views us we should treat everyone with respect and kindness. In other words, proving society wrong is not hard when you do the right thing.

Jane Elliott is an internationally known educator, activist, and recipient of the National Mental Health Association Award for Excellence in Education. Known for her "Blue eyes/Brown eyes" exercise, which she first conducted with her third-grade class on April 5, 1968, the day after the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.I personally think she is much more than all of the above.She speaks the kind of truth that makes people bend the limits of how they think, expand beyond what they have "learned" and the status quo. She speaks the sort of truth that is uncomfortable to hear, and yet, you know you are not the same person after hearing it.An educator like that cannot be unheard once you have heard her.If something in you does not transform after hearing her that is a sign that you have become so comfortable with the lie that you would compromise any integrity you could even possibly have as a human being to maintain it.She takes you to the edge in such a way that if you are truly willing to look you know that there is another edge, and you must be willing to take that leap over the cliff to discover it.An educator like that gets their job done and you know it is up to you to take that education to the next level, whatever that may be for you.An educator like that is often not fully appreciated until they are long gone, because what they bring can sometimes only be seen in hindsight. It's the kind of knowledge that continues to unfold for a lifetime.I imagine that when folks go to the pearly gates many will hear the words, "You should have listened to Jane Elliott, and then listened for how you could take her work to the next level."I am listening...Dr. Rain Warren

Loved this book! She is such an amazing person and her ornery nature shines through and made me laugh. Very important lessons and a shift to the view around racism in the u.s which is highly systemic.

This is a cold,hard slap in the face about the lies we as people of color were told. More importantly is the courage, determination, drive and risk Mrs. Elliott took to complete her project,putting her family in danger just a unyielding individual for whom I have the utmost respect for.

Overall the information is great and should be read by anyone wanting to really see the deeper issues with racism that gets written off because it's uncomfortable to visit. The reason I did not give this book 5 stars is because the book needs editing. Seemed a bit scattered in some parts, and the timeline was a bit hard to follow because this. Extraneous stuff needed to be ousted too (the seafood chapter, for example) recipes were distracting. I honestly don't understand the point Elliott was trying to make with the chapter, titled "Meeting Some Remarkable Muslims." The whole chapter seems a bit like she's bragging that she's embraced a Muslim son-in-law, even thought their culture is so patriarchal and she was afraid for her daughter. Seemed to go against what Elliott herself was trying to teach against. My opinion. Overall though, my take away as a biracial woman, this book hit some familiar, personal pain. It also brought to mind the different directions from which I experienced racism, and the odd experience of horizontal racism that both experienced and was practiced in my own home (especially her comment when questioned about her own blue eyes [paraphrased]: "I'm married to a brown eye, so that makes me a brown eye") goes on in non-white cultures stemming from the embedded belief in American and Western cultures that the pinnacle of human value lies in being white, heterosexual, and male. The problem overall is that we cannot seem to get past the color of skin, nor can our society get past the idea that it's not about being color-blind. We must as a species unlearn the hierarchy of color as human value and embrace and practice the concept of human value based on the fact that we are all human beings and should be treated with equal dignity and respect as well as practice this treatment toward others. Basic teaching of Jesus and Buddha...love one another unconditionally.

Where was nothing to dislike about the book. Well written.