Biased: uncovering the hidden prejudice that shapes what we see, think, and do

Stanford psychology professor and Mac­Arthur fellow Eberhardt tackles the difficult subject of racial bias and how it affects our everyday interactions in this enlightening and essential exploration. Drawing from her own experiences and those of her family as well as her work consulting with the Oakland police department, Eberhardt elucidates the ways long-held associations between Black men and criminality have led to prejudices both subtle and overt when it comes to eyewitness descriptions, pursuing suspects, and the split-second assessment of an action as threatening or not. She points out glaring discrepancies in the ways white candidates are favored over people of color with the same qualifications for everything from job applications to Airbnb rentals. And she limns her own experiences, from her young sons' eye-opening comments that reveal their internalized reactions to societal biases to her harrowing arrest the day before she received her PhD after being pulled over by an overzealous cop. Though there's no easy answer, Eberhardt posits the key to change is confronting bias head-on rather than trying to pretend it doesn't exist, and to question and challenge our own snap judgments and their sources. This is a seminal work on a topic that necessitates wide and frank discussion.--Kristine Huntley Copyright 2010 Booklist

In this eye-opening explanation of implicit racial bias, Eberhardt, a MacArthur Fellow and social psychologist at Stanford University, melds laboratory research and personal experience, recounting how she came to understand how the way humans process information impacts the lives of those around them. She lays out psychological research proving that racial bias is wired into human brains; her group's "was the first neuroimaging study to demonstrate that there is a neural component to the same-race advantage" in facial recognition-the increased ability to distinguish among and recognize people's faces when they are the same race as the person seeing them (which she also recounts experiencing herself after moving from a majority-black to a majority-white neighborhood as a teen). She also looks at systemic manifestations of bias, such as residential segregation and discrimination in education. In a look at the human impact of bias, Eberhardt explains the bias behind each step in the decision of an Oklahoma police officer in 2016 to shoot Terence Crutcher, a black man whose car had stalled, and interviews his sister about the tragedy of losing a family member under such circumstances. Though there's a section titled "The Way Out," Eberhardt doesn't offer many concrete suggestions for solutions, making the book feel like it overpromises on that element. But Eberhardt's combination of smartly chosen stories and impressively accessible research makes this essential reading for psychology aficionados and people invested in social justice. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Author and narrator Eberhardt (psychology, Stanford Univ.) has spent decades studying bias with a focus on unconscious bias. She explains how our brain's organizational schema, which works in our favor as we try to process the world, leads to creating biases for us, most of them without our awareness. Each conclusion presented is backed by extensive research, which is explained in detail and in layman's language. She also packs the book with personal narratives, some of them from her own experience, as well as many from her work with police departments across the country. Bias comes in many forms, and Eberhardt examines biases around race, gender, age, and more, as well as the effects they have on our lives, whether we know it or not. She also looks at how we can combat bias and move forward as individuals and as a society. Eberhardt has a strong, pleasant voice with an unusual cadence and delivers an excellent listening experience. VERDICT Highly recommended for all public libraries.--Gretchen Pruett, New Braunfels P.L., TX

An internationally renowned expert on implicit racial bias breaks down the science behind our prejudices and their influence in nearly all areas of society and culture.MacArthur Fellow Eberhardt (Psychology/Stanford Univ.; co-editor: Confronting Racism, 1998) challenges the idea that addressing bias is merely a personal choice. Rather, "it is a social agenda, a moral stance." Relying on her neuroscientific research, consulting work, and personal anecdotes, the author astutely examines how stereotypes influence our perceptions, thoughts, and actions. Stereotypes, such as "the association of black people and crime," are shaped by media, history, culture, and our families. A leader in the law enforcement training movement, Eberhardt recounts high-profile cases of police shooting unarmed black people, and she documents her own fears as a mother of three black sons. Though "more than 99 percent of police contacts happen with no police use of force at all," black people are stopped by police disproportionately and are more likely to suffer physical violence. Only a tiny fraction of officers involved in questionable shootings are prosecuted, and convictions are rare. Through her work, the author teaches officers to understand how their biases inform their interactions with the communities they are charged with protecting and serving. She shares informative case studies from her work with Airbnb and Nextdoor, an online information-sharing platform for neighbors, when bias among the sites' users led to racial profiling and discrimination. Eberhardt also looks at bias in the criminal justice system, education, housing and immigration, and the workplace. A chapter on her visit to the University of Virginia after the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville is, much like the book as a whole, simultaneously scholarly illuminating, and heartbreaking. Throughout, Eberhardt makes it clear that diversity is not enough. Only through the hard work of recognizing our biases and controlling them can we "free ourselves from the tight grip of history."Compelling and provocative, this is a game-changing book about how unconscious racial bias impacts our society and what each of us can do about it. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* Stanford psychology professor and Mac­Arthur fellow Eberhardt tackles the difficult subject of racial bias and how it affects our everyday interactions in this enlightening and essential exploration. Drawing from her own experiences and those of her family as well as her work consulting with the Oakland police department, Eberhardt elucidates the ways long-held associations between Black men and criminality have led to prejudices both subtle and overt when it comes to eyewitness descriptions, pursuing suspects, and the split-second assessment of an action as threatening or not. She points out glaring discrepancies in the ways white candidates are favored over people of color with the same qualifications for everything from job applications to Airbnb rentals. And she limns her own experiences, from her young sons' eye-opening comments that reveal their internalized reactions to societal biases to her harrowing arrest the day before she received her PhD after being pulled over by an overzealous cop. Though there's no easy answer, Eberhardt posits the key to change is confronting bias head-on rather than trying to pretend it doesn't exist, and to question and challenge our own snap judgments and their sources. This is a seminal work on a topic that necessitates wide and frank discussion. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

An expert in the issue of unconscious racial bias, Stanford psychology professor and MacArthur Fellow Eberhardt argues that even those who don't believe they are biased and who strive to treat others equally can still harbor bred-in-the-bone stereotypes. To make her case, she draws on both research—in the lab as well as police departments, courtrooms, prisons, and boardrooms and on the street—and personal experience, showing that bias isn't restricted to a few screechy outliers but can affect us all. And it can be fixed by all of us together.

Eberhardt (psychology, Stanford Univ.) helps readers understand how human brains have evolved to fear "the other" and how to combat innate bias once we recognize it. The author uses current research and personal experiences to explain that humans do have trouble distinguishing faces of races other than their own. This categorizing feature of our brains evolved to help us more quickly make sense of the overload of sensory information in our world, however it can lead to bias. Recounting her own traffic stop and consequent arrest on the day before her graduation with her PhD from Harvard, Eberhardt illustrates how prejudice can spin out of control. While this work primarily examines racial bias, Eberhardt touches on gender bias as well and notes how it's transmitted even to very young children. Eberhardt fights bias in the criminal justice system by working with the Oakland police department and teaching at San Quentin prison. She advises that readers combat implicit bias in their lives by slowing down, resisting subjective standards, holding themselves accountable, and raising the standards of their own behavior. VERDICT An important book for all readers in these divisive times. [See Prepub Alert, 9/10/18.]—Caren Nichter, Univ. of Tennessee at Martin

In this eye-opening explanation of implicit racial bias, Eberhardt, a MacArthur Fellow and social psychologist at Stanford University, melds laboratory research and personal experience, recounting how she came to understand how the way humans process information impacts the lives of those around them. She lays out psychological research proving that racial bias is wired into human brains; her group's "was the first neuroimaging study to demonstrate that there is a neural component to the same-race advantage" in facial recognition—the increased ability to distinguish among and recognize people's faces when they are the same race as the person seeing them (which she also recounts experiencing herself after moving from a majority-black to a majority-white neighborhood as a teen). She also looks at systemic manifestations of bias, such as residential segregation and discrimination in education. In a look at the human impact of bias, Eberhardt explains the bias behind each step in the decision of an Oklahoma police officer in 2016 to shoot Terence Crutcher, a black man whose car had stalled, and interviews his sister about the tragedy of losing a family member under such circumstances. Though there's a section titled "The Way Out," Eberhardt doesn't offer many concrete suggestions for solutions, making the book feel like it overpromises on that element. But Eberhardt's combination of smartly chosen stories and impressively accessible research makes this essential reading for psychology aficionados and people invested in social justice. (Mar.)