How I Know White People Are Crazy and Other StoriesHow I Know White People Are Crazy and Other Stories

"In the final stretch of his doctoral internship, Dr. Jonathan Lassiter had just one more milestone to complete: the diversity project, where candidates insert themselves in a situation in which they'd be a minority and then share their experience with the class. As a gay, Black man with a chronic illness, Jonathan thought he had the assignment in the bag until, surprisingly, his teacher failed him. In the tradition of "Black Man in a White Coat," Dr. Lassiter pulls back the curtain on the mental health system, where foundational psychological studies lack a shred of diversity. Throughout his career as one of the few minorities in the field, Dr. Lassiter has been forced to grapple with the stark reality that race plays a crucial, and negative, role in the study and practice of psychology. In "How I Know White People Are Crazy and Other Stories," Dr. Lassiter weaves cultural criticism, history, and personal experience from years of research to reveal a hidden side of America's mental health field: how tokenism and racism can affect its students, practitioners, and patients. From his early days in university to his years working as a professional psychologist and lecturer, Dr. Lassiter's "How I Know White People Are Crazy and Other Stories" is a timely and searing indictment of the mental health system and how it continues to provide unnecessary barriers for Black patients and professionals alike"-- Provided by publisher.