Hardcover, 320 pages
Published July 11, 2019 by One World.
Ibram X. Kendi's concept of antiracism reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America--but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. In How to be an Antiracist, Kendi asks us to think about what an antiracist society might look like, and how we can play an active role in building it.
In this book, Kendi weaves together an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science, bringing it all together with an engaging personal narrative of his own awakening to antiracism. How to Be an Antiracist is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond an awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a truly just and equitable society.
I wanted to challenge my ideas of what tolerance really meant...and am I glad I did. Many beliefs I held, things I said, and feelings I experienced were unpacked & aggressively dismantled. If anything, this book has made me realize how long of a journey tolerance is, and how none of us are perfect. It's something I believe everyone should read as a bare minimum to tackling racism.
The author presents a steady, clear, additive set of definitions and considerations of racism. These are braided with personal and historical stories that illustrate, place in context, and humanize the drier, sober definitions that mark each new set.
When I began, it seemed straightforward, but as it built, as more was folded in, as the author stepped through things I had wondered or left unresolved in my own understanding, I felt more engaged.
Perhaps some punches pulled on the chapter on class? Perhaps the suddenness of the parallels with cancer not as compelling to me as, surely, it must be for the author and many others?
