This book has been on my TBR since before it was even released, but I feel like since last summer it has been everywhere. I think the title appeals to people who really just want to be given some answers to a confusing, complex situation, even when they know that there are no easy answers.
Let me start this review by saying that I loved this book. It is poignant, educational, engaging, and not at all preachy or difficult to read. But it isn’t exactly what the title might suggest. It does provide ideas about antiracism, what it looks like and some definitions of important concepts. But mostly it does what many books about race by Black authors do – it tells Kendi’s story and shares his perspective. Which he does extremely well.
Kendi is one of those writers whose words are chosen with great care and perfectly placed. He is intentional in what he says and how he says it, and the resulting impact is huge. He shares a lot of his own experiences – and he does so purposefully. He makes the topics he confronts feel less overwhelming by drawing on his own past mistakes to make each point feel accessible, and then guiding the reader through his own process of learning and becoming more aware.
Though this book treads similar ground to others I’ve read, it does so in a slightly different way. Some of Kendi’s points run counter to points made by others, but he provides detailed explanations for every point, and presents his ideas and reasoning persuasively. He brings up times when he disparaged immigrants or engaged in colourism to show the problems with doing so. He tells about the moments that changed his mind, and the ways in which he educated himself so that he could learn to be a better antiracist – or just less prejudiced – himself.
It’s possible that some of the hype surrounding this book was because its title fit the message of the BLM movement perfectly and it seemed an obvious choice. But it also happens to be an absolutely fantastic book to begin or continue learning about antiracism, and I’d like to think that is why it has been getting so much sustained attention. Kendi’s words are deeply moving, and I doubt anyone could read this book without learning several things they didn’t know before. And isn’t that exactly what we all need at the moment?
If you haven’t read this book yet, please do. You can’t go wrong, and it is going to be a classic book on Race in America for generations to come, I’m sure of it.
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. – Goodreads
Book Title: How to Be an Antiracist
Author: Ibram X. Kendi
Series: No
Edition: Hardback/Audiobook
Published By: One World/Audible
Released: August 13, 2019
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Race, Society
Pages: 305
Date Read: February 3-5, 2021
Rating: 9/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.39/5 (78,316 ratings)