Stamped : Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Summary from Goodreads:

A timely, crucial, and empowering exploration of racism--and antiracism--in America

This is NOT a history book.
This is a book about the here and now.
A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.
A book about race.

The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited.

Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.

Review:

I read this book for a book club that I’m in, and it was the first book I was able to read in its entirety for a long time. I know I’ve been MIA again. I find focusing on reading to be very hard lately. I feel like the world is on fire. Between all the people dying and getting sick, it feels like I’m living in a YA dystopian novel.

And then, there’s all of the racism and riots. There’s the bigotry. And what appears to be the total disregard for human life. I can’t stop reading news articles and science and medical reports. And in a way this has replaced a lot of novel reading for me. I’ve gotten a lot more into nonfiction then ever before. And I’ve become a painter. When I’m not surrounded in the devastating news of today, I’m creating visual arts. Who knew I had this in me?

Any way, I’ve side-tracked from this powerful book. I needed this book at the exact moment I listened to it. Jason Reynolds reads the audio book version, which my husband and I listened to together. It created such heated, and necessary discussion between my husband and I. And I’m so grateful for this book for that.

Reynolds has a way of breaking things down in an easy-to-understand, no nonsense kind of manner. He speaks with power and conviction. It was like listening to a powerful politician. Some of his words gave me goose bumps. Not all of what he said was new to me. A lot of the history was stuff I have learned already, but the format in which it was told, and put together allowed me to see and think about things in a new way. I almost wish I had this book when I was younger. I wish I could have talked about it in a classroom setting with my peers. I want to hear what others think of it, and not just what I think and what my husband thinks (we definitely have a white, privileged lens that we are seeing through).

Do I feel like I’m all of a sudden an expert on this topic? Absolutely not. I need to read more. I need to do more. I’ve been struggling at this time wanting to protest more, but not leaving my house much because of my not so great immune system. We are living through such a crazy time. And this book makes me want to do more. And it also gives me hope. It took me over a month to get this book, which also gives me hope. It was sold out on Amazon. And the wait list at my library took over a month for both the physical and eBook versions.

This is a great book to generate positive discussion. Hopefully it can inspire positive change. I highly recommend listening to it. I give it a 10/10.