How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is filled with so much good information. Though heavy at times, I really learned a lot about how racism pervades everything. This isn’t a book about how White people have done this or that, but it’s about how policies that have been put in place for years, decades even, have been racist, and how we need to focus on making those policies more equal for all people.

Each chapter looks at racism from a different angle – culturally, biologically, both in gender and sexuality. It was uncomfortable at times, really challenged my own thoughts and beliefs, but I felt like he always came back to what was important, not that we try to change the thoughts of a racist, except by changing policies first.

Also in each chapter marks his own journey to becoming more antiracist, all the wrongs turns he made, and the people who he looked up to and righted him back on the path of antiracism. It was fascinating the watch his own growth, actually giving me hope in how I can grow as well. He embraced the times he was wrong because he learned the value of doing right was greater than being right.

This book was transformative and engaging. It repeats over and over from each angle how focusing on policies will be more productive in the long run than focusing on people and their individual actions. Highly recommend, though I do warn you, this isn’t an easy, light read. It will require some reflection and thought after each chapter

There is profanity in the book. Since it talks about the past, there is mention of rap and name calling of certain groups of women that would count as sexual content, but nothing explicit. Also, there are mentions of lynchings and murders of Black bodies but, again nothing quite graphic.