Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (#65 in 2020)
"Segregationists are haters. Like, real haters. People who hate you for not being like them. Assimilationists are people who like you, but only with quotation marks. Like... 'like' you. Meaning, they 'like' you because you're like them. And then there are antiracists. They love you because you're like you."
Stamped is well-written, full of voice, and breaks down the topic of racism in a way that young adults (and adults because I've seen a few who could use this book...) can understand and internalize.
Jason Reynolds labels this book as a "history-not-history" book, and that couldn't be further from the truth. He goes all the way back and explains the history of racism and carries the constructs of race and power dynamics into the present.
If I were a history teacher, I would actively be restructuring my curriculum to include this audiobook as a resource. As an English teacher, I'm already looking for ways to work it into my classroom. The audio version is captivating and really catches your attention. Reynolds does the narrating, so it's not one of those audiobooks that sounds like Siri reading aloud. Outside of the classroom, this book would be great summer reading/listening for young people. Jason Reynolds is the ultimate educator as he answers the questions kids actually ask:
Who was the first racist?
Why were people racist?
Why are people STILL racist?
How can we act in the present to make changes for the future?
5 enormous stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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