“How to be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi is one of a few books on this subject that I’ve read this year. The others include “So you want to talk about race” by Ijeoma Oluo, “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla Saad, and “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo. While I did enjoy “How to be an Antiracist,” I would recommend the other three books listed before Kendi’s book for two key reasons. The first is the lack of actionable steps or recommendations in “How to be an Antiracist.” I found the book to be detailed, thorough, and highly informative, but by the end, I was left feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Kendi describes numerous aspects of racism that we should all be aware of and work against, but the lack of real, actionable next steps for me as a reader was sometimes frustrating. However, perhaps that is the point. Racism in all its nuanced forms is a big beast, and Kendi’s portrayal of it as a Hydra with many dangerous heads is a good metaphor for how it manifests. Second, I was enthralled with Kendi’s personal stories of recognizing his own racism and working toward being antiracist, but I wished there were more varied stories and perspectives to help build a more complete picture. Kendi’s storytelling is engaging, but I found him making the same point multiple times, which left me wondering what other experiences people doing this work may have had and how my own experiences fit with those. Overall, Kendi’s book is worth a read, but if you are serious about working to actively combat racism in your life, I’d recommend reading the three other books listed at the beginning of this review first.

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Created Dec 17, 2020 at 9:58am • Submit your own review...