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jhpepper's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical content, Mental illness, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, and Violence
festive_fossil's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Violence
nytephoenyx's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This book is dense and filled with history, sociology, psychology, and politics. It's a personal narrative as well as a social narrative. It's good, really good, and I completely understand why it's on so many must-read lists, especially this year.
At the same time, though, I personally struggled with How To Be An Antiracist. This book is a very slow read because of how packed full of information and formal studies and explanations it is. Kendi's choice to include relatable stories and a personal narrative alongside this mountain of information was a good one - it picked up the flow enough to urge me forward when I felt like I was drowning.
The weight and quantity of information isn't bad, mind you. It's necessary. But it is heavy and reading this book was a very slow process for me as I tried to catalogue everything and reflect on it. How To Be An Antiracist challenges its readers to look at the information and reflect on their own beliefs and reactions. This is best read by someone who really does want to be an antiracist, not someone who is picking up the book because they think they should.
Depending on where you are in your personal journey, some of the chapters may feel redundant or unhelpful. Everyone starts from a different place, and we all have different daily struggles. If you've been working on antiracism for a while, maybe chapters like "Definitions", "Biology", and "Ethnicity" don't offer much to you (other than reiterating practices you have already put in place). I personally resonated more with the latter half of the book. Every once in a while, I would come across a statement or sentiment that would stick with me - like the idea that we aren't one-or-the-other, but constantly striving to make antiracist choices in every decision. Like the comparison of racism to cancer.
If the early chapters don't hook you in, I encourage folks to keep reading. Each chapter is an individual essay to be mulled on and processed. And we are, none of us, perfect. There is no person who had finished the journey and achieved excellence - sometimes, we all falter. We will inevitably fail, and when we do, it's important to get back up and brush ourself off, make amends, and be better next time.
For more reviews and bookish content, come visit The Literary Phoenix.
At the same time, though, I personally struggled with How To Be An Antiracist. This book is a very slow read because of how packed full of information and formal studies and explanations it is. Kendi's choice to include relatable stories and a personal narrative alongside this mountain of information was a good one - it picked up the flow enough to urge me forward when I felt like I was drowning.
The weight and quantity of information isn't bad, mind you. It's necessary. But it is heavy and reading this book was a very slow process for me as I tried to catalogue everything and reflect on it. How To Be An Antiracist challenges its readers to look at the information and reflect on their own beliefs and reactions. This is best read by someone who really does want to be an antiracist, not someone who is picking up the book because they think they should.
Depending on where you are in your personal journey, some of the chapters may feel redundant or unhelpful. Everyone starts from a different place, and we all have different daily struggles. If you've been working on antiracism for a while, maybe chapters like "Definitions", "Biology", and "Ethnicity" don't offer much to you (other than reiterating practices you have already put in place). I personally resonated more with the latter half of the book. Every once in a while, I would come across a statement or sentiment that would stick with me - like the idea that we aren't one-or-the-other, but constantly striving to make antiracist choices in every decision. Like the comparison of racism to cancer.
If the early chapters don't hook you in, I encourage folks to keep reading. Each chapter is an individual essay to be mulled on and processed. And we are, none of us, perfect. There is no person who had finished the journey and achieved excellence - sometimes, we all falter. We will inevitably fail, and when we do, it's important to get back up and brush ourself off, make amends, and be better next time.
For more reviews and bookish content, come visit The Literary Phoenix.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Hate crime, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Xenophobia
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