Reviews

How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice by Jemar Tisby

adammuly's review

4.0

Very informative, challenging, well-written, and thought-provoking. Highly recommend for anyone interested in learning more about the experiences of any people of color and what individuals can do to fight racism. I also highly recommend it to anyone not currently interested in those things. You just might change your mind.

lkthomas07's review

5.0

There was so much great content in here! I loved the focus on the church - that’s an element missing from most books about race that I’ve read. An pretty easy read that’s practical and clear.

adamrshields's review against another edition

4.0

Summary: A practical, focused guide to opposing racism through the ARC model (awareness, relationships, commitment).

Jemar Tisby has long been fighting against racism. He has an NYT bestselling history survey, The Color of Compromise. He is the co-founder of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective. He is in the final stages of his Ph.D. in history, focusing on 20th-century racial history. And he co-hosts the Pass The Mic podcast.

This is a very different book from Color of Compromise. Color of Compromise is a survey of the American church's racial history, especially its compromise concerning accepting racism in exchange for cultural power. Tisby says clearly in the introduction that How to Fight Racism responds to the standard question that he frequently gets, especially from White Christians, after presenting the problems of racism. How to Fight Racism is a book-length response to 'what can I do.' 

The broad structure of the book is ARC (see link for a graphic detailing the concept). ARC is not linear, but a broad strategy that will look different from person to person and community to community. But generally, healthy response to racism will include some mix of ongoing awareness, relationship building, and a long-term commitment to systemic change. This may sound theoretical, but it is very practically focused. There are many stories to illustrate the suggestions. And while you certainly do not need to be a Christian to get value out of the book, it is a Christian book that is rooting the reasoning and methods of fighting racism in a Christian background.

How to Fight racism will be the most helpful read in a group. Because many aspects of racism are cultural, organizational, or legal, there are limits to individual actions. There are study guides for group discussion available. And I think that if you can read this in a group, especially a group within a church or organization, it can be a good jumping-off point toward organizational change that is systemic. Many other similar pieces (often article length) are oriented toward individuals. 

I did see one review that said there was not much new or unique here. In some ways, I agree. Similar to how there is not much about prayer or bible reading or discipleship that is really new or unique, but we still need new books to teach and communicate to new contexts. We do still need books to talk about how to oppose racism and take different approaches. 

How to Fight Racism is not also not trying to prove that racism exists. That is a different book. This book centered around practical, constructive opposition to racism, especially the type of work that Christians should do. And I hope it is a book that will be widely read and widely put into practice.

brandonc985's review

5.0

Dr.Tisby never disappoints. This is a must read for all christians especially those leading others.

readsewknit's review against another edition

4.0

Jemar Tisby, previously the author of The Color of Compromise, which addressed the role of the church as relating to racism, adds more to the timely conversation with How to Fight Racism, a guidebook with practical ways to, both personally and collectively, implement strategies and actions to address racism and racist practices.

This may look like offering suggested interview questions to collect narratives from people of color. Or an acknowledgement of how not everyone might be receptive to such initiatives, and how to frame them in a way to communicate its value. Tisby also discusses the value of how a church can address failure in their past through honesty and confession, even if none of the principal characters are still living. He also touches on how to read the Bible to glean insight into God's heart when it comes to racism, and how diverse communities offer insight and cultivate empathy (even beyond race and ethnicity, a diverse community based on geography, gender, and class can shape a faith community by offering different experiences and revelations that can challenge and change us).

For those who particularly appreciate hearing works directly from the author, Jemar Tisby narrates his own book.

I found this an informative book that adds to the conversation taking place. Particularly as some churches have questioned outright the role of Critical Race Theory, Tisby's work may be better received than other books not necessarily framed by a person of faith.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

corriespondent's review

5.0

How to Fight Racism has just released, and once again, Jemar Tisby does not disappoint! This incredibly helpful book gives background, history, and data on pretty much every facet of racism you can think of, provides a Biblical foundation and explanation for why these issues matter and what the Biblical witness has to say about it, then provides extremely practical, specific, and attainable action steps and examples for churches and individuals to take. Organized under his ARC framework of Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment, I can already see myself taking some specific action items this weekend and suggesting some ideas to our church over the next weeks. I think he also does an excellent job of addressing some of the ideas that seem to trip up white evangelicals, including corporate sin vs individualism, critical race theory, and individual responsibility vs systemic racism. And yes, I skimmed the notes as well, to pay attention to the many references and authors that he draws from. Add this to your list if you love Jesus and want to stay in the fight against racism!

hannahjbookworm's review

challenging hopeful informative

5.0

jadeleonardo's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

This book is SO GOOD! I already want to read it again, because it is so full of information. I really appreciate that even as a Christian book, it went beyond saying that we should just love everyone. It dives so much deeper in to the root of racism and how we can actively fight against it. 

noahbw's review

4.0

This book is very accessible, and I appreciate that Tisby brings together both "the basics" with nods to more nuanced concepts -- this feels apt for his sense of the audience being both people new to racial justice and to those who might need some reinvigoration and strength for the journey. Much of the book details specific arenas of action, both in the church and in people's individual/professional lives.

neilrcoulter's review

5.0

After reading a number of books on the topic of race in the US, I had exactly the question Jemar Tisby writes about in How to Fight Racism: What do I do? I'm pretty familiar with the statistics and history proving the depths of racism in this country, but practical suggestions for moving forward in a good way tend to be scarce. As a white person who cares about race, I can sometimes feel like there's little I can do other than just stay out of the way and not be obnoxious. Tisby's writing fills this gap with a book that eschews another recitation of all the stats and instead suggests a framework for reflecting on our racial identities, and then recommends good ways to begin (or continue) to incorporate antiracism into our everyday lives.

The structure Tisby uses to guide this book is what he calls "the ARC of racial reconciliation": Awareness, Relationships, Commitment. Each of us is probably naturally drawn more to one of these areas than the others, but Tisby encourages us to intentionally spend time in all of them. Awareness is reading and learning about race issues; relationships involves seeking out friendships that take us out of the monocultural spheres that are easiest for us; and commitment is actively getting involved in social change for antiracism.

For me, my default area is definitely awareness; I could read all day long about any topic, and especially about race. It's the other two areas that Tisby challenged me the most. I'm in a phase of life where I barely have any friends at all—I love being with my family, and most of my time is spent at home with them, not out building other friendships—and most of my closest friends are white, and quite a lot like me. Tisby gave some good ideas for modifying that situation, and I'm already thinking through how I might broaden the scope of my friendships. For "commitment," I often feel that I have no influence to make any changes anywhere; mostly I sit in my house staring at my computer screen, editing other people's writing. Not very exciting or influential, though it suits me. Tisby's advice in the book is helpful, though figuring out what I should be doing in this area is still percolating in my thoughts. I'm not sure where it will end up, but I'm open to anything.

As the subtitle implies, the book is targeted particularly at Christians. But the jargon here is not too "insider-only," and because, as I mentioned, there are so few books that attempt to guide practical steps for antiracism, I think this book is worth anyone's time, not just Christians. But it is definitely recommended reading for all Christians and all churches. I hope churches, Sunday schools, and Bible studies will decide to read this book together and discuss how they'll respond to Tisby's encouragement.

How to Fight Racism assumes that the reader already knows the basics about racism in the US, so it's not the only book on the topic that a person should read. But pairing this with other books I've read recently, such as How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi, or Reading While Black, by Esau McCaulley, is perfect.