crybabybea's review against another edition

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challenging informative slow-paced

3.75


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stephmcoakley's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.75


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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Ibram Kendi covers an extensive chunk of the history of racism and racist ideas in the United States in this book.

For readers looking for 💕: history, racism, American history, social issues

My thoughts 💭: the author ties things together well throughout, and really shines a light on how racism evolved to stay ahead of laws against racism over time. It was a bit dry, but I'm also not a big history reader. It was also a thick book! The audiobook is 18 hours long. 

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mezzano's review

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challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Ever since I read Ibram X. Kendi's book How to be an Antiracist, I've been meaning to read Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. While I am no means an expert in racial politics or antiracism, I was stunned by how much I didn't know even after making the conscious effort to be more aware of how race affects my everyday life. I really appreciated how Kendi focused this story over 5 key historical figures, and used that as a tether to the political climate of each figure's respective period in American History. It was also really eye opening to see how race affected the very standards we learn in school, such as Shakespeare and the Salem Witch trials, even though race was never a part of any academic conversation at the very white schools I attended. 

The humble nature of Kendi's work, where the author himself recognizes that everyone has an incomplete understanding of history and can improve on themselves to become more anti-racist, is very refreshing. It reminds readers that this is important, consistent, and constant work. Antiracism doesn't end with saying people are equal, just as it doesn't end with education (or reading a book). Even so, I was really pleased with how comprehensive this historical analysis really was. After reading, I felt like I walked away with a missing volume of history. As we continue to become more inclusive and accepting as a nation, I hope that this book replaces others in educational curricula. This is a book everyone should be exposed to at least once. 

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