Author:Ibram X. Kendi
A ground-breaking argument about children, racism and how to build the antiracist society of the future - from the author of the million-copy global bestseller How To Be an Antiracist
*A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
'One of the pre-eminent intellectuals on race' OWEN JONES
How do kids think about race? How are they affected by it? At what age should we talk to them about racism? What is the best way to do that? How can we raise our children to be antiracist?
In this inspiring and deeply personal investigation, Ibram X. Kendi explains how to safeguard our children from racism and how we can all participate in fostering a new generation of antiracists.
His essential and revolutionary insight is that our instinct to protect our children from racism by not talking about it is entirely wrong. Using the science of childhood development, illustrated with his own experiences as a father, he shows that only by teaching our children about the realities of racism from the youngest age can we truly protect them and build the antiracist society of the future.
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Praise for How To Be an Antiracist (over 1 million copies sold worldwide by August 2020):
'One of the US's most respected scholars of race and history' Afua Hirsch, Guardian
'Transformative and revolutionary' Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility
'The most courageous book to date on the problem of race' The New York Times
One of the US's most respected scholars of race and history
—— Afua HirschOur most trusted voice on antiracism reveals the critical role of parents, caregivers, and teachers in fostering either racist or antiracist attitudes in all children. Rendered intimate with stories from his own childhood and his parenting journey, Ibram X. Kendi once again lights the way. This book is as compassionate as it is cogent and timely
—— Julie Lythcott-Haims, New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise an AdultCould hardly be more relevant ... it feels like a light switch being flicked on
—— Owen Jones on How To Be an AntiracistTransformative and revolutionary
—— Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility, on How To Be an AntiracistCombines Kendi's personal experience as a parent with his scholarly expertise in showing how racism affects every step of a child's life ... Like all his books, this one is accessible to everyone regardless of race or class. Read it."
—— LA Times, “10 books to add to your reading list in June”The most courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind
—— The New York Times on How To Be an AntiracistA must-read
—— June Sarpong, author of Diversify, on How To Be an AntiracistSo vital
—— Ijeoma Oluo, author of So You Want to Talk About Race, on How To Be an AntiracistKendi lays out an antiracism plan for caregivers in this knockout combination of memoir and parenting guide... Kendi succeeds marvelously in connecting the personal to the systemic, showing how structural inequalities have personal costs-"Who knows how much potential racism has buried?" This will be an invaluable resource for any parent or teacher who want to set kids on the path to antiracism early
—— Publishers Weekly (starred review)The National Book Award-winning author uses his own life to illustrate the need for anti-racist policy and practices in American schools and homes...The author's vulnerability about his own parenting mistakes and schooling mishaps clarify racist structures with empathy, clarity, and hope for change... an excellent introduction to how racism impacts children across the life span. A useful anti-racist memoir about how anti-racism can make the world safer for all children
—— KirkusBoth memoir and call to action, Kendi's insightful book rightly encourages the critical thinking all adults need to engage the children they love in the most essential conversations about racism. Don't fool yourself, silence is not a helpful strategy! If you want to raise empowered, antiracist children, read this book, take a deep breath, and start talking!
—— Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D., author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? and Other Conversations About RaceThe littlest human being can learn to be an antiracist. Antiracist parenting is imperative, as white supremacists are recruiting on the internet daily; parents need to be proactive by developing the skills and language to understand the parenting journey of antiracism. With love and vulnerability, and the remarkable brilliance we have now come to expect in his books, Kendi walks us through this journey. No matter where you are as an antiracist parent or the age of your child, this book is for you
—— Bettina Love, author of We Want to do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational FreedomI absolutely LOVED these essays. I knew I ought to ration myself to one a day in order to prolong the joy and fascination of them, but I just couldn't: I had to carry on reading and reading, like eating a whole packet of jelly babies in one sitting. What a fantastic, original, funny and touching voice! C J Hauser is a wondrous writer. This book will give so much happiness
—— Cressida Connolly, author of AFTER THE PARTYCompassionate and funny and brave. The book is a masterclass in life writing, and a lesson in how to live a life outside the narratives that would contain us. CJ is a master story weaver. I was left wanting more, in the best way possible
—— Charlie Gilmour, author of FeatherhoodIn The Crane Wife, Hauser undertakes a new way for her to tell stories from her life, playing with history and personal history, exploring the possible hidden truths in her family's past and her own. The result is like interconnected short stories but about her life, the person she is and was, maybe even the person she never knew herself to be. Funny, exciting, vulnerable - truly visionary.
—— Alexander Chee, author of QUEEN OF THE NIGHT and HOW TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOVELThe Crane Wife more than delivers on the immense promise of the viral essay that served as its source. My goodness is it funny, but also so devastatingly honest and bracing. Reading it is like taking a long road trip with your wisest, sharpest friend and talking the entire way.
—— R. Eric Thomas, bestselling author of Here For ItThe Crane Wife is brilliant and beautiful - the vulnerability of her viral essay is expanded to include immense humour, pondering and further misadventures of the heart. An absolute must-read. I will be gifting this book all year long
—— Frances Cha, internationally bestselling author of IF I HAD YOUR FACEIn this perceptive and probing work, Hauser brilliantly parses the myths that shaped her understanding of love. . . Sparkling. . . A thrillingly original deconstruction of desire and its many configurations
—— Publishers Weekly, starred reviewHauser is a delightful and agile writer, capable of speaking in multiple registers, but what all of her essays have in common is honesty, wisdom, a certain loopiness-she's an old soul with a fresh perspective and an energetic, wandering mind. The result is an imaginative and beautiful memoir, one that'll be passed through the secret sisterhood of crane wives for years.
—— Jennifer SeniorReaders looking for something a little different in a memoir will not be disappointed. The strongest essays exemplify Hauser's keen awareness about life so far: things don't always work out as planned, love is complicated, and trusting your gut is, sometimes, the best option.
—— Library JournalPerceptive and witty
—— Shelf AwarenessIntimate, witty and beautifully crafted
—— Elle"I am a kind of breakup pro," Hauser writes late in this lively, thoughtful, and often funny set of personal essays-at a point when the reader has learned much about how unlucky in love she's been. . . Hauser makes a welcome effort to talk about both love and culture in unconventional ways. . . A smart, inviting, and candid clutch of self-assessments
—— Kirkus ReviewsA staccato, funny, barbed, metaphor-laced, and thought-provoking memoir-in-essays. . . No matter her focus, Hauser's deductions about human nature are always arresting, delving, fresh, and exhilarating
—— BooklistWhile it's always difficult to summarize an essay collection, what holds The Crane Wife together is Hauser's unpacking of emotional truths: who do we love, and why, and what happens when they're gone? When we're alone? When we forget what it was like to love them?
—— LitHubThis memoir may do for you what Blue has done for her Key, putting your unexpressed feelings into beautiful words and helping you feel connected to the world.
—— CrackKey charts women's lives with a savage delicacy.
—— Olivia Laing'A writer of a rare and strange magic.'
—— Sarah Perry'I love Amy Key.'
—— Lauren Laverne'A beautiful read.'
—— Amy Liptrot'If you read one thing this weekend make it Amy Key's astonishing essay on Joni Mitchell's Blue, love and love's absence.'
—— Sophie Mackintosh