Book Review - How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4 of 5 stars)

You should read this book if: You're familiar with discussions on race. If you're willing to be challenged even if you don't agree with all the points.
You should not read this book if: You're asking "What is systemic racism?" for the first time? Or if you're unwilling to spend time in personal reflection on the topics discussed.

Summary: tldr - this is an important, challening, thought-provoking, reflection-inducing read

Ibram X. Kendi introduces helpful new vocabulary and frameworks for thinking about race with his beautiful writing and pinpoint precision of language. Kendi communicates his thoughts with such clarity that engaging with his ideas helps to sharpen my own, even in places where I disagree with him. In particular, the distinction between "racist ideas", "racist policies", and "racist people" (which he intentionally chooses not to use) is helpful in dissecting the racial problems that we have today.

There's so much thought-provoking material in this book, there's a lot to digest...and to disagree with. Most people are likely to disagree with large parts of the book - whether it's the idea that black people CAN be racist (which he defines as supporting racist ideas and policies, with which Ijeoma Oluo and Beverly Tatum would disagree) or that capitalism is racist. But the point is not to blindly internalize the ideas of the book, but to have it as a springboard for reflection, recognition, and confession, similar to the Kendi's personal journey. All the questions Kendi poses to the reader are worth considering, regardless if our conclusion ends up being different than Kendi's (ex - Do I accept the premise that there is only racist and anti-racist with no middle ground? Is moral suasion racist or anti-racist?).

This is a book for those who are already familiar and well-versed in racial discussions, particularly BIPOC. I would avoid recommending this book to those early in their antiracist and allyship journey, who may find many the assumptions in the book offputting and disqualifying (such as the ideas that "to love capitalism is to love racism", that Bush stole the election, and the implication that voting Republican is inherently supporting racist policy).

I love that Kendi invites readers into his growth and evolution of thinking, demonstrating the humility of confessing his own racist ideas and sharing that with the world. His experiences were poignant and relatable, and he articulates many questions that so many POC have thought but never had the words for. That said, I personally felt like this book was sparse on practical steps, particularly for white readers and readers who may not fully align with Kendi's politics ( a more accurate title of this book would probably be "My journey to becoming an antiracist"). Kendi does however invite us all into a self-evaluation and self-reflection, which to me seems of great value for individuals and society for the long term.

As an Asian-American reader, I've gotten used to books on racial justice generally ignoring discussions of Asians, as does this book. However, Kendi's approach to racism and antiracism seems especially exclusionary to Asians and other non-American contexts to me, given the deeply Western and individualistic worldview which emphasizes individual behaviors and minimizes the role of culture and collective society. Towards the end of the book, Kendi refers to racism as only being 600 years old, which is unfortunately woefully American-centric. Certainly out of scope for this book, I look forward to reading a book on racial justice that includes and addresses the racial attitudes of Asians.

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