Non-Fiction Friday: How to Be an Antiracist

Author: Ibram X. Kendi Title: How to Be an Antiracist Publisher: One World Date Published: 08/13/2019

Read Dates: 02/08/2026- 02/16/2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was my non-fiction pick for February.

How to Be an Antiracist is a nonfiction book that is formatted in a way that each chapter addresses a topic or idea, each building on the last, and interspersed with chronological life stories and events from the author. My paperback edition is a revision from the hardback, including annotations that explain changes and clarifying language.

This was definitely worth the read and I plan to read more from this author. Chapters that contained a mix of historical information, current social and political observations, and personal stories were a great way to share a lot of deeply important information in an easily digested format. Where I sometimes struggle with nonfiction being very dense, this format worked well for me.

Antiracism is a transformative concept that reorients and reenergizes the conversation about racism--and, even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. At its core, racism is a powerful system that creates false hierarchies of human value; its warped logic extends beyond race, from the way we regard people of different ethnicities or skin colors to the way we treat people of different sexes, gender identities, and body types. Racism intersects with class and culture and geography and even changes the way we see and value ourselves. In How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi takes readers through a widening circle of antiracist ideas--from the most basic concepts to visionary possibilities--that will help readers see all forms of racism clearly, understand their poisonous consequences, and work to oppose them in our systems and in ourselves.

Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society.