This post is especially for white people. We need to educate ourselves on what it means to be black in the US. Beyond listening to my POC (that's People of Color) friends when they speak about the injustices and prejudices they face, and following more POC on social media to gain a broader perspective, I also read as much as I can. These are six books I think are very helpful to understanding the history and reality of black people in the United States.
Fiction
1) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Starr witnesses her unarmed friend get shot by a police officer and decides to speak out. I think this book should be required reading in all schools.
2) Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Ifemelu moves to the US from Nigeria and learns for the first time what it means to be "black".
3) The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
In this book, the Underground Railroad is a literal thing that helps Cora escape from slavery in Georgia. But with a slave catcher chasing her, she's forced to flee again and again in search for freedom.
Non-Fiction
4) Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
In the form of letters to his son, Coates discusses questions about what it's like to live in a black body, and the history of race in the US. I would highly highly recommend this book.
5) Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
From Goodreads: "Exploring issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, Reni Eddo-Lodge offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism."
This book is on hold for me at the library, so I haven't read it yet, but I've seen it recommended as a book to help understand the underlying structural racism we see in society today. This book is actually by a British author and talks about racism happening in Britain, but the underlying concepts are the same for the US.
6) The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
This book is about how "the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control". Again, I haven't read this one yet, but I've heard really good things about it from a few friends and it's on hold at the library for me.
What are other books you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments.
Fiction
1) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Starr witnesses her unarmed friend get shot by a police officer and decides to speak out. I think this book should be required reading in all schools.
2) Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Ifemelu moves to the US from Nigeria and learns for the first time what it means to be "black".
3) The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
In this book, the Underground Railroad is a literal thing that helps Cora escape from slavery in Georgia. But with a slave catcher chasing her, she's forced to flee again and again in search for freedom.
Non-Fiction
4) Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
In the form of letters to his son, Coates discusses questions about what it's like to live in a black body, and the history of race in the US. I would highly highly recommend this book.
5) Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
From Goodreads: "Exploring issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, Reni Eddo-Lodge offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism."
This book is on hold for me at the library, so I haven't read it yet, but I've seen it recommended as a book to help understand the underlying structural racism we see in society today. This book is actually by a British author and talks about racism happening in Britain, but the underlying concepts are the same for the US.
6) The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
This book is about how "the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control". Again, I haven't read this one yet, but I've heard really good things about it from a few friends and it's on hold at the library for me.
What are other books you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments.
"White Fragility" Robin DiAngelo
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