Front cover
| |
| Author | Ibram X. Kendi |
|---|---|
| Subject | Civil rights |
| Publisher | Random House |
Publication date
| August 13, 2019 |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 9780525509288 |
How to Be an Antiracist is a 2019 non-fiction book by American author and historian Ibram X. Kendi. The book discusses concepts of racism and Kendi's proposals for anti-racist individual actions and systemic changes. It received positive critical reception.
Background
At the time of authorship, Ibram X. Kendi was an assistant professor of African-American History at the University of Florida. He previously worked at the American University, where he founded the Antiracist Research and Policy Center. He wrote a 2016 book titled Stamped from the Beginning, about the origins of racism in America.
Synopsis
Kendi describes concepts of racism such as scientific racism, colorism
and their intersection with demographics including gender, class and
sexuality. He summarizes historical eras such as the scientific
proposals of polygenism in Europe in the 1600s and racial segregation in the United States. The book also covers contemporary history such as the O. J. Simpson robbery case and 2000 United States presidential election.
He also details experiences from his own life, including his change in
beliefs over time, and observations from classes he has taught. Kendi
comments on internalized racism and disputes the prejudice plus power model of racism. He suggests models for anti-racist individual actions and systemic changes.
Reception
The
book was published in August 2019 to mixed, but generally positive
reviews. In June 2020, following protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, sales of How to Be an Antiracist surged. The book was listed eighth and fifth in Publishers Weekly's hardcover non-fiction list on May 30 and June 6, respectively. It was listed third in USA Today's Best-Selling Books List of June 10. The book topped The New York Times Bestseller List in Hardcover Nonfiction list for sales in the week ending June 6. It has spent a total of 18 weeks on the list, as of the July 19 edition of the list.
Critical reception
Ayesha Pande praised the book in a starred review for Publishers Weekly,
describing the prose as "thoughtful, sincere and polished" and the
ideas as "boldly articulated" and "historically informed". Pande
summarized, "This powerful book will spark many conversations". A starred review for Kirkus Reviews found it to be "not an easy read but an essential one". Jeffrey C. Stewart of The New York Times lauded it as the "most courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind". Ericka Taylor of NPR praised the book as "clear and compelling", saying that it is "accessible" and "exemplifies a commitment to clarity".
In a mostly positive review by The Guardian's
Afua Hirsch, the author received praise for "honesty in linking his
personal struggles" to the book's subject, which Hirsch described as
"brilliantly simple" and "dogmatic", but criticism for personal
anecdotes that seem incomplete and for a style resembling a textbook too
much. It was the Book of the Day in a review for The Observer in which Colin Grant found that the book "encourages self-reflection" and praised the writing style as "calm" but "insightful".
Coleman Hughes critiqued the book as "poorly argued, sloppily researched, insufficiently fact-checked, and occasionally self-contradictory". In the Washington Post, Randall Kennedy,
praised Kendi's book for its candor, independence, and
self-criticalness, but also critiqued it as having major
flaws—especially being internally contradictory and poorly reasoned. Andrew Sullivan
criticized the book as having the character of religious tract with
overly simplistic distinctions between good and evil that cannot be
falsified, and being sparse on practical suggestions.
