Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi is explosive! Get Stamped today! I mean TODAY. As in, dial up Amazon or your library and get this book in your paws! I can whole-heartedly say that this is a 5-star book and will be one of my favorites of the year!
Start at the beginning
Mic-dropping author Ibram X. Kendi wrote Stamped From the Beginning in 2017. One of my favorite authors, Jason Reynolds, teamed up with Kendi to widdle down the original text from 608 pages (!) to a young adult version. Stamped: Racisim, Antiracism and You is that beautiful creation!
The *Not History* History Book
Reynolds mentions multiple times throughout this book that this is a not history history book. But lemme tell you. This book blows the roof of of any history you might have learned in social studies or American History if you grew up in the suburbs of Chicago in the 80s and 90s.
I am the first person to openly say I’m learning. I feel like I’m learning US history all over as a late-30 year old (now as a 40 year old). There was a lot of information not shared in those classes and I’m actively seeking out books and authors that can make me a better person, a better citizen and a better mom.
Stamped is one of those books. Get Stamped today!
Example: up until the spring of 2020, I had NO idea about Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings. (My oldest told me I had to read Jefferson’s Sons and I was shocked!) Should I have known about this man and his extramarital affair? Probably. But I didn’t. Just being honest here.
From this book, however, I got a taste of the history that was excluded from curriculum. I didn’t know Lincoln had conflicting thoughts on slavery. I didn’t know even the term ‘uplift suasion’ before this book. (Heads up, it’s I can do anything you can do, if I’m like you, will you like me?) I hadn’t looked deeply into Tarzan as meaningful until this book.
And so on.
This book shakes the pedestal that we’ve (or history books) put political leaders on. Warranted or not. There is no black and white (no pun intended) to any one leader when it comes to Black freedom and rights and racism as a whole. The individuals we often seen in Black History Month pictures and our kids’ worksheets from school weren’t the only individuals making waves (duh) and those same people were often met with criticism that many of us (well, this white girl for one) haven’t heard prior to this book.
Where do you stand?
The overarching theme in this book is where people stand with racism. Was that person a segregationist (separate, not equal), assimilationist (acceptance will happen when Black people act like white people; move on with racism; forgive and forget the past) or antiracist (equity, equality, fairness, freedom, acknowledging someone’s skin color)?
I was surprised by how many outspoken leaders from history were categorized in this book as assimilationists. (Not a jab at the authors) I was equally surprised by how few antiracists the authors listed.
Get Stamped Today
This is such a thought-provoking book. Not in a Jodi-Piccoult kind of way, like, wow, that’s a touchy topic right now and I hadn’t thought of this issue in that way. More like, gaaaaahd, I have so much to learn. And I need to advocate so much more.
I LOVED this book! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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