Book Recommendations: Anti-Racist Books

Learn about identities, true histories, and anti-racism in twenty [lessons]. This book is written so young people will feel empowered to stand up to the adults in their lives. This book will give them the language and ability to understand racism and a drive to undo it.

Frederick Joseph calls up race-related anecdotes from his past, explaining why they were hurtful and how he might handle things now. Each chapter features the voice of at least one artist or activist.

A bracingly original approach to understanding and uprooting racism and inequality in our society—and in ourselves. Ibram X. Kendi’s concept of antiracism reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America—but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other.

A history of racist and antiracist ideas in America, from their roots in Europe until today, adapted from the National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning.

Presents the argument that since the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, when African Americans make advances toward full participation in our democracy, white reaction feeds deliberate and relentless rollback of their progress.

A collection of essays by black women writers, curated by the founder of the popular book club Well-Read Black Girl, on the importance of recognizing ourselves in literature.

This graphic memoir offers a meditation on the 'the talk' parents must have with Black children about racism and the brutality that often accompanies it, a ritual attempt to keep kids safe and prepare them for a world that does not love them. Drawing attention to the brutal murders of African Americans like Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, Bell takes us up to the very moment when he must have 'the talk' with a six-year-old son of his own.

At Niveus Private Academy, Devon and Chiamaka are the only students chosen to be Senior Prefects who are also black, which makes them targets for a series of anonymous texts revealing their secrets to the entire student body. Both students were on track toward valedictorian and bright college futures, but this prank quickly turns into a very dangerous game and they are at more than one disadvantage as it looks like things could turn deadly.

As the newly crowned first Black king of England, seventeen-year-old James faces intense media scrutiny and a blackmailer intent on disclosing his deepest secrets, including his sexuality and hidden relationship.

Liliana Cruz does what it takes to fit in at her new nearly all-white school, but when family secrets come out and racism at school gets worse than ever, she must decide what she believes in and take a stand.

Told from two viewpoints, Atlanta high school seniors Lena and Campbell, one black, one white, must rely on each other to survive after a football rivalry escalates into a riot.

Enduring racism when her Pakistani family moves to Texas, 17-year-old Zara resolves to keep her head low while her family awaits green-card approval, before a bullying classmate vandalizes her home, leading to a crime that puts Zara's entire future at risk.

Upon arriving at the prestigious Wooddale University, seventeen-year-old Savannah Howard comes face-to-face with microaggressions and outright racism--but if she stands up for justice, will she endanger her future?

Sixteen-year-old Alex Rufus's curse of seeing the future distracts him from being and doing his best, but when he sees his little brother Isaiah's imminent death, he races against time, death, and circumstances to save him.

When a microaggression at her wealthy Manhattan high school thrusts her into the spotlight, Alejandra Kim, a daughter of second-generation Korean Argentines who feels like an outcast, must carve out a place for herself while dealing with the loss of her father.

Breaking up with her first real boyfriend when he makes racist remarks about her Native American heritage, high school senior Louise Wolfe teams up with a fellow school newspaper editor to cover a multicultural casting of the school play and the racial hostilities it has exposed.

Writing letters to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., seventeen-year-old college-bound Justyce McAllister struggles to face the reality of race relations today and how they are shaping him.

Margaret looks just like their Chinese immigrant mother, while Annalie passes for white and looks like the father who abandoned them years ago. When their house is vandalized with a shocking racial slur, Margaret expects outrage. Instead, her sister and mother would rather move on. Especially once Margaret's own investigation begins to make members of their community uncomfortable.

A collection of coming-of-age short stories that reflect on the African American teenage experience in America.

When his best friend is unfairly arrested and kicked off the team, Russell Boudreaux kneels during the national anthem in an effort to fight for justice and, in an instant, falls from local stardom to become a target of hatred.

Better Not Bitter is the first time that one of the now Exonerated Five is telling his story and connects it to lessons and principles he learned that gave him the power to survive through the worst of life's experiences. Yusef inspires readers to accept their own path, to understand their own sense of purpose. He unpacks the systems built and designed for profit and the oppression of Black and Brown people, and inspires readers to channel their fury into action, and turn anger and trauma into accountability and change.

A memoir by the co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement explains the movement's position of love, humanity, and justice, challenging perspectives that have negatively labeled the movement's activists while calling for essential political changes.

A collection of art, essays, letters, poems, and stories celebrates standing up against prejudice and racism, and includes entries by such authors as Kwame Alexander, Kat Williams-Garcia, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jason Reynolds.

Heavily scouted by colleges and MLB as a baseball pitcher, star high school athlete Colin Kaepernick has a bright future ahead of him as a highly touted prospect. Everyone from his parents to his teachers and coaches are in agreement on his future. Colin feels differently. This graphic memoir explores the story of how a young change maker learned to find himself and never compromise.

"Bryan Stevenson details from his personal experience his many challenges and efforts as a lawyer and social advocate, especially on behalf of America's most marginalized people.

Whether subtle or overt, racism is harmful. When we understand what constitutes racist behavior and learn ways to confront it, we are better equipped to address it. Use this resource to discover the specific ways you can confront racist behavior wherever you encounter it.

An account of the killing of Vincent Chin, the verdicts that took the Asian American community to the streets in protest, and the groundbreaking civil rights trial that followed.