By: Ally Muterspaw
Are you wanting to engage with anti-racist literature and action, but don’t know where to begin? One of the most accessible ways we can engage with anti-racist conversation is through books! The topics on this list cover anti-Blackness, the criminal justice system, and whiteness, among other topics. This is just the start of anti-racist literature, and we have purposefully highlighted nonfiction in this list. These texts start conversations within yourself and with your peers around you, and to have a more inclusive reading list.
Here are some books that will inspire conversation about privilege, and how to amplify the voices of people of color.
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations, by Mira Jacob (2018)
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, by Mahzarin R. Banaji & Anthony G. Greenwald (2016)
Minor Feelings: An Asian Reckoning, by Cathy Park Hong (2020)
White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard for People to Talk about Racism, by Robin DiAngelo (2018)
Citizen: An American Lyric, by Claudia Rankine – 305.8 RAN 2014
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, by Ibram X. Kendi
So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeloma Olou (2018)
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor, by Layla F. Saad (2020)
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander (2012)
My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education, by Jennine Capo Crucet (2019)
How We Fight For Our Lives: A Memoir, by Saeed Jones (2019)
Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, by Jose Antonio Vargas (2018)
Our libraries aspire to be an essential participant in progress towards racial and social equity in our communities and beyond. Full details on HEPL’s Diversity Statement can be found here.