A reading list to better understand race, racism in America
By Emilyn Linden
We’re living through very tough times in America. We’re going through the life-changing coronavirus pandemic. We’re also experiencing social upheaval. People all over the country (and the world) are protesting racism in America, the over-policing of black Americans and the slaying of George Floyd.
The library has been receiving requests for books about race and racism in America. We have several excellent reads in our FDLPL collection. Click the links read more and place holds.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
A Black Women’s History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali N. Gross
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo (a 10 copy book kit is available for book clubs)
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice that Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt
How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (for teens)
So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F Saad
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race by Jesmyn Ward
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays by Damon Young
Emilyn Linden is a librarian in the FDL Public Library Information and Outreach Services department.