In the wake of the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, allies have been challenging themselves to get more educated about about race and racism in the US. For many years, it has been fine to just avoid the topic, remain in the dark and simplly not deal with it because it is an uncomfortable conversation and a weird situation to be in to actually confront complex dynamics that have crippled and divided America for so long.
People are listening and reacting.
This fact was no better seen than in the fact that EVERY. SINGLE. BOOK. on the top of The New York Times‘ nonfiction best-seller list is about white privilege, racism in America, or racial violence.
Wow! Like Wow! (See the List Below)
At the top of the list is “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism“ ($12.24)by Robin DiAngelo, which explores white people’s defense mechanisms when questioned about their assumptions and beliefs about racism.
You can listen to this book for FREE when you sign up for an Audible subscription. The first 30 Days are free. Or you can order the paperback version for $12. 24 and have it shipped to you in a couple of days if you have Amazon Prime.
Also topping the NYT list is “The New Jim Crow,” where civil rights attorney Michelle Alexander presents the case that “we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.” Wow!
You can also listen to that book also for FREE for 30 days with your Audible subsription.
Also, two works by Ibram X. Kendi, a professor and historian leading the anti-racism movement are also topping the charts. “How to be an Anti-Racist” ($14.79 or listen for free) and”Stamped From the Beginning“($11.99) which reviews anti-black racist notions from the beginning of American history and can be listened to for FREE with your Audible subscription as well.
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WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo
Historical and cultural analyses on what causes defensive moves by white people and how this inhibits cross-racial dialogue.
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SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE by Ijeoma Oluo
A look at the contemporary racial landscape of the United States.
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HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi
A primer for creating a more just and equitable society through identifying and opposing racism.
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ME AND WHITE SUPREMACY by Layla F. Saad
Ways to understand and possibly counteract white privilege.
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THE NEW JIM CROW by Michelle Alexander
A law professor takes aim at the “war on drugs,” mass incarceration and their impact on black men.
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THE COLOR OF LAW by Richard Rothstein
An examination of the ways in which the government caused residential segregation through racial zoning and other systemic practices.
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BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Winner of the 2015 National Book Award for nonfiction. A meditation on race in America as well as a personal story, framed as a letter to the author’s teenage son.
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UNTAMED by Glennon Doyle
The activist and public speaker describes her journey of listening to her inner voice.
Ranked 1 last week -
STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING by Ibram X. Kendi
Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for nonfiction. A look at anti-black racist ideas and their effect on the course of American history.
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JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson
A law professor and MacArthur grant recipient’s memoir of his decades of work to free innocent people condemned to death.
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BECOMING by Michelle Obama
The former first lady describes her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, and how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.
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THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson
An examination of the leadership of the prime minister Winston Churchill.
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BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah
A memoir about growing up biracial in apartheid South Africa by the host of “The Daily Show.”
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WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA? by Beverly Tatum –
The president emerita of Spelman College examines whether self-segregation is a problem or a coping strategy.
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I’M STILL HERE by Austin Channing Brown
A black woman who was given a white man’s name by her
parents shares her journey to finding her own worth and what stands in the way of racial justice.
Jay Jay Ghatt is also editor at Techyaya.com, founder of the JayJayGhatt.com and JayJayGhatt.com where she teaches online creators how to navigate digital entrepreneurship and offers Do-It-For-You Blogging Service. She manages her lifestyle sites BellyitchBlog, Jenebaspeaks and JJBraids.com and is the founder of BlackWomenTech.com 200 Black Women in Tech On Twitter. Her biz podcast 10 Minute Podcast is available on iTunes and Player.fm. Follow her on Twitter at @Jenebaspeaks. Buy her templates over at her legal and business templates on Etsy shop!
