How to Be a (Young) Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi

Abstract

Reviewed by: How to Be a (Young) Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi Wesley Jacques Kendi, Ibram X. How to Be a (Young) Antiracist; written by Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone. Kokila/Penguin, 2023 [208p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593461600 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593461624 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-9 Adapting the tremendously popular guide to antiracism for young readers initially presents itself as simply a tonal shift for a new audience, but as collaborator Nic Stone establishes early on, in an intro-before-the-intro, there’s more restructuring of the source material afoot here. With occasional humor and special attention to accessibility, Stone curates and annotates Kendi’s autobiographical reflection on the multitude of theories surrounding race, racism, and the path forward that acknowledges their complexities. Kendi and Stone’s commitment to a second-person address throughout, even through Kendi’s origins as an antiracist practitioner and evangelist, intimately invites readers on a similar journey inwards, outwards, and ultimately “upside down” to affecting change. Attention to gender, sexuality, class, and honest self-critique makes for an ambitiously inclusive addition to a growing booklist of youth-oriented racial equity work, but the concluding four c’s of changemaking—cogency, compassion, creativity, collaboration—are on full display here in a standout text. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois