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YA Non-fiction Review: Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Title: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning)
Author: Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Year Published: 2020


Genre: YA non-fiction
Pages: 320
Rating: 5 out of 5

Location (my 2020 Google Reading map):USA

FTC Disclosure: I received this book as a gift

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): This is NOT a history book.

This is a book about the here and now.

A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.

A book about race.

The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited.

Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.


Review: I am so glad that I am participating in the social justice challenge as it is spurring me on to read at least one book a month that I really want to read, but might put off if I wasn't doing the challenge.

This book is so good, but for the first 10 pages or so I wasn't convinced. I had to get used to the cadence of the writing; it's almost flippant. Maybe that's because it's a YA book. Whatever the reason, once I got into the rhythm I was all in.

This book will make you rethink history, the US, prominent people in US history, and more. It helped me understand the difference between racists, assimilationists, and antiracists, to understand the damage done by assimilationists, Blacks and Whites, as well as the relationships between various famous figures (W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey, Angela Davis, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and more).

I read of American history through new eyes and it is so interesting and revealing. I think that this YA book is a great way for adults to access this information and highly recommend it if you are so inclined.

Challenges for which this counts: 

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