Book review of ‘Stamped’

In Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, Jason Reynolds teams up with Ibram X. Kendi to bring a remixed version of Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning to younger audiences with this premise: “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.”

Using various stimuli, Reynolds helps unpack the history of racism, both overt and covert, and anti-racism throughout the years, as the past is always a part of our present reality. At times, he takes time for the reader to take a breath and a moment to pause as heavy topics are discussed, which shows his care and attention for the reader.

As we examine the history together through a conversationalist style, Reynolds inspires hope for an anti-racist future. In an interview with NPR, Kendi says, “One of the things we're trying to do with this book is provide people with the vocabulary of how to speak about and understand racism. Know what intimately racism is and how to identify it with language. What we're trying to do is give people the ability to name what they see, what they experience, what they should be resisting.”

We explore the realms of the segregationists (the haters), the assimilationists (the likers), and the anti-racists (the lovers). In the same interview, Reynolds says, “The thing about anti-racism that to me that sits at the core of who I am is that I should never have to make myself small for everyone else to feel comfortable about my existence.”

May this book cause you to strive for true love and true equity in your life, community, and world.