Review: Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

I have a hard time saying I enjoyed Stamped, because it’s about racism, which isn’t fun. But I do feel better for having read it.

This is a history I didn’t know, and, I’m going to be honest, I think the original adult book would have been a bit cerebral for me.

There were a lot of historical figures mentioned that I thought I knew, but with a lot more information surrounding them. The context cast them in totally different lights. This is a must-read for any American, whether they fit in the target age range (12-17) or not.

I’m not sure that I would have picked this one up myself, because it seems pretty heavy, except that I had the opportunity to see Jason Reynolds and Dr. Kendi in conversation about it at a work conference. If you hear either of them speak about it, you’re compelled to pick it up. It is so important that we bring racism out into the light and start having conversations about it, especially with our young people.

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