This is a wonderful first step. Anti-racist texts occupy nine out of the 10 best selling books. But as educators (or even people just reading this random blog post from an ELA teacher in Chappaqua), is that enough?
Short answer: No.
Taking a look at the Combined Print & E-Book Fiction chart for the same week, and you'll see the problem.
Anti-racist fiction is largely ignored. This is a problem. It needs fixing. Only two books on here are what I would categorize anti-racist. What's happening to our anti-racist fiction?
1. Are black writers not writing?
2. Are white publishers not publishing?
3. Are we ignoring amazing texts that are out there?
The short answer: 1. They are. 2. They're not. 3. Yes, so pay attention!
So what kind of anti-racist texts are out there?
The Explicit Anti-Racist Texts.
This is where people's comfort level is in 2020. Read about non-fiction worlds. Find out about the world around us. This includes books such as White Fragility, How to Be an Anti-Racist, Stamped, This Book is Anti-Racist, So You Want to Talk About Race, Between the World and Me and I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. But it's also not limited to these.
The Other Anti-Racist Texts
There's also a number of other anti-racist texts that address anti-racism in wholly unique ways. Take for instance the self help book It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest Advantage by Arlan Hamilton. In it, Hamilton offers advice on what to do to become your own entrepreneur. It's a story of success and triumph, while also talking about the platitudes as a Queer Black woman.
There's also Tressie McMillan Cottom's brilliant essay collection THICK: And other Essays.
You may consider the YA book All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson. Like Hamilton, Johnson addresses what it means to be a queer POC. Through each essay, you peel back a layer of Johnson's troubling reality with both his queerness and blackness.
There's also the graphic novel side of books. I'm a firm believer that everyone should read John Lewis' March Trilogy. It's a triumph on all levels and does what Kendi and Reynold explicitly address in Stamped. Stop revising history!
That is to say, there are other anti-racist non-fiction texts to pursue (and on the NYT top 20 list, you see some of that representation with Becoming and Born a Crime) but the point still persists. There is more beyond non-fiction.
The Black Experience
Merely reading about anti-racist books and then moving onto your next John Grisham or Jodi Picoult feels a little tone deaf. As some people retreat to the reality in front of them with the awful hashtag #DefendtheCanon, or are ignoring their own self-selected predominately white author readings, it's time to pursue what Black authors are writing now.
There are a number of contemporary texts that are talking about the Black experience. Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half is rightfully getting all the praise it deserves. It's one of the best reads this summer and talks about the shades of blackness and the idea of passing. Other books such as Such a Fun Age, Queenie, Nickel Boys or Deacon King Kong also hit on contemporary issues involving blackness.
A book for millennials by a millennial.
These are must read books!
On the YA side of things, there's absolutely no shortage of amazing reads: Felix Ever After, On the Come Up, Long Way Down, Look Both Ways, The Journey of Little Charlie, and that's just to name a few.
And for those who feel they're short on time, there are also plays to consider: Until the Flood by Dael Orlandersmith or Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu.
This is to say that there's so much fiction out there, and it's simply not getting the attention it deserves. It's also worth noting that as you read, do your research on your author. Is the author from a #OwnVoices perspective, or are they writing about an experience outside their realm? That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it may mean the text lacks the authenticity it needs.
The Black Triumph
But reading about Black lives doesn't mean ONLY reading about the troubling or racist experiences that Black people endured and will continue to endure. We need to find books that celebrate Black experience. In truth, this I find the hardest type of books to find. This has much to do with what publishing companies are putting out. But that doesn't mean these books aren't out there, and it doesn't mean that I (we?) can't be doing a better job.
Books such as Children of Blood and Bone, Odd One Out, or You Brought Me the Ocean have Black characters existing without their Blackness necessarily becoming the focal point. They're stories of triumph or if not triumph, living. It's important to see black people living. Part of what explicit antiracist books are pointing out is that we often mask the reality of seeing black people by what we read, watch and consume.
Nic Stone's brilliant article titled, Don’t Just Read About Racism—Read Stories About Black People Living explains this thought that I can't quite seem to emphasize enough.
A Time to Self-Audit
For all the anti-racist readings that are out there, I think it's time we talk about self-auditing. Am I saying never read another white author? No. But it's important to find balance. If all your readings are from white authors, that's problematic. Are 90% white authors? 80? 50? Who are you reading? Why?
Are all your Black author readings strictly non-fiction? That too is problematic. What's the composition of Black authors writing about the Black experience? What about fiction? Male? Female? LGBT+? Diversify your reading!
And as for reading what's on a list, don't merely rely on others. Do your own research. Find out what Black authors are recommending. Don't just look for a list. Make one! Be active!
Daniel Valentin teaches American Dream, British Literature and English 9 at Horace Greeley High School. He is currently reading A Burning by Megha Majumdar and is listening to It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest Advantage by Arlan Hamilton. He wants his students to feel empowered through books. Follow him on Twitter @DanielJValentin
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