Not for me. Hard to consume. Confused in its execution, although I did enjoy the snippets of personal experience. I read some of the physical book as well as listen to it, and both mediums were hard to absorb. It's also quite repetitive.

An excellent book using pieces of memoir to emphasise the unconscious racism built in society and how we can help to tackle it. This is not a book for silent contemplation, but one that asks you to go and take action, to consciously fight to end racism.

Obviously due to current world events, the issues of black lives matter and Antiracist are at the forefront of a lot of people's minds. Racism is, and will continue to be, a global issue and one that everyone can educate themselves on. This book is just one of many that have read, and join part of my ongoing re-education into racism, white privilege and what I can do to change my ingrained racist thoughts.

What I really took away from How To Be An Antiracist was the idea that just because you are black doesn't mean you aren't racist. The examples set by one individual do not define a group as a whole. Kendi also supports his arguments with real life experiences, allowing the reader to formulate their own opinions whole reflecting on the personal issues expressed throughout the book. It makes the reader feel closer to the author, and perhaps better understand the range of feelings as well as personal growth that Kendi himself went through in order to present himself as Antiracist. He hasn't been perfect. He's made mistakes. But he's also learnt from others along the way, taken on board constructive criticism and come out of it stronger, more well informed and more importantly actively Antiracist.

Educational. Informative. Powerful. An essential read for those looking to open their minds and actively seek to be Antiracist.

This book was such an incredible joy to read. Sensitive but powerful. Heartfelt and yet heartbreaking. I found that I experienced a world of emotions while reading it, but came out the other side knowing the next steps. In a sense this book is a guide and it is a call to arms for all of us to take on the mantle of anti-racist. With the highly charged backdrop we now experience, this is absolutely a zeitgeist book, but is one that will go on and continue to equip and raise up the voices that right now we so need to hear. Ibram X Kendi is a great writer and his message is clear. Don't sit back. Be an antiracist.
Message received.

Informative, unflinching and forcing everyone to take active steps to be anti-racist. The book gives us the tools we need and makes the subject accessible to a wider audience.

This was a super informative, thoroughly researched, readable book.
I appreciated how everything was so clearly defined, whilst being told (predominantly) through Kendi’s journey through education. This book includes real, specific examples of how to be antiracist and the importance of intersectionality in this fight.
I would recommend this for anyone looking to deepen their knowledge.

A great resource that helped me to "do the work" in challenging my own lack of action against racism. It's style is very accessible which means that whilst it still has the power to be uncomfortable, which is necessary to effect change, I wanted to stay engaged with it.

Powerful account of racism in the US and how we can all challenge this by becoming actively anti racist. I found this an eye opening and very inclusive read. Challenging but a§also very practical. highly recommended

Such an appropriate read for the moment, I'm so grateful that this title came up on Netgalley. There is so much to address that I have felt during reading this book, but I will continue to think about what it has taught me about the world, and myself, for a very long time.

This book is a mix of biography, history and essays about being racist or anti-racist. It gives a very in depth and well researched look at racism and it really is eye opening.

This books suggests the idea that you may be racist because of the racist ideas that are in our society but we don’t become racist and we can change through “persistent self awareness, constant self criticism and regular self examination.” People may not realise they’re racist because it’s how the world is, it’s the norm but they can change. “Racist ideas define society.”

Each chapter presents a different aspect of racism and how it can be divided by things like gender and class. The personal story is interesting and engaging, exploring how the writer himself considered himself racist and wants to be anti racist.

This book made me look at things differently. It helped me to understand “privilege” privilege means that you are not judged by the colour of your skin. Another thing that made me think was his explanation about black living spaces that they are not full of crime, racism has built up this image of fear in these communities and you see it on tv and films often.

Although this book taught me a lot I did find it hard to follow at times, so many quotes and facts. It could be very wordy and the narrative went off on tangents. It’s about America and I don’t know enough about American history and past events to be able to understand some of this book.

Sometimes the repetition was off putting, just the repetition of a word or a certain sentence structure. I think that the author was trying to get his point across using repetition but I am of the opinion that less is more. I think that this book might not be accessible to everyone because the ideas are in a round about way. I think it would be a lot more influential if it was presented plainly. However this is the author’s style and helps shows his enthusiasm and main messages do get across.

I think the ideas are very important and it’s an educational book that is well worth taking the time to read if you’re looking for a book to learn more about racism.

Ibram Kendi's explanation of there being no neutral side to racism appeared to be a key aspect to the book.. The concept of 'you're either fighting against it or allowing it to occur' is very fascinating. It's a truth that everyone needs to learn, specifically people with white privilege. As a white person with privilege, it was such an interesting aspect to the novel when it explored Kendi's own experiences.

What a vitally important book.
This book has furthered my education on racism so much and the lessons I have learned will stay with me forever. Ibram X. Kendi did an incredible job with this book as it is so well researched, but does not come across as hard to read or too academic - even though it is an academic piece of work.

His brutal honesty about his own experiences and his battles to overcome the racist thoughts that were ingrained into him (along with sexism and homophobia) was so important as it highlighted how racism is like a cancer that we have to fight every day. He made a great comparison between racism and cancer which I thought was the perfect analogy.

It is not for me to review or assess whether this book was good or not (it definitely was) but this book was for me to learn from and I definitely have.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage for gifting me this e-book.

This is a book for me, as a white person that I read slowly and over much time, to take in what it had to say and so I could learn what I needed. It’s not easy reading, nor is it meant to be if you want to learn or change. It’s essential reading for people who want to make the changes needed and required for REAL change. A book I will go back to as this learning will never end and that is my responsibility.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is an invaluable exploration into issues of race and racism. It's particularly relevant and significant given recent global events.

Like many others, the Black Lives Matter protests led me to read ‘How to be an Antiracist’. It is not an easy read and I had to digest it in chunks. It glaringly highlights my ignorance of the development and history of racism and the many forms that racism takes. This book is invaluable in emphasising the work each of us have to do and the self awareness each of us have to have on an ongoing basis to be antiracist. It is informative (it is quite academic in parts) and enlightening as well as being part memoir. I am so glad I read it and know that I will come back and dip into again in the future in order to continue to inform my behaviour and commit to being antiracist. I also think this would be a really good listen on audiobook.

Kendi is an excellent story teller. He is rousing, compelling, emphatic in his approach. Unafraid of pointing out his own past racist actions and thoughts he makes you understand and want to step into the actively anti-racist movement. He is an encouraging teacher and this book does a lot to lift society out of neutrality.

*Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars

This book achieved in making me reflect on my own life and smacked me with the honest, ugly truth about racism in its many forms and what it really takes to be "antiracist." Although the topic of the book is so important and it is a timely read right now, it was just okay, and I feel bad saying that considering what it's about. I don't know what in particular I didn't enjoy so much about it, I just feel like there's probably better books of a similar subject out there. I found it very repetitive, but that might have been intentional. There are a few other books on this topic out now which I want to try and see if I like them any better. That being said, it has given me a lot to think about.

I read half of this before, sadly, my kindle broke. I wanted to write a review anyway as I found the first half of the book invaluable. I admit it was mostly the current wave of BLM protests that lead me to read it, as the discussions happening now have highlighted just how little I, as a white person, understand about race and antiracism. I am British and had been focusing my reading on British authors on race (Reni Eddo-Lodge, Afua Hirsch, Candace Brathwaite, Candice Carty-Williams). Then I decided it was time to learn about race in the US too. This book is an accessible and informative guide to what racism looks like, and what anti-racism looks like, through the lens of the author's personal history. It doesn't guilt-trip you and isn't intimidating. Instead he takes you by the hand and says: I made these mistakes - even me, as a black man - let's talk about them and in the process you'll learn how to become anti-racist too.' An invaluable guide, and what wonderful timing!

Such an important book for our times. I would encourage everyone to read this if they are committed to doing the work to dismantle racism!

I think a lot of people are picking this up expecting it to be a handbook, from the title -- a list of actions you can take, a discussion of prejudice and the prejudiced things people can inadvertently do: something, in short, that tells you what to do. It isn't that. How to be an Antiracist is a memoir, which charts the journey of Kendi himself through both racist and antiracist thoughts, through all the things that shape his response today. There are definitely things here that can point to what you need to do (primarily taught through example: one of the important things to do is reflect on how your thoughts and actions could contribute to or fight against racism), but it isn't a recipe book.

Which is good: I don't think any single book can tell us what needs to be done, because Black people are not a single organism with one mind. Kendi believes that racism against white people is possible, for instance, which I know a lot of Black people disagree with (using the definition that racism requires power). Kendi lays heavy stress on changing racist policy (a term he prefers to "institutional racism") rather than confronting racist people or even racist actions. His theory is that social attitudes are informed by what policy dictates: he suggests that the changing of minds and hearts will come after a change in law, and changes to laws should not be held up to wait for the changes of attitude.

Kendi's also looking mostly at the way racism operates in the US; my impression is that while there are commonalities, things play out differently in different countries because of the different histories and policies. If you're going to read just one book on racism, I'm not convinced this is the right choice for everyone, even though the title makes it sound like a panacea.

It's true too that it isn't just a memoir: Kendi sets out each chapter carefully, beginning with a definition and then using examples (often from his own experiences) to illustrate the problem, how it affects people, and how he grapples with it and has grappled with it in the past. In some ways, you can treat it as a template -- because you can go through it and substitute your own experiences or those of people you know, and understand the same issue from where you're standing. But still, I'd say it's primarily memoir, and that accounts for the fact that it can be a little repetitive (we see the same issues and themes examined in different parts of Kendi's life) or unfocused.

For me, there were some snippets of history and culture that were new to me, partly because I'm not from the US; I think it's also worthwhile on that level, though it isn't a history book and doesn't delve deeply into it.

Overall, my feeling is that it's a worthwhile read, alone or as part of a little self-taught curriculum of books about racism and how it impacts people -- and how to be better, taught through example.