The Christmas music test is a constant in our world. If the song is great enough to hear around December, then in theory, you could hear it anytime and be OK with it. A good song is a good song, regardless of whether or not it has seasonal greetings in its content. Books are the same way and This Book Is Anti-Racist Journal is Christmas music for those who like this type of seasonal songs.
If you read This Book Is Anti-Racist then this is a journal that will address and quiz your knowledge on anti-racist leaders, your ancestors, privilege, a check box of who holds the dominant culture, race, ethnicity, and more. This is a journal that middle school readers and up who read the book, will engage in, evaluate their activist progress and see if they need to think on it some more.
People outside of academia might have trouble grasping with what anti-racist means. Even though I’m a teacher in my day job, I fall into that camp. To some, ‘anti-racist’ simply means not being racist or accepting people on how they act and what they do. In other words, being a normal person. But, racism does exist, and those who think like that are wrong, short-sighted, backward, and not as intelligent as normal thinking folks.
This Book Is Anti-Racist Journal certainly means well and will speak to those upper elementary and middle school students who liked the book. It’s required reading for those who see one-sided racism. This journal will make them feel better about themselves and might allow them to find ways to spread their message. However, some people will view this as a way to validate excuses for issues, rather than succeeding past them and letting their personal success be the greatest revenge to historical and cultural wrongs.
This Book Is Anti-Racist Journal, Over 50 Activities to Help You Wake Up, Take Action and Do The Work is by Tiffany Jewell with illustrations by Aurelia Durand and on Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, an imprint of Quarto Knows.
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