Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped from the Beginning

By: Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi

Narrated by: Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi - introduction

Length: 4 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

The number one New York Times best seller and a USA Today best seller!

A timely, crucial, and empowering exploration of racism - and antiracism - in America

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.

The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. It takes you on a race journey from then to now, shows you why we feel how we feel, and why the poison of racism lingers. It also proves that while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited.

Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas - and on ways listeners can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.

©2020 Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (P)2020 Little, Brown Young Readers

Critic reviews

An "engrossing and relentless intellectual history of prejudice in America...The greatest service Kendi [provides] is the ruthless prosecution of American ideas about race for their tensions, contradictions and unintended consequences." (Washington Post)

Worth the read!

I have taught Stamped with adults in a PD setting and with students as a middle school teacher. This is a fun, accessible and easy to read book. This booked helped facilitate a myriad of, "Ah-ha!” moments with adults and adolescents alike.

My one critique is that it does not always give as much context as I would like, then again, the book was designed to be a primer—something to pique your interest. If you want something comprehensive and vast, Kendi’s original version, Stamped from the Beginning, is a great read.

This book is a very soft entry point to the conversation on race and racism in the U.S. It does a great job of showing patterns in U.S. history around race and racism. Jason Reynolds does such a fantastic job reading this text. Every time I listen to the audio book (We listen as we read along), I enjoy his performance.

I have seen some comments on here about this book being one-sided or biased—that it points out that all white people were/are bad. This is absolutely false. Not only does he talk about white allies from the Mennonites to LBJ (As being anti-racist or helping facilitate anti-racist ideas or policy), he shows multiple examples of racists who are African or African American. He looks at the fact that even leaders in the African American community struggled with assimilationist ideas and at times were at odds with other African Americans. Both Kendi and Reynolds are aware that racism and racist ideas took no prisoners. Your race does not inoculate you from the harm and influence of racism and racist ideas. As far as it being democratic propaganda? This book shows Clinton in the same light as Nixon, Reagan and Bush. Sometimes the truth is not always a flattering outfit.

Let’s be clear, this is a book about racism in the U.S. We cannot change history. Racism happened and is still part of the American experience. Racism and racist ideas were carefully cultivated and curated over the course of several centuries in Europe and North America. Black people did not create redlining, lynch black soldiers, in their uniforms, returning from war or write Jim Crow laws. White Americans did this. Reynolds/Kendi are, very clearly, writing about racist actions and the people who carried them out. Should they have hid this truth?

Nonetheless, I cannot think of a more reader friendly, compassionate, engaging and welcoming entry point to the difficult conversation around racism in the U.S.

Riveting

Jason Reynolds is not only an incisive writer, he is also a riveting speaker. The book moves at a quick pace so that you learn so much in a condensed "non-history" (as he keeps saying!) way. This is aimed at young adults, for it covers the history of oppression that many younger people were not as directly exposed to, but it is a good "primer" for adults as well. Also, very important for people to understand the difference between "not being racist" and "ant-racist."

Inspiring

I listened to this book for a school essay before knowing anything about the author or story. This book was eye opening and gave me real answers regarding issues black people and people of color in the U.S continue to face. I hope to learn more about black history to do my part in shutting down racism.

Amazing !

This was absolutely amazing. As, young African American women it inspired me and reminded me of the much needed work that needs to be done in this world.

Eye opening

I highly recommend this book to all people- especially white people like me who didn’t and don’t understand our own racism and our racist history in the US. I learned more about how whites have rewritten history and look back on my own perceptions of the history that I’ve lived through and the lens, the white lens through which I viewed it. Makes me hungry to learn more...and to speak up more. We whites have much to learn. Grateful.

Learned....

This book was eye opening and and act of self reflection!! Definitely made me think.

Schooled this history teacher

This book should be in the hands of everyone. It has opened my eyes to the deep rooted racism that I didn’t know was still so bad. That I was too privileged to know was still there. Thank you for that. This is a journey to get to the deep roots of racism and start chopping it down. I’m here to fight and will be an anti-racist.

Please read!

Or better yet, listen. Hearing this audiobook felt like talking to and participating in a long overdue conversation about our history and getting into the why and how we became such a racist nation. I did not learn this history in school. A few names and dates but never really felt the truth and despair and hope. I grieve for those who have come before, for my entitled and ignorant past, but feel like this is a strong first step in seeing the truth of what we weren't told or were too wrapped up to notice. I have hope that I can undo all of the racist rhetoric that has filled my world since before I was born and that I can help raise the next generation to embrace and proliferate antiracism with me.

Loved It!!

A quick but insightful look at what has gonna on in the United States as far as race. Very entertaining to listen too.

Listen

Insightful and engaging delivery of much needed information. So full of interesting and impactful details that I’ll be re-listening to this audiobook to soak in the information again. Be aware that there are moments that will challenge your perspective of historical events, and use that discomfort to grow.