Popular Anti-Racism Books Adults are Reading This Fall 

Climate Threat
Climate Threat

In 2013, a man shot and killed a Black teenager, Trayvon Martin. When the court acquitted him of the murder, the BLM (Black Lives Matter) emerged.  A year later, Michael Brown was killed in Missouri, and the BLM movement gained international fame. Today, BLM says it’s a “Chapter-based national organization working for the validity of Black life.” It also features Black people with disabilities, undocumented Black people, LBBTQ communities, and Black women. 

Book Sales Soar 

After the death of George Floyd, Black people all over the world took up the protests. Companies also took up supporting the BLM movement but faced accusations that they were after publicity. Book sales and library borrowings on BLM-related books suddenly soared, and major bookselling chains like Barnes and Noble and Amazon sold out popular titles. 

Barnes and Noble said in a statement: “We were heartened to see the surge in sales of these books in response to the news, and we are working hard to replenish any print editions that sell out.” Today, the influence of BLM is still evident in book sales, and most people are still reading on BLM issues. 

Some of the books adults are reading this spring on the fight against racism include: 

  • How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi 

For Kendi is the National Book Award winner for the book “Stamped from the beginning.” This book endeavors to understand and uproot racism and inequality in our society and ourselves. 

  • Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson 

This book is an Oprah Book Club pick by the best-selling and Pulitzer-winning author of The Warmth of Other Suns. This book looks into the unspoken but present caste system that has made America what it is today. It also shows us how human divisions or castes still govern us. 

  • “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” – Dr. Robin DiAngelo 

A New York Times bestseller, this book examines white people’s reactions when what they assume to be true about race is challenged and how the responses give racism a status quo. 

  • So, You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo 

The number one New York Times Bestseller by Oluo examines race in America, a revelation to the reader. Protests against white supremacy and racial injustice have rallied millions towards the cause. The stakes for race conversations have never been this high. 

  • Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements by Charlene Carruthers 

Written by an activist, this book changes the narrative of political, social, and economic norms through the reimagination of Black Radicalism.