By chance, several of the books I’ve read recently have had themes dealing with the affects of racism, religious stereotyping, physical disabilities and mental disabilities. They’ve explored the way that knowledge, education and empathy are the key to making the world a better place for everyone.

It is time to change the world. It is time to stand up and not accept the way things have been going any more. It needs to stop. It needs to change. Now.

Below is a list of books for different ages to help kids, teens and adults understand what racism is, and how to build a better, safer, more just America for everyone.

Young Kids:

A Kids Book About Racism by Jelani Memory. This is a very simple book that uses words and phrases a young child can understand, to describe a big concept.
When you don’t know where to start, this is a good option. It’s good for kids as young as 3 or 4 on up.

Early Grades

Something Happened in our Town by Marianne Celano and Marietta Collins

This book follows two families — one white, one Black — as they discuss a police shooting of a Black man in their community. The story aims to answer children’s questions about such traumatic events, and to help children identify and counter racial injustice in their own lives. It includes an extensive Note to Parents and Caregivers with guidelines for discussing race and racism with children, child-friendly definitions, and sample dialogues.

Free, downloadable educator materials (including discussion questions) are available at www.apa.org.

Upper/Middle Grade

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor was a book that I read when I was young–and it became one of my favorites. It’s currently on my must-read list for my own kids. The book is about a young African American girl named Cassie and the racism her family deals with in Mississippi during the Great Depression and Jim Crow era. Told from Cassie’s perspective, the reader sees through her eyes what it’s like growing up in that place and time. The injustice and blatant cruelty made a big impact on me as a child, and is especially important now. This is a great book for kids about the detrimental effects of racism.

Understanding the history of racism–systemic and overt–that happened in the past, is critical to ending it now.

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli has been on my Reeder Family must-read list for a while, and obviously still is. I can’t remember how many times I’ve read it, but it’s a lot. The study in racism is more subtle in this book, but just as profound. It tells the story of Jeffrey (Maniac) Magee, an orphan who drifts from town to town and settles in Two Mills, Pennsylvania. He is an athletic prodigy, and through is amazing feats may be just the person to integrate his racially segregated town.

Young Adult/Upper Grades

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This one was a must. This book is powerful in its direct and unflinching call out of racism in America and the consequences of the quick to shoot police that are doing the opposite of protecting people.

To be fully honest and transparent, this book has never been on my reading list. With so many books on my to read list, this one didn’t seem like my kind of book. And it isn’t. But then America very visibly turned upside down and I knew I needed to read it anyway. It still isn’t what I’d usually pick up. It makes me uncomfortable. And that’s why it’s important to keep going. If you’re only going to read one book for kids about racism, make it this one. I had no idea. Now I do. Now I can make different choices.

The official summary:
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does–or does not–say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

For Non-fiction read Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds.

This is a rewrite for a younger audience of Dr Ibram X. Kendi’s award winning book Stamped from the Beginning.

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. It 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 readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.

Adults

I know I said this was about kids books, but adults need to know these things too. All of the above books are a great place for adults to start. If you want something written specifically for adults you could try Dr. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning. If you have a teen, you could read your versions together and compare notes and have a discussion about them.
Another option is:

So you want to talk about race by Ijeoma Oluo.

This book is illuminating. I had several ah ha moments, so much more understanding, understood previous encounters so much more, and have more courage to have discussions about race

Widespread reporting on aspects of white supremacy–from police brutality to the mass incarceration of Black Americans–has put a media spotlight on racism in our society. Still, it is a difficult subject to talk about. How do you tell your roommate her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law take umbrage when you asked to touch her hair–and how do you make it right? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend?

In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to “model minorities” in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life.

This is not an exhaustive list, of course. It’s just a place to start; but that’s the important part. Starting your kids’ education about racism is critical to being part of the solution to a problem that I’m only just starting to learn about and understand myself.

How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi is powerful. This book changed my entire perspective and given me a profound shift in the way that I view racism, what it is to be racist, and the way that is has permeated our society–which is necessary to begin changing it. I am forever changed for the better.

Official summary:
At it’s core, racism is a powerful system that creates false hierarchies of human value; its warped logic extends beyond race, from the way we regard people of different ethnicities or skin colors to the way we treat people of different sexes, gender identities, and body types. Racism intersects with class and culture and geography and even changes the way we see and value ourselves.

In How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi takes readers through a widening circle of antiracist ideas–from the most basic concepts to visionary possibilites–that will help readers see all forms of racism clearly, understand their posionous consequences, and work to oppose them in our systems and in ourselves. Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society.

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Editor’s note: This post has been updated from it’s original.

The post Books to Help Kids (and Adults) Understand Racism appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

My heart nearly stopped beating, I cried and I might have had a mild panic attack once or twice while reading this book. Not bad One Day in December, not bad.

I’ve had my eye on this one for a while, and as Reese’s Book Club pick I knew it would be good, but whew! This is definitely going on my read again list for sure. (ok…I may have actually already re-read most of it). It’s the kind of book you want to go back and reread passages over again to let them sink in. The phrasings are thought provoking, interesting and sometimes just so heartfelt you need them to wash over you again and again.

What’s it about?

So, what’s it about? It’s about a young man and woman whose eyes meet one December day when she’s on the bus and he’s at the bus stop. The instant attraction they feel is powerful. But, the bus pulls away, leaving him behind. For the next year the woman, Laurie, looks for her “bus boy” everywhere and doesn’t see him again. Until the next Christmas when he shows up at her house as the new boyfriend of her best friend and flatmate Sarah. (Insert knife in heart!)

What follows is 9 years of Jack, Laurie and Sarah’s relationships–with each other, with others, and their families as they navigate their 20s with new jobs, grief, tragedy and love.

Here’s the official summary:

Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn’t exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic…and then her bus drives away. Certain they’re fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn’t find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they “reunite” at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It’s Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.

The good

One of the things I love the most is that Josie is able to create a romantic story about love and friendship and growing up that’s so rooted in reality. She doesn’t invent crazy situations just to see what her character will do. They’re like real people. Their decisions and paths follow a sometimes tragic, sometimes wonderful path that feels real. Things don’t always go the way we think they will. Life is full of the unexpected, and finding your way isn’t always easy.

I also love that it had me examining my relationships with those I love as well–girl friends, family, my husband, in a way that I hadn’t before. One strand of conversation between Sarah and Laurie when they’re talking about where their place is in the world is this: “Your place isn’t somewhere, it’s someone.” I LOVE that line. I’d never thought of it like that before, but it’s so true. When you’re with the right person, you’ll go anywhere they are, just to be with them. Life takes unexpected twists and turns, and as we get older our world expands more and more. Friendships can be tested by events or by miles, but it doesn’t mean they have to break.

I sincerely cared about these characters, and even though I’d read the summary and had an idea of where it would end, I had no idea what would happen in the middle. I stayed up very late to get to the end, and I was not disappointed.

The bad?

Nothing. There is nothing bad. Is it a perfect book? No. Was everything written the way I’d write it (or wished it was written? No. Usually it was little things that I wish had been more, or phrased in a bit of a different way.

Are there some things that don’t make total sense? Yes. A few. But this is fiction people. That’s the point. It’s not EXACTLY like real life. But it did feel pretty close.

Final thoughts

I heart this book. It is a romance that doesn’t use graphic sex as a way of making it sound grown up. It could be a YA, but the characters are adults and have adult choices and decisions to make–which is so refreshing.

Read this book if you like modern romance, stories about friendship and the journey we take along the way.

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The post One Day in December Review appeared first on Vibrant Mom Society.

This week the girls read books that were on their lists that have also been made into movies because they wanted to watch them. I also finished the book I’d been working on, and Britton has been working through his book as well.

These books of the week were fun to get through, and some that I didn’t expect to like as much as I did.

Here’s the list and what we think, in no particular order:

Mr. Popper’s Penguins: This is a pretty short book written in 1938 about a man who loves learning about far away places, especially the Antarctic. One day Mr. Popper gets a letter from an Admiral on an expedition who tells him he was sending him something special–a penguin! It really turned the Popper family upside down. Then they end up with a whole dozen!

Kaia and Cambry say: We liked it, but because it’s a little old fashioned it wasn’t as exciting of a book as we’re used to. The movie is very, very different than the book because it’s set in modern times, and only the basic facts are kept the same.
Rating: 3.7 stars

Because of Winn-Dixie is by the beloved Kate DiCamillo, and does not disappoint. It’s the story of a little girl who moves to a new small down and has no friends and is lonely. Then she finds a stray dog and names him Winn-Dixie. During the summer all the good things that happen to her are because of her really friendly dog, Winn-Dixie. She goes on to make friends with people around town and learns some good lessons about people too.

Kaia and Cambry say: It’s a really good book. Kaia says it’s her favorite book that isn’t a graphic novel (which is saying something!) Cambry says she likes the personality of the little girl and the funny parts.

The movie is a pretty faithful representation of the book, which is nice.
Rating: 5 stars

This is one of the books that I read when I was younger and really liked it. Then Cambry came home from school and told me she’d read it with her class and really wanted to see the movie–and we know the rules about that ; )

Indian in the Cupboard is the story about a boy, Omri, who gets a plastic Indian brave from his friend for his birthday. He also gets an old cupboard that locks from his brother and and a key that fits from his mother. Omri put the Indian in the cupboard over night. The next day he opened the cupboard he discovered the Indian was a real man named Little Bear!

The rest of the story tells about the friendship between Omri and Little Bear and some adventures they have. It’s a really good story of friendship, learning to do what is right, and respecting other people. There some old-fashioned cultural references to be aware of though.

Kaia and Cambry Say: I like the story and the creativity and that it was really interesting. Cambry liked the movie better, Kaia liked the book better.
Rating: 3.5 stars

This is one of my favorite Sci-Fi books/series. Ender’s Game is about a very young boy who is recruited to an elite Battle School to help defend the planet (future Earth) in an interstellar war. Ender excels there, and is made a leader of other military trained children where they participate in mock battles that will determine the fate of the world.

The movie version that came out in 2013 starring Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield is pretty different from the book, but worth a watch for sure!

Britton says: This is a really good book and I’m glad you told me to read it! It has a very interesting look about the future and shows that small kids can do incredible things.
Rating: 4.5 Stars

When I started Rules of Magic I didn’t know that it was a prequel to Practical Magic. I haven’t read that one, so I didn’t realize it. You definitely don’t need to have read Practical Magic for this one.

It tells the story of the Owens siblings who have grown up with with strict rules from their mother to limit their realization that they are witches. The most important rule of all is to not fall in love or there will be dire consequences. We follow the two sisters and brother throughout their lives as they embrace who they are, find and lose love and learn about life.

It’s a really interesting story and compelling to read. Hoffman really makes you care about the characters and what will happen to them.
Rating: 4 stars

These are our books of the week. Check back next week for new reads!

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