While I went into this book thinking it would be a reflection on current culture and the things that need to be changed with regard to racial conflict, it was instead a strange blend of biography, self-help and history textbook. That's not to say that there isn't good information in the text. There are definitely helpful tidbits and things that made me do a little bit of realization and contemplation. My lack of success with this read will not stop me from attempting to read Kendi's other works as I feel he has a lot of insight to offer.

However, the thing that led me to reduce my rating was primarily the lack of accessibility. The book was a bit dense to wade through. It had a thick academic feel, making it harder to connect with. I stuck through to the end, but I would hazard to guess that many individuals walk away before coming to what I felt were the most impactful pages...the last couple of chapters. I wish it had been written with a more reader-friendly approach.