I don't think this book needs any introduction, since it was one of the cornerstones of every antiracist reading list circulating - and with good reason. Part memoir, part textbook, Dr Ibram X Kendi provides definitions and explanations of all the different types of racism at large in the US (and elsewhere, but a primarily US focus), while drawing on his own past experiences. This book is helpful in recognising all the ways race can intersect with things such as class, gender, ethnicity and biology to create different types of oppression.

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One of the things I appreciated most was Kendi's attitude towards 'racist' as a descriptor. Today, 'racist' has become an almost slur, given the vicious way people, usually white, react when called it. But as Kendi points out, we need the word 'racist' to point out actions and behaviours that are harmful - being racist or antiracist is not a permanent state. Eliminating 'racist' from our everyday vocabulary because it offends people more than the idea that they are actively doing something harmful means it's more difficult to identify racist behaviours and change them.

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Kendi is out here admitting and owning his past racist thoughts and behaviours, and his desire to change them, but we still have some white people maintaining they've never had a racist thought in their lives. Refusing to acknowledge internalised racist thoughts, developed by living in a racist society, is incredibly dangerous, as it prevents us from recognising and challenging them. No one's asking us to air our dirty laundry on social media, but we need to work on it - Layla F. Saad's Me & White Supremacy is useful for this.

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And anyone still labouring under the 'one race, the human race' delusion needs this book too. Race might be a construct, but racist policies and inequities are very real. Choosing to believe racial equality has been achieved means flat out ignoring racist policies, leaving the status quo unchallenged and unchanged.

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Highly recommend the audiobook which Kendi narrates, but a physical copy would be easier to make notes from!