danileah07's Reviews (1.05k)

This book is tough for me to rate. It's a topic that is incredibly important and should be on everyone's mind. The concept and takeaways from the book are no doubt 5 star worthy. But I struggled with the religious messaging. 

I am guilty of judging books by their titles and covers. This one immediately drew me in with both aspects. However, since I neglected to read the synopsis before requesting a copy from Netgalley, I was unaware of the strong religious tones within the book. As someone who is not particularly religious, the inclusion of Bible versus and messaging took me out of the intended purpose of the book - how to fight racism. The book preaches to love thy neighbor, which is great in theory, but it neglected to address racism within religion, more specifically with the Christian faith.

That's not to say the book is without merit. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Emmet Till, Ruby Bridges, Tamir Rice, and many others. I also liked how the author at the end of most chapters posed questions designed to make readers think and reflect about their thoughts and actions.

Though I can't say I enjoyed the religious aspect of the book, I still very much appreciate the time and thoughtfulness Jemar Tisby took in creating this book, and adopting it for young readers. It covers important topics and invites readers to reflect on their own biases and provides information on how to be a better ally to the Black community