The New York Times Book Review - Kaitlyn Greenidge
Reynolds's engaging, clear prose shines a light on difficult and confusing subjects, including anti-blackness and the creation of racial capitalism. Terms like "segregationist," "integrationist" and "anti-racist" are defined in direct, accessible language, becoming real tools for a reader to take from the book. This is no easy feat. These ideas are the water that we all swim in. But the book's pauses of white space and radical changes in font and text size force the reader to stop and really consider what is being deconstructed.
From the Publisher
Praise for Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You:
"An amazingly timely and stunningly accessible manifesto for young people....At times funny, at times somber but always packed with relevant information that is at once thoughtful and spot-on, Stamped is the book I wish I had as a young person and am so grateful my own children have now."
—Jacqueline Woodson, bestselling and National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming
"Sheer brilliance....An empowering, transformative read. Bravo."—Jewell Parker Rhodes, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Boys
"Teens are often searching for their place in the world, in Stamped, Reynolds gives context to where we are, how we got here, and reminds young people-and all of us-that we have a choice to make about who we want to be. This unapologetic telling of the history of racism in our nation is refreshingly simple and deeply profound. This is the history book I needed as a teen."
—Renée Watson, New York Timesbestselling and Newbery Honor-winning author of Piecing Me Together
"Jason Reynolds has the amazing ability to make words jump off the page. Told with passion, precision, and even humor, Stamped is a true story-a living story-that everyone needs to know."—Steve Sheinkin, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Bomb and Born to Fly
"The R-word: Racism. Some tuck tail and run from it. Others say it's no longer a thing. But Dr. Kendi breaks it down, and Jason Reynolds makes it easy to understand. Mark my words: This book will change everything."—Nic Stone, bestselling author of Dear Martin
"If knowledge is power, this book will make you more powerful than you've ever been before."—Ibi Zoboi, author of the National Book Award finalist American Street
"Reading this compelling not-a-history book is like finding a field guide to American racism, allowing you to quickly identify racist ideas when you encounter them in the wild."
—Dashka Slater, author of The 57 Bus
"the must-read book of the moment...potent and provocative"——San Francisco Chronicle
"Reynolds's engaging, clear prose shines a light on difficult and confusing subjects....This is no easy feat."—The New York Times Book Review
* "Readers who want to truly understand how deeply embedded racism is in the very fabric of the U.S., its history, and its systems will come away educated and enlightened. Worthy of inclusion in every home and in curricula and libraries everywhere. Impressive and much needed."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "An epic feat... More than merely a young reader's adaptation of Kendi's landmark work, Stamped does a remarkable job of tying together disparate threads while briskly moving through its historical narrative."—Bookpage, starred review
* "Required reading for everyone, especially those invested in the future of young people in America."—Booklist, starred review
* "Reynolds and Kendi eloquently challenge the common narrative attached to U.S. history. This adaptation, like the 2016 adult title, will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact. Highly recommended for libraries serving middle and high school students."—School Library Journal, starred review
* "Eye-opening...this engaging overview offers readers lots to think about and should spark important conversations about this timely topic."—School Library Connection, starred review
* "Reynolds (Look Both Ways) lends his signature flair to remixing Kendi's award-winning Stamped from the Beginning...Told impressively economically, loaded with historical details that connect clearly to current experiences, and bolstered with suggested reading and listening selected specifically for young readers, Kendi and Reynolds's volume is essential, meaningfully accessible reading."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2019-11-10
Award-winning author Reynolds (Look Both Ways, 2019, etc.) presents a young readers' version of American University professor Kendi's (How To Be an Antiracist, 2019, etc.) Stamped From the Beginning (2016).
This volume, which is "not a history book," chronicles racist ideology, specifically anti-blackness in the U.S., from its genesis to its pernicious manifestations in the present day. In an open, conversational tone, Reynolds makes it clear that anti-black racist ideology in the U.S. has consistently relied on the erronious belief that African people (and black people in general) are "dumb" and "savage," ideas perpetuated through the written word, other media, and pseudo-science. Using separationist, assimilationist, and anti-racist historical figures, a direct line is drawn throughout U.S history from chattel slavery through the Civil War, Jim Crow, the civil rights era, the war on drugs, and #BlackLivesMatter, with plenty of little-known, compelling, and disturbing details inserted. Readers who want to truly understand how deeply embedded racism is in the very fabric of the U.S., its history, and its systems will come away educated and enlightened. It's a monumental feat to chronicle in so few pages the history of not only anti-black racism in the U.S., but also assimilationist and anti-racist thought as well. In the process it succeeds at connecting "history directly...to our lives as we live them right this minute." Worthy of inclusion in every home and in curricula and libraries everywhere.
Impressive and much needed. (further reading, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-adult)
