An excellent start to Ani-Racist living

This is an awesome starting/jumping off point for anyone who wants to read up on racism and how to be a proactive ally. One of the real selling points of this book is the length. Yes, it is on the short side coming in at about 170 pages, many of which are a single sentence, but if you’re trying to get someone who may be a bit narrow-minded or ignorant to the issues being raised this is a great book to introduce people to the concepts without being bogged down or overwhelmed. Pocket size books are some of my absolute favorites because it allows you to learn about a topic in a general sense and then you can dip into more robust reading to continue your education. Far too often people want to learn about a subject but are unable to consume an entire non-fiction book about said topic, so breaking it down to the beginner essentials is a great idea to gain more readers.

The author of this book, Sophie Williams, is also a popular Instagram creator and I love how this book reflects her style on the site without being too overbearing. She uses bold, block print for her main points and expands more in her Instagram captions, just as how the pages are set up here. It’s a great way to combine her popularity on Social Media into the book world and I immediately knew who this book was by.

This book is exactly what it promises. It’s a very quick guide to not only be anti-racist but also how to be a good ally to others and how to get active within your communities and the large world. It talks about how not being racist isn’t enough, you have to actively be anti-racist and take action to use your privlege to improve the world around you for people who do not have that luxury. As it is stated in the book, this is a introduction to being anti-racist, not the only book you should read, and just because you read this doesn’t automatically give you an understanding of everything involved. You have to want to continue learning and the author helps bridge that gap by including a great list of further reading at the very end.

A great jumping off point for anyone inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and wanting to get involved and improve the world.

Title: Anti-Racist Ally
Author: Sophie Williams
Format: Paperback
Pages: 176
ISBN:  9780063081352

Three Descriptors: Sobering; Thought-provoking, Quick-Read

Read Alikes:
How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi
So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
White Fragility by Robin J DiAngelo
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates