How to Be an Antiracist is a 2019 nonfiction book by American author and historian Ibram X. Kendi, which combines social commentary and memoir. It was published under Random House's One World imprint. The book discusses concepts of racism and Kendi's proposals for anti-racist individual actions and systemic changes. How to Be an Antiracist expands on ideas from Kendi's previous book, Stamped from the Beginning, which won the National Book Award in 2016.
“Kendi dissects why in a society where so few people consider themselves to be racist the divisions and inequalities of racism remain so prevalent. How to Be an Antiracist punctures the myths of a post-racial America, examining what racism really is—and what we should do about it.” —TIME
“Equal parts memoir, history, and social commentary, Ibram Kendi uses his own life journey to show us why becoming an antiracist is as essential as it is difficult. This book is honest, brave, and most of all, liberating.”— James Forman, Jr., Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Locking Up Our Own
“Ibram Kendi’s work, through both his books and the Antiracist Research and Policy Center, is vital in today’s sociopolitical climate. As a society, we need to start treating antiracism as action, not emotion—and Kendi is helping us do that. — Ijeoma Oluo, New York Times bestselling author of So You Want to Talk About Race
“Ibram X. Kendi’s new book, How to Be an Antiracist, couldn’t come at a better time. . . . Kendi has gifted us with a book that is not only an essential instruction manual but also a memoir of the author’s own path from anti-black racism to anti-white racism and, finally, to antiracism. . . . How to Be an Antiracist gives us a clear and compelling way to approach, as Kendi puts it in his introduction, ‘the basic struggle we’re all in, the struggle to be fully human and to see that others are fully human.’” — NPR
“If Kendi is justifiably hard on America, he’s just as hard on himself. . . . This unsparing honesty helps readers, both white and people of color, navigate this difficult intellectual territory. Not an easy read but an essential one.” — Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)