Tiffany Jewell’s book, This Book is Anti-Racist, is not just a fantastic book for youth who are looking to increase their own activism. It is also a tool for young adults to make sense of their own identities and to dive deeply into issues of privilege. Jewell does a remarkable job of conveying the importance of activism, without making it seem like this will be easy for teens who are still concerned with social image.

I was lucky enough to receive an Advance Reader Copy of this book through NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books. It is one of the best tools that I think a family or classroom could have to introduce a variety of identity groups, institutional racism, and methods for combating racism in communities. In a relatively short text, Jewell provides an enormous amount of information. While this could have been overwhelming, Jewell thoughtfully includes opportunities for reflection at the end of each chapter in her book (there are 20 chapters, so many opportunities to reflect). Readers are asked to think deeply about their own identities, their histories, and their actions when they encounter racism in their communities. These opportunities for reflection also allow for readers to process the large amount of information that is packed into each chapter of the book.

While the information throughout the text is very intense and readers might start to feel a bit overwhelmed by all that they are facing as anti-racism activists, the illustrations by Aurélia Durand are bright and vibrant, showing the power and energy of small groups and individuals taking action against injustice. While Jewell never makes it seem like the journey will be easy, this book provides hope that young activists will prevail.

Wow. I am rather blown away by this book - and sad that now I'll have to wait until January to get my hands on a physical copy and start sharing it with young people! As a (white, female, cis) educator, I can already see numerous ways this resource could be used in and out of the classroom, by both kids AND adults.

The book does a great job of breaking up the text with eye-catching graphics, inspiring quotes, and thoughtful activities for self-reflection which create an engaging and very personal experience for the reader. The text itself is in-depth enough to do justice to the issues being addressed, without being overly dense for young readers. It's a nice balance of introducing important theory while also emphasizing real-world application - what these things actually mean for YOU in your everyday life. The tone feels relatable and empowering, and manages to be fully inclusive of all readers regardless of race (while also drawing attention to the ways in which the reader's own identities might relate to the information presented). The book is well-organized, with 20 short chapters divided into 4 sections, plus a helpful glossary, notes, and additional resources listed in the back. The author's letter to the reader at the beginning also provides important context and advice for the work ahead, such as, "I hope you will share this book with your friends and families because fighting racism really isn't something you can do all on your own."

Books that aim to help young people make a difference in the world can sometimes come across as preachy to their intended audience - but I anticipate this one will do just the opposite, drawing in tweens and teens with the colorful graphics and engaging format, and leaving them with new knowledge, self-understanding, and tools to confront racism in their own lives. And that goes for us adults too!

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
This is an important book for everyone! These are still relevant topics that need to addressed and the author does so in an informative and interactive way.

Tiffany Jewell's This Book is Anti-Racist is a timely and much-needed manual for all of the children and young people in your life. Like, seriously, go out and buy it for them now. They will surely love you all the more for it.
Like the great Angela Davis once said, “In a racist society, it’s not enough to be non-racist—we must be ANTI-RACIST” and this book tells this to the people that matter the most: the next generation. Because, in them, we have our best fighting chance in stopping the injustice and discrimination in its tracks.
Racism, after-all, has to be perpetuated in order to survive. It is a social construct, an arbitrary and abstract one at best, and therefore, if we raise an entire generation of children without it, it fails to fester, to grow, to spread. It is like an infection: staunch the flow, cut off the breeding ground.
This book aims to do just that. To lift up a generation of anti-racist warriors and, I know this may just be me looking on the bright side for once in my life, but I think they just may have it in them. I am a great proponent, after-all, of the idea that children are our future; every day, people who are far younger than I am, inspire me with their erudition, their ambitions, their wisdom and I hope, more than anything, that this book will enable them to put all of that into action.
That it will begin to give them the resources to challenge the systems, both at an international and individual level, that perpetuate injustice and discrimination; to think about the racialised language of their teachers, their peers and figures in the mass media; to start discussions, both in public and in private, about the nature of racism and whether they want to live in a world in which its structures remain systematic. Because even small steps, quiet conversations, minute changes have loud and ricocheting effects for the world at large.
And, by allowing them to channel all of their greatness into real political change, This Book is Anti-Racist will surely form many a young person's first steps on a journey towards a world that will be better for us all.

I chose to review this book because the topic is timely and, amazingly, still on-going. The text is well-written and thought-provoking. The issue of racism (and, indeed, of treating people as "less than" in all circumstances) is current, and I feel like this book is an important read. Recommended.