The book is short yet nicely written. The content of the book is divided into two major parts, the first one covers what is stereotypes and how it affects the working of our brain. The first part covers many types of research done in the last few years supporting stereotypes of various kinds. The following section gives a few methods and relearning that help us train our brain to reduce already set stereotypes in our minds. The author used easy language at a smooth pace. Example and research took are relatable. The artwork used in the book is also wonderful.

All too often we think to ourselves "that's not me" or "I don't think like that!". Reading this book puts the a practical, easily understood perspective on stereotypes, and how are brain processes them. It is amazing how little things can affect our thoughts and actions, even when we don't realize they are. I would highly recommend this book to be read by everyone and taken to heart to help change our world to one of kindness, understanding and reconciliation.

Being a data scientist, I consider stereotypes as machine learning. Many of the machine learning theories and models were devised based on the working of our brain. So I can say that I am not surprised by the content of the book.

The book is short yet nicely written. The content of the book is divided into two major parts, the first one covers what is stereotypes and how it affects the working of our brain. The first part covers many types of research done in the last few years supporting stereotypes of various kinds. The following section gives a few methods and relearning that help us train our brain to reduce already set stereotypes in our minds.

Coming to book design, the author has used easy language at a smooth pace. Example and research took are relatable. The artwork used in the book is also wonderful.

Overall an enjoyable book deserves 4 out of 5.

My Thoughts
WHAT IT IS
This book is an overview of the science behind stereotypes: from why our brains form them to how recognizing them can help us be less biased. It shows how labels are crucial for us, from infancy onwards; but like all things, they come with a downside if we use this labeling and classifying everywhere without a second thought to the impacts.

From teaching us the science behind stereotypes and biases, to how science can help us overcome these almost inbuilt, unconscious biases, this book has it all.



An eye opener, useful lessons, and hope bundled in a book.

THE HOW (I FELT)
I learned a lot from this book; most importantly, to look within, to look toward myself and figure out how I view myself using unconscious biases and more; and then to examine a little more closely at how I view the world or others around me.

While many of us believe that we are not biased or racist or any-other-similar-thing, and we are making efforts to be more inclusive than ever before, what we don’t realize is that there is so much more at play within our brains that influence our everyday decisions – big and little; where bias, stereotype, and a myriad other things have an impact without our realization. This book opened my eyes to those little things (sometimes big too).

On the other side, it also shed light on many events in history that I had no idea of, as well as scientific research and related activities – all of which were super interesting and informative.

I loved how Tanya Kyi has presented all these important topics in language that is perfect for all audiences – easy to understand and relate, while not speaking down or dumbing down anything in the process. And Drew Shannon’s accompanying colorful illustrations provide the perfect complement.



With definitions of various keywords sprinkled throughout, and interesting examples from history and more recent events, this book with the look of a chapter-text-book is so much more; and it packs a powerful punch indeed.

I also loved the comprehensive reading lists included at the end.

PERFECT PAIRING
There are so many books currently on these topics and you could pick anyone of them. I have one such list of books <a href=https://www.ladyinreadwrites.com/books-to-inform-and-enable-conversations-about-race/">here </a>

IN SUMMARY
Overall, a must-read indeed – not only for its intended middle-grade audience but for older readers too, including adults!

Middle grade nonfiction can be tricky but Kyi and Shannon make it look easy here — using an engaging tone, fun graphics, and sidebars to present current studies and evidence about bias, stereotypes, and how to overcome them. The ideas are sophisticated and well-researched enough to make this an easy-reading introduction or review piece for YA and adult readers, but distilled into simple enough language for preteens.

It's only 5 chapters and about 80 roomy pages, but I appreciated the breadth of topics and the somewhat global perspective. American kids may be slightly confused by a section that involves participants "writing a test" (which they may interpret as creating, rather than taking a test) and I'd like the author to rethink the use of "pretty crazy" in a sidebar title, but those are minor issues overall.

The book ends on a hopeful note, giving specific things individuals can do and reiterating a variety of projects that are having a positive impact — "police officers in St. Louis, Missouri, are learning to recognize hidden bias. Hospitals are implementing new policies and procedures, like the one at Johns Hopkins to ensure women get better blood clot-busting care. Soap opera producers in Rwanda are helping people develop empathy for other ethnic groups." There's also a further reading list, a fairly robust reference section, and a decent index.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this for middle grade libraries everywhere and for families and individuals trying to be more aware of their unconscious biases.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher file a digital ARC.

An extremely interesting look at stereotypes - the history, the science, and the impact. I loved the illustrations and the design on this book - it made reading it easy and helped drive the impact of the information present. It broke down some history into very readable chunks. The tone of the book reminded me a lot of Stamped From The Beginning, which I loved for its digestible presentation of the history of racism in America for middle/high school students. This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes does a similar thing, but with the history and science of stereotypes, especially related to sexism or racism. I really liked how it also includes ways to rewire the mind, causing the reader to examine their own bias and think about changes that could be made. I not only recommend this book for my middle/high school students, but for adults as well, who want to challenge what they think they know about stereotypes, in order to change the world and our brains.

This is a really special book. A lot of people know about inherent bias, but this breaks it down so everyone can understand how it works and why people born into certain privileges have biases they don't even know about and how they can work against them to be more inclusive people.

The use of research, but written for middle schoolers and high schoolers is a refreshing approach to the teaching of science. The fascinating facts about stereotypes and prejudice, with authentic examples makes for an interesting read. This may be a book I use when teaching young adult literature to pre-service teachers.

“This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes” by Kyi - is a great text for middle and high school students. As our brain makes sense of life and possible danger, it labels things and situations. However, that is not where it stops. Stereotypes are culturally created and are very hard to identify unless we step out of the environment or intentionally and critically think about it.

While this book needs to be introduced to grades 6 and up, it is highly recommended for adults of all ages.

This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes is an interesting and engaging read that invites readers to interrogate their own biases and assumptions and to understand how the brain arrives at stereotyping. It is an especially timely book, because with racism being on the national forefront, it is imperative that we havea deep understanding of how we are socialized and learn how we categorize humans and their behaviors, and how we believe that our perceptions are truths.

I appreciate the readability of the book in terms of clarity, but it was not available for a Kindle download, and I struggle to read on the computer in Adobe format. I would love to have this book in hard cover so that I can read it more thoughtfully and actually use it with my students.

I received an eARC courtesy of NetGalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a great introduction for children on how our brain essentially gets hard-wired towards prejudice (in many forms). It is supremely well-researched and the writing is quite accessible for youth. The illustrations do help move the text along, but might not be quite what kids are used to these days as they do give a bit of an old-fashioned vibe.

Overall, I think this would make a worthwhile addition to most libraries and probably a good one for librarians to read themselves as well.

This is an absolute must-read for middle grade readers and should be for adults as well. The author gives evidence-based reasoning for why stereotypes happen, how they happen even if we don’t want them to happen, what the consequences are, and even how to overcome them.

My kids found the entire book fascinating- great illustrations and really compelling writing. We’ve had a number of conversations about the subjects that it brought up. One of the most fascinating parts is how people know to
say that they aren’t bigots, but those words don’t always show themselves in actions, such as in the “ Ralph's Garage” experiment presented by Kyi. Callers were less likely to help someone whom they perceived to be Black over the
phone. Measuring actual bigotry in this manner is going to be more accurate than just asking someone if they have bigoted thoughts.

Kyi’s book introduced my kids and I to “stereotype threat.” This is when people feel that they may be conforming to stereotypes of their group or a group they are perceived to be members of. It was easy for me to point out
behaviours of my son, who is perceived as a minority in Japan, that may stem from stereotype threat from children and adults with whom he interacts. But what is amazing is that my kids were able to point out some of my behaviours
that may be related to stereotype threat. As a very visible foreign resident of Japan, I am aware that there are more eyes on me than on my Japanese neighbours, and I try very hard not to live up to bad stereotypes. My kids told me I am much stricter about trash division than any of their Japanese friends’ moms, because I have had the unenviable experience of being blamed for someone else’s trash going out on the wrong day or the wrong bin.

These stereotypes, however, have much more serious consequences than neighbours leaving a bag of unwashed fish cans on a doorstep. They lead to systemic racism, eugenics, and even genocide. Kyi makes us understand the
why and how of stereotypes, but also leaves us with some ways to improve things, and examples of people who have spoken up.

This book would make an excellent addition to any curriculum, and I hope it is used widely in schools and the community. It’s the book we need, and I wish I’d had when I was in junior high.

I’m just glad I read it now.

I really enjoyed this - even for adults it’s worth reading! An important book for young people - I’d recommend this for school libraries and to parents everywhere.

In a previous life I spent around a decade researching attitudes, stereotypes, and the brain, so the topic of this book is near to my heart (and several of the people whose research is described in this book were my academic colleagues, heroes, or friends). So I'm predisposed to like this book, but I thought it was a very clear, concise, readable and engaging discussion of stereotypes, prejudice, their effects, and how to change them and mitigate their effects. The illustrations were charming, the research explained well, and the focus on real world impacts and was well done. Great introduction for older kids (or even adults).

"We're not born with ... preferences or stereotypes, but we're definitely born with the capacity to learn them." (Yair Bar-Haim, 2006, quoted in This is Your Brain on Stereotypes).
This is an informative book on an interesting and highly relevant subject. Tanya Lloyd Kyi explores contemporary psychological theory around how humans form implicit or unconscious bias and how it impacts upon our behaviour, both individually and at a societal level. In the final chapter, "Rewiring the Mind" and conclusion, she sets out the necessary conditions and several strategies for changing the way we think and supporting the movement towards a future where minority groups experience less discrimination.
The text is supported by Drew Shannon's colourful and fitting illustrations, and the book includes both a further reading list and a comprehensive list of sources in published scientific journals.
While the book is ostensibly aimed at middle-grades readers, the information contained within it is fairly complex, making me wonder whether the initial chapters might find many middle grades independent readers becoming "bogged down". I would recommend This is Your Brain on Stereotypes as a stimulating read for high school students or adults interested in an overview of the subject matter, as a companion read for parents and teachers of middle-graders or as a useful teaching resource in provoking further discussion amongst younger children. Confronting topics such as the Holocaust and police shootings are raised within the text.
My thanks to the author and illustrator, Kids Can Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this title.

This Is Your Brain On Stereotypes takes a look at the types of stereotypes our brains form, how the brain forms them, the ways in which these stereotypes impact us all, and some of the things we can do to fight those stereotypes in ourselves and in the world around us.

In this upper middle-grade nonfiction, we view the oppression and marginalization in our society through a scientific lens, a unique view of social justice that should allow many readers to realise the ways in which we have all absorbed stereotypes and that this doesn't have to be the way the world is. It manages to be both incredibly informative and incredibly sensitive, giving us the information we need to know about really difficult subjects while also avoiding any insensitive pitfalls.

Overall, this is a truly fantastic and informative read, and even though the target audience is upper middle-grade, teens and adults should still find themselves learning scientific facts while also learning how to positively change their own toxic views. Highly recommended!

DNF: this book looks like an interesting addition to a school library, but it wasn't what I was expecting, and it isn't eligible for promotion on All the Books.

This book is perfect. I loved how it explains bias, discrimination, and other terms in easy to understand ways. I find the background information through out the book to be easy for children to follow along. I also like the small activities to help children understand. I will definitely be using this in my classroom.

An essential read that provides relevant and up-to-date teachings about stereotypes, why we have them and their potentially negative repercussions. With change-making as its focus, This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes provides simple strategies for reversing the ways we stereotype each other and discriminate based on those stereotypes. This is a great resource for parents, teachers and young adults, while also providing an excellent jumping off point for anyone ready to ignite change both within themselves and the communities that they live in. Thank you Tanya Lloyd Kyi for creating an easily digestible read with practical steps towards a much more equitable and empathetic future.

We humans see things in fine details but store in black and white. We simply things before storing. We group things. We create stereotypes which stay with us willingly or subconsciously.
We see certain features as good, others as bad.
These are stereotypes that we create. But these can be harmful. It is explained in book in great detail.
Stereotypes related to females, blacks, country of origin and similar such facets creates a world that is difficult for minorities.
Why police shoots more blacks and females get few mentions for their works is all discussed.
A good and extensive book that has wonderful illustrations accompanying it.
Thanks netgalley and the publisher for review copy.