This was….okay. I feel like if I had read it at the original publishing year instead of as a backlist item, I would have enjoyed it more. I feel like my politics have evolved past the Uber-liberal state of college student and into a more radical unaffiliated independent point of view. Some arguments made felt outdated for today’s state of the nation.

Anti-Racist Ally by Sophie Williams is a small, yet powerful book setting the base for anti-racist activism. This book will give you the background information, definitions, and explanations to help better understand everyone's role in society and the fight against racism. I hope this book provides everyone else with the knowledge they also need to be more politically active and societal activists in the future.

I will be utilizing this brief and impactful guide in an upcoming conference session on Allyship./White Accountability...it's that good!

Founder of the wildly popular @officialmillennialblack Instagram account, Williams has written this handy pocket-sized guide for those working to up their anti-racist game. And we all need to do that.

In the vein of “So You Want To Talk About Race,” this book joins the toolkit of Anti-Racism 101 books. An excellent starter for anyone unsure where to begin, with reading lists & resources for continuing to learn.

Super short pocketbook guide to how to actively engage in antiracism. This whole guide is very succinct, easy-to-read, cohesive, and well-organized. I think this guide is helpful as a refresher to those of us who have already read longer texts from Ta-Nehisi Coates or Ibram Kendi, but it would be too concise for folks unfamiliar with the whys -- why racism exists, why racism still pervades in today's "progressive" world, and why anti-racism is absolutely necessary to fighting for a more just world.

This is a great primer for someone new to anti- racism. Clear, concise, unflinching, well organized, and leaves room for growth. Bear in mind, if you're farther along on the marathon that is anti-racism, this book is too simplistic and you'll just end up skimming it. But I don't think people at that point are the intended audience.

{4.5 Stars}
This book was amazing. That's all I have to say about it. It was truly and utterly amazing.
This short novella is just a glimpse at how to be actively anti-racist and an ally. It's bold headings and blunt language depict the many ways to do so. Sophie Williams does a wonderful job at teaching the ways to start being a better activist and person. The only qualm I have is that I wish it was a tad longer. I understand that it was short for a reason but some parts felt a little lackluster, and I wish that they were a longer.

I really enjoyed the practical tips offered by this book. The black lives matter movement has left people wondering what to do to help achieve racial equality and this book is a wonderful guide with meaningful steps that can be taken in your own life to create change. Alone we may not be able to change the world, but we can start with OUR world. I also liked the definitions and explanations of terms. I would highly recommend this book.

*Disclaimer: I received this eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for fair review.*

I do racial equity work/education and been following @officialmillennialblack on instagram for a while now, so when I saw she was writing a book I HAD to have it; I love the space she holds for those that are learning, and since I’m in the U.S. her perspective and experience is a smidge different.

Concise and straightforward, this is a perfect primer for people who want and need explicit instructions as they maneuver trying to be less fragile (and more anti racist). It’s basically an FAQ — and best read in digital form, given the inclusion of hyperlinks. She covers a breadth of topics, and gets to the point of what people’s mindsets should be as they do this work. There are a LITANY of people to whom I’ll be recommending this book. I’d put it right up there with “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo.

I've always enjoyed @officialmillennialblack's feed when I came across it on Instagram, so I was really excited to be approved for her new book!

This is a really, really good primer of how to be an ally, and why it's so important to be anti-racist. I've done a lot of anti-racist reading, so this book could've gone a bit more in-depth, but it was a really good introduction to anti-racism and how to incorporate the strategies and tactics in daily life.

This is an incredibly important read for anyone who needs to adopt anti-racist thinking, which should be each and every single person on this planet.
•••
Thank you Net Galley and Amistad Books for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Anti-Racist Ally is exactly as the subtitle suggests - an introduction to activism and action.
I appreciate the layout of the book. We start with terminology and advance to action items. I also love the Further Reading section in the back to find more resources to learn, which includes books for young readers as well.

This isn't really a book review (clearly it would get five stars), but a call to action. It's the perfect pocket book (only 173 pages) for everyone to start learning. Remember, it isn't up to others to teach you. It is your responsibility.

"Allyship leads from behind. It's not making it all about you or looking for praise or credit for your work, especially from marginalized people, but about listening to voices that too often go unheard and seeking to uplight and amplify their messages."

I was provided an early release copy of Anti-Racist Ally by Sophie Williams through NetGalley and Amistad (HarperCollins Publishing). Williams, a black woman, created this small, digestible guide to anti-racist allyship. It is a great book that clearly outlines and describes the different facets of anti-racism and allyship. I have read many other books on racism, anti-racism, and being black in the United States, that discuss history and the lived experiences of the writer. What I enjoyed most about this book is how short it is as well as how great of an introductory read the book is for many people. The author created a short less than 200-page guide to becoming an anti-racist ally. The book ends with a further reading guide, a list of books that are great to read next.

I appreciate this book, how short and easy to read it is, and I know I will continue to re-visit this work in the future. I find that it is beneficial, because so many people just do not know where to start with this movement. The author lets the reader know that this is not the end, that you do not just do some of the work and pass it on for someone else to pick up after. This work is ongoing, never ending. Remember white privilege allows me and others that look like me to forget about this oppression and racism because it does not affect us like marginalized people.

This book is the perfect starting point for those who wish to join others in fighting for equality. I think most people who read books about white privilege know there are issues in our schools, workplace, banks etc. and are ready to act and to help make changes. This book will help you do that. It addresses marginalized groups and how to support/help when our system puts them at a disadvantage. So many books focus on "the Problem" and it leaves me frustrated because I need the "Solution". I need action items. Sophie's advice is welcoming, encouraging, insightful and applicable. She simply addresses an issue, shows how it affects marginalized individuals and then points out ways to help. I cannot wait to purchase this book to keep as a reference/coffee table book. Easy to read and apply to life. I highly recommend!

Anti-Racist Ally is just what it says it is: it is a quick introduction to becoming an anti-racist ally.

It is incredibly readable. The sections are all short, and so it’s easy to start and stop, and the language is common vernacular for the most part. It’s not an overly academic book that is going to be harder for some to read. The format in and of itself is incredibly approachable.

My only worry is that Williams could have been even better at defining some terms that are in the racism lexicon. I would agree that most people in 2021 should know what a microaggression is, but maybe they don’t. And some of it is just a little funky, for example, she talks about intersectionality before getting to the part of the book where she really defines intersectionality. For those of us who have been talking about race for a long time, they are familiar terms that we don’t even think about, but I think that to those just beginning to learn about racism, having all of these terms thrown at them can be really overwhelming. So although she did a fairly good job of having definitions and actually introducing words, I think it could have gone further.

However, like I said, it was overall very readable and easy to understand. Although there wasn’t much that I personally haven’t read before, it is exactly the kind of book I would like to give to my friends and family who are beginning their anti-racism journey. And of course, Williams acknowledges that her book is the beginning of the journey, and recommends lots of other resources for continuing anti-racism education. Anti-Racist Ally fulfils its goals perfectly, and if you are looking for an anti-racism introduction, or want to give one to others in your life, I think this is a great book for that purpose.

This slim manual is a great starting point for beginning your anti-racist education. It has a light touch on a sweeping variety of types of racism. If you're looking for basic definitions or want to understand some buzzwords you have heard in the media over the past year, this is a great little reference tool. While this book is by no means exhaustive, it makes important points and offers suggestions for further reading and ways to engage. If you are some one who has gone through life without thinking about or being made aware of your race, this book is for you.

Anti-Racist Ally is the perfect pocketbook for those who want to know where to start in their anti-racist journey or for those who want other tangible ideas for action. The book is short but packed with information. The information shared is clear, concise and easy to understand. She provides plenty of ideas for action as well as conversations that need to happen in friend groups, families, communities, workplaces, and in politics. I would highly recommend this book!


Thank you to the author, Amistad, and NetGalley for providing a copy to review!

A great, concise guidebook on how to truly become an ally, not just a performative ally. Clearly the title will only appeal to people who want to make a change, but I wish there was a way to make it mandatory for the whole world! It provides very clear definitions and action items even for those who might not be as socially conscious just yet, and the suggested tasks throughout will appeal to those already well-versed. Includes a great reading list at the back of the book. In short, this book is a gift. Being an ally is not about asking POC to teach you, but Williams does so here with grace!

With all that has been coming to light lately with other races, I have been trying to read more about what it means to be Anti-Racist and an ally.  I never really realized how much white privilege there is out there and how much of it I had benefited from until I started doing more of a deep dive into reading about racism.  This is a short book and is a relatively quick read - which I liked.  Everything was broke down into small, easy to digest sections to make me think and figure out ways to react.  I am honestly not sure I will every fully be Anti-Racist, but that doesn't mean I won't continue to work towards it and continue trying to make progress.  I also liked that the end of the book had a list of other related books to read.  With this one being so short, if I wanted to take a deeper look into other similar topics, I have a list of them all right at my fingertips. 

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

I thought this was a very informative book about how people can be an ally for the marginalized people all around the world. I love how Sophie Williams broke different terms down through out the book and how she is not talking down to the reader but wanting to encourage people to become an ally, but also do it in the right way. I wrote down all of the different resources she provided and going to be doing my own research to find out what I can do not just in my own community, but across the country and the world. Thank you Sophie Williams for writing this book.