Member Reviews
Love that there was a Christian book by a BIPOC author written on the subject of racism. There were lots of good ideas. Every Christian should read this book. It was full of practical wisdom and a hopeful spirit.
Jemar Tisby is a gift to our generation. This book is so important for all ages. I will be recommending for all readers! Thank you for the advanced copy.
A phenominal book with wonderful naration. The story telling was captivating. I appreciated listening to this book specifically because it allowed me to hear what felt like very personal stories. I think this was a wonderfully put together book that contains an important narration. I would recommed this book.
I can't wait to recommend this book to my library! I was surprised by how engaging the author and narrator were in this book. Sometimes nonfiction can feel tedious even when one cares for the subject matter. The use of practical examples and anecdotes makes this book stand out from others like it. If one is looking for a unique voice in better understanding and fighting racism both in public and personal spheres, this is the book for you!
This book was just WOW!!! so many times while listening i had goosebumps or tears to my eyes. The entire time i was listening to the audiobook it felt like having a conversation with a friend and I cannot explain enough how much this book has impacted me. The author goes in depth in so many topics and conversations related to racism all the while explaining everything carefully and rightfully. I could sit here and discuss my love for this work for hours, it was just eye opening in so many ways. Well done! highly recommend if you are looking to expand your knowledge on racism. Props to the author, Jemar Tisby, for doing all this thorough work!
5/5
Full spoiler review and discussion coming to my blog in a few days
thank you netgalley for the ARC
*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Read this out of curiosity since im not christian but it was worth the read and interesting for sure.
This was such an interesting read. The relationship between anti racism and Christianity was beautifully explored by Tisby. The audiobook was especially good as it is narrated by the author himself. This should be required reading for every Christian.
I found this book to be interesting! I enjoyed how Jemar Tisby, who is Black Christian person bringing Christianity and race together. At first, I wasn't sure WHY Tisby was trying to explain fighting racism by using Christianity and the bible, as a Christian person of colour, I find the church as a religious institution to be problematic because often (currently and historically) perpetuates racism. After a lot of reflection, I appreciate Tiby's bringing his voice to Christian literature (a genre that is often white-dominated) and exploring how racism could be fought through the use of the Bible.
This book was so educational. It thaught me so much. Tisby really explained everything super good. I didn't understand a lot about religions and Tisby explained exactly how it has to do with racisme. I think this book is especially made for white christians. This is a must read for them. I myself are white and this book really helped me understand a lot more. Tisby really explained everything you could to against racisme. One of the strongest point is this book was the ARC framwork (Awareness, Relationships, Commitment). He is categorizing different kinds of way to fight racisme.
This audiobook was challenging and I think its' content will sit with me for a good while yet. I appreciated how practical it was and how wide its' scope was. One thing that stayed with me was the challenge to rethink the historical value of public monuments and iconography of the past. What do we do with the monuments that attest to public figures whose personal and public dealings were reprehensible? Do we destroy them, put them in museums so that we do not forget or do we leave them be? I am coming to understand why they are so detestable. Statues to people are also monuments to honourable or praise worthy figures. Walking past someone who did my family harm would stick in my throat and shout that justice has not been served. So I am thankful to this book for opening my eyes to this issue amongst others. It was not an easy listen but that is not a bad thing. I think the author / narrator's tone was strong and that made the listen confronting. That is not necessarily a bad thing; the subject matter is very serious. I can imagine that it would make some people feel affronted. I think I would suggest that the listener accepts that this is not an easy listen but we ought to listen and listen and be very slow to question. We need to listen.
Excellent book for whoever you are and wherever you may be on the journey of ethnic discovery.
There’s so much to be learned in regards to race and racism, and I found myself as a Christian person of color both encouraged and challenged. What I love about this book is that Tisby provides very practical actionable steps to take in order to help move racial justice forward.
Though I may not agree with all of his suggestions, he so graciously and confidently presents the logic and reasoning behind them that I want to learn more and continue growing.
I thought this book was excellent and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Zondervan for kindly providing me with a digital audio copy of this book for review.
First of all I must preface that I am a British white woman and I’m of no particular faith, although I am respectful towards religions. I’m therefore perhaps not the intended audience for this book- which is very much focused on exposing and discussing systemic racism in the USA, with a big focus on racism within the American Christian Church. However, with that being said, there was still much to educate me in this book and I certainly found it a useful read.
In the last few years I have been making a concerted effort to read more on race and racism and to understand terminology such as white privilege and white fragility, and I have definitely increased those efforts since the BLM protests in June 2020. This book is very current and timely as it does discuss right up until this moment in time.
I was very keen to read this book as the relationship between white supremacy and religion fascinates me. To me it does not tally that someone can claim to be Christian and follow Christian teachings, yet still support politicians, policies, and political parties that enable systemic racism., and even use racist language routinely. The book discusses in detail how and when this kind of racism occurs- and how the church is another area where there is systemic racism that needs to be confronted.
He also has interesting points to make in how to talk to children about racism, which as a mother to two small boys, I am very interested. And there is also some useful advice aimed at BAME people in relation to the workplace and how to promote a more racially aware work environment, and when they should consider leaving an employment if the companies systematically racist policies or practices are too much for one individual to take on and lead to a toxic environment for that person.
I do feel it was an important book, and the discussions within this book need to keep occurring. The very religious leanings of this book may mean that some elements of this book are not going to work for everybody, but I still feel the author has many worthwhile and important points to make on racism in the wider sense, so it should be read by people, such as myself who do not practice the Christian faith.
I also feel that the author narrating his own book was an effective decision- he was an eloquent narrator and as he wrote the book, he is obviously very close to the source material and understands the way it should be delivered.
Another amazing and thought provoking read by MR. Tisby. With all the recent events in the past several years, this book comes right on time. In it, the author gives sound advice as to what the church can do to combat the sin of racism, especially in the church, where it seems to have run amuck. This should be read by every christian, but unfortunately, some don't like to be called out, so the ones that really need to read it probably won't. It was a very well written book. So much so, I bought a hard copy to have as a reference. Well done
I'm still figuring out my rating system for nonfiction since I don't read much of it but I think this book deserves 5 stars because of the amount of information it gives and how it is shown, and it delivers what it promises.
This book, in simple terms, sets out to teach How To Fight Racism, in more detailed terms in talks and introduces the A.R.C. of racial justice. It's divided into three parts Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment.
I found Relationships to be underdeveloped in terms of tangible and insightful tools to achieve the goals set out at the beginning of the part. It still had the best components of the books which were factual examples with direct quotes and statistics regarding the formation and current form of the US with respect to relations and segregation.
My personal favorite was the part of Commitment, more specifically chapter 8. I thought some advice from this chapter weren't directly useful to me (I'm not a US citizen) I think they can be easily adapted to my actions toward my government with the appropriate research. Either way, I found the information to be very precise and explained with clarity.
The narration was greatly done, even if I hadn't checked before I think I could've known it was the own author narrating because the passion and the understanding of the subject showed through the tone.
Though I digest information best through audio and the narration was great I think I could benefit from the physical copy. There were so many quotes, from the bible, from historical figures, and from the author I wish I could highlight light and bring it with me everywhere.
Now for the Christianity aspect, I'm not a Christian but I've grown up in a Christian environment, both social and governmental. I don't have the highest appreciation for the religion itself, and that was definitely highlighted in this book. I don't think it would be fair to lower my rating on account of this because I should've assessed myself better before requesting the ALC. However, I think I should mention it for people who have complicated relationships with Christianity or religion as a whole. I was looking forward to the educational aspects on the matter, the quotes and the examples the racism and reparations different churches, I loved listening about how the bible states diversity and I do recommend educating yourself on the things that affect your environment (Christianity ) so everything that was educational was welcomed.
*Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with the ALC of this book.*
This was a phenomenal book giving a great understanding on how the church should respond to the needs in the wake of racism that’s long since existed. Thanks!
Name: How to Fight Racism
Author: Jemar Tisby
Genre: Non Fiction, Racism, Discrimination, Prejudice
Rating: 5/5
Review:
This is one of those books that I think everyone should read. Anyone who want to know more about Racism in USA should definitely read/ listen to this book.
The narrator has done an amazing job, describing everything properly.
The introduction in the beginning was intriguing, I was astonished how the author has described Racism. He gave us a new perspective, explaining how Christianity has contributed to Racism throughout the year. And what we can do to contribute our support against Racism.
This book was definitely eye opening for someone like me. I have known about the existence of racism in USA, but I was ignorant of the scale and depth of this discrimination, how it shaped the people and how profound were their pain and scars, 2020 Black Lives Matter was my first introduction to this topic. After BLM, I wanted to know more about this, I wanted more and more people should support BLM and speaks against this discrimination. This book was written for someone like me, a normal citizen who want to do their part in contributing to this movement. So I will suggest all of you to read this book.
"A lot of people say that talking about racism is divisive, to which I say, no, racism is divisive."
- Jemar Tisby
The real division isn't caused by bringing up uncomfortable topics like white privilege. The real division is caused by our lack of inaction to change systemic racism which results in real harm to Black people. That is the serious stuff.
And can we change it if we refuse to bring it up?
I love Jemar Tisby's approach to combating racism in this book. Jemar writes from his Christian beliefs, but it's helpful information for all people. His message is practical. His words are clear.
Jemar shares this head-heart-hands framework he created: The ARC of Racial Justice.
A—Awareness
This is the "head" stuff. Educate yourself. Get the knowledge and information you need to assess what's really happening. Get accurate data so you'll know what to do next. Explore your own racial identity. Jemar suggests writing your own racial autobiography.
Study the history of racism and the church. A great place to start is Jemar's first book, The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism.
R—Relationships
Let your "heart" be touched. Having authentic relationships with people who are different than us motivates us to combat racism.
And remembering that all of God's children are made in his image helps our hearts continue to grow, even when things gets sticky.
C—Commitment
This is the "hand" work. This section is where Jemar answers the most frequent question he gets about fighting racism: "What do we do?" Knowing and feeling are important. But doing is crucial.
Jemar answers with lots of practical advice, including deconstructing laws that unfairly affect people of different races.
This is an excellent book for all of us learning how to fight racism.
My thanks to Net Galley for the audiobook of How to Fight Racism.
Filled with great perspective on this topic & I felt it was very well researched & a book that provides the listener with insight into this topic during our current times. The audio was done very well by the author himself. I’m glad I was able to listen to a copy of this book & it definitely gets you thinking & learning.
An excellent resource for Christians, especially those working inside the Church, but its practical nature may be helpful to anyone wanting to know what to actually do. Tisby has created an accessible handbook that explains the path of action through Awareness, Relationships, and Commitment. He advises on small things you can do today, and bigger things that require a more dedicated long-term approach. Overall, I was impressed that Tisby figured out a way to address the "How to" that left me with a sense of impetus and hope.
In his new book, Jemar Tisby takes us on a journey of how to fight racism—the is not simply a how to manual. He gives the Christian basis for the fight in well considered textual and historical explanations. He also gives us an American perspective on the issue, with historical commentary. He explains historic systematic racism as well as the different stages people might be at in dealing with their own racist tendencies.
Nowhere does Tisby reflect a disrespect for or condescension toward either those who practice racism or those who aren’t quite sure what to do about it yet. He approaches the topic with humility and the intent to take people wherever they are and teach them at that level. It makes the book approachable and useful when talking with those who remain entrenched in certain racist tendencies or attitudes. He has a gift of teaching powerful truth in a disarming way that can get past defenses and allow for change.
His approach is clear and well explained. The framework is an acronym ARC. “ARC is an acronym that stands for awareness, relationships, and commitment.” Then, the thoughtfulness and helpful attitude with which he comes at the topic comes out: “Perhaps you are just starting the journey, and even baby steps are accompanied by the risk of stumbling and falling. But you learn how to walk one step at a time through persistent, informed practice.*
And yet, he tells the clear truth about the topic. “In order to fight for racial justice, racism must not be lightly dismissed. It must be treated as the evil offense against God and human beings that it is.”
I learned how to mobilize my community for change. I discovered ways I can fight systemic racism that I had no idea I could do. The church I pastor has moved past many of the troublesome issues he mentions, but we can still learn and grow and unearth attitudes and beliefs we don’t know we have. We have the tools to serve our community better because of Tisby’s book. We learn how to: talk to our kids, cultivate relationships, see our own past, learn, take apart systems, create our own statements of justice, give out to our community, and more.