A fantastic resource for audiences both teen and adults who are needing to learn how to identify and combat white supremacy. This teaches more honest history about both resistance and racism than many history books.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), and NetGalley for a review copy of Rise Up!

I received my review copy of this book quite a while ago and just got around to reading it. That was a huge mistake on my part because this book is EXCELLENT! It definitely deserves a spot in every library serving teen and adult readers. Although it's classified as YA, adults are sure to learn a lot from it. It is packed with information on the history of white supremacy that explains how we got to where we are today. It is a history of racism in America as well as throughout the world, but it's very engaging. I really enjoyed Fleming's writing style. Be sure to pick this one up if you are interested in social justice and antiracism.

I have read quite a few books discussing white supremacy, racism, and bias in America. This is one of the best. It is intended for young adults, but it should really be required reading for everyone. The depth and breadth of topics covered in this book is excellent. Readers will not only learn about the history of racism in America, but they will also look at how history is repeating itself as it continues to impact people today. I think this book is an essential addition to any classroom library. I would also love to see it included within curriculum maps.

Favorite Quotes:
~"If we engage in racist insults or tolerate them-if we don't stand up and say 'This is not okay!'- then we teach others that there is nothing wrong with racism.
~ "Unlearning racism doesn't mean that we need to stop talking about race. Rather, we have to acknowledge how race and racism shape our society in order to change our society."
~ "The true story of our nation's founding is a story of colonial oppression and white supremacy."
~ "Using a racial slur for the name of a sports team is deeply harmful, and no one deserves to have their heritage ridiculed or made fun of for entertainment."
~ "How could a nation claim to foster freedom and equality while keeping millions of people in chains?"
~ "One of the most important legacies of slavery is White Americans' wrongful belief in White superiority and Black inferiority."

I learned so much from this book... that racism started with "othering" people of the Jewish faith for starters! I recommended this book to the Director of Religious Education at my Unitarian Universalist church to be used with the Youth Group. I love that there is more and more information available to help white people learn how to help end white supremacy. It's our job to fix it and to center of the voices of BIPOC and other minority groups. I appreciate how thoughtful, honest, and yet still very age-appropriate this book is. I will be recommending it to more people.

This volume is incredibly readable; short, to the point, and yet incredibly detailed for its length. Written for teens, this is a valuable resource for people of any age who want to know how racism developed, who benefits from it, how to work against it, and why being color-blind is not sufficient in the face of institutional racism. Those who have an understanding of the history that underlies racism and how it was used to justify transatlantic slavery will recognize that the key points have been distilled into this volume; those who are new to the ideas presented will come away with a solid understanding of the history and ongoing issues that impact all levels of society.

I want to say that this volume was easy to read, and in terms of how the information was presented, it was: it is clear and concise, and written in easily-accessible language appropriate to middle school, while not minimizing the issues or using simplified language. In terms of the concepts presented, however, "easy" is not an appropriate term. This is a volume that invites discussion, and while it can be read in a few hours, many people may find it beneficial to read one chapter, discuss the contents, let the ideas digest for a while, and then repeat with each chapter. This is a text that invites discussion, and I strongly recommend it for use within the school setting, as well as by parents who want to introduce the history that underlies these concepts to their teens in understandable and digestible pieces.

This is an incredible introduction for our youth and anyone interested in learning about the rise of white supremacy and it's impact on the US. Racism is alive and well today and finding ways for our younger generations to educated themselves and connect in order to try to break down white supremacy is so important. This is a great way to start them on their journey through social justice and the importance of recognizing WS and racism when they see it. I am thankful that it covers the genocide of Native Americans as I still find it disgusting that we teach peace and thanksgiving to our children when that is not accurate information AT ALL. IMO this is required reading.

Reading this book made me wish so hard that I had something like it in middle & high school. Conversations and opportunities for education about racial injustice shouldn't be reserved for college aged adults. I left this book feeling empowered and ready to act. I can only imagine the impact it would have on the younger audience it's aimed towards. It has easy to understand language and relevant and topical examples. It is an honor to have read it.

RISE UP! by Crystal M. Fleming is about "How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy" and has been named to School Library Journal's best non-fiction books of 2021. This text, recommended grades 6 and up, clearly has an action orientation. It begins with a section on (Un)learning Racism, explores what white supremacy is, and moves on to chapters about the media and sports. Fleming bolsters her arguments with discussions of colonization, Indigenous genocide, capitalism and transatlantic slavery. She writes simply, offering questions for her readers to contemplate (e.g., what assumptions have you made about other people as a result of their race?) and encourages these steps: Make a lifelong commitment to antiracism; Build relationships across racial and ethnic lines; Speak up against racist ideas, images, or behaviors; Support intersectional justice (fighting other forms of discrimination); and Get political. As such, some readers may find the book to be controversial, but Fleming supports her scholarship with extensive notes (over 25% of the text) which will be of interest to students, particularly those in American Studies, American History and Civics classes. RISE UP! received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and School Library Journal.

Link to School Library Journal list:
https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=best-nonfiction-2021-slj-best-books
We are adding to our collection several other recent titles which appear on the School Library Journal list, including Yoo's From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry about discrimination against Asian Americans; Sandler's Picturing a Nation with photographs from the Great Depression era; and Magoon's Revolution in Our Time (a National Book Award Finalist) about the Black Panther Party. We already own Stamped by Jason Reynolds, and, in regards to climate change, we have the adult versions of Story of More by Hope Jahren and On Fire by Naomi Klein.

I did overall enjoy reading about the history of white supremacy and do think many young readers would find this insightful- and while I myself really loved the discussions that this book brought forth, I was however expecting a bit more in how to stand up against racism.

Crystal Fleming's book should be required reading for middle school students. Fleming writes the history of white privilege and how we got to where we are today in clear and understandable terms. The book is encouraging and practical for the reader. Fleming provides real world examples of how young activists can truly change the world. I'd recommend this book for all libraries!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
This is a great book highlighting the history of racism, while also touching on the present, and what we as individuals can do to create a better future. While this book, like many out there, does have a heavy focus on the experiences of Black people, I can understand that as the author herself is Black, and of course the book is going to be primarily about the issues most relevant to her, although she did try to touch on anti-Asian sentiment and Native American genocide.

This book studies the history of racism within the United States. Racism is described within as a notion that one race is inherently better than another, with White Supremacy being the major racist belief in the United States.
While reading this book, I felt very uncomfortable. I think that Fleming was aiming to challenge what you have been taught concerning race and help you to overcome these beliefs when they are unfounded. This book is a great resource for any young person who is wondering what to do to help fight racism. It not only defines what racism is (and is not) but also helps the reader to identify racism, both within themselves and with others.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

This was a good introduction to the history of racism and white supremacy in the US. I think it would be a great resource for middle and high school students. The title is a bit misleading because it's not so much a how-to guide as a history/sociology book. It covers the history of white supremacy, the genocide of Native Americans in the US, and slavery in the US. And it doesn't gloss over those topics like is usually done in school. It provides just enough information to make curious readers want to research even more. Fleming also ties the history of these topics into today and does a good job of explaining how while white supremacy has a long history in the US, it's by no means a thing of the past.

This book is very informative and a great place to go to learn more about fighting white supremacy, however it may not be the best place.

From what I've seen, this book is intended for younger readers. After reading, I would suggest some of the younger readers to do some research and reading elsewhere before picking this up because this book may intimidating or too difficult for them to get through, especially if they're someone that is a bit newer to learning about racism and the more complicated and deeper aspects of it..

Rise Up, was a very informative read. I considered it a very engaging and easy to understand text that was very applicable to the times in which we are living.

i liked how this book educated young people about racism and it’s history. i learned a lot of things. i wish it was more diverse, including biracial and lgbtq people. but overall a good book

Rise Up! exceeded my expectations. It goes beyond the history of racism and segregation in the United States, beyond slavery and white supremacy in America and looks as racial and cultural bias and oppression on a larger scale throughout hundreds of years across the world. Fleming definitely uses her background in sociology to discuss how bias went from cultural differences to racist ideas and actions in various countries going back as far as the Middle Ages.

While I know that there have been many books published recently about racism and social justice, this one is perfect for someone that is just beginning to educate themselves on the history of racism and social justice. Though it is a heavy topic, the YA nonfiction title is easy to follow and retain the information. Fleming clearly defines various terms in the beginning of her book so the reader understands the difference of each and how its origins can be seen today. A truly informative book.

This book gives youth valuable information on how we see the manifestation of white supremacy now with questions to consider and then also taking them on a history journey of many of the key factors/events that led us to where we are now. The vocabulary and level makes the text accessible for youth while giving them a few questions to consider and empowering youth to be/do better.

Rise up starts off with a bang. At first glance it looked like a great match for as it discusses white supremecy and defines the different aspects of white supremacy. The book then switches the focus to slavery and its impact to how the wealth gap has come about. At first it appears that all minorities are to be viewed equally as they cover how colonization supported white supremacy. Once these pages were passed then all the focus was on African American experience ignoring the other minorities that have also explored the effects of the white supremacy.