This book does an amazing job of making movement work feel accessible to anyone who wants to do more to break down systems of oppression. There is truly something for everyone to take away from reading this book. I have read everything Ijeoma Oluo has written and will continue to read all of her work.

Be a Revolution by Ijeoma Oluo is the second book I have read by the author and it was just as impactful and accessible as her last. Each chapter tackles a different social justice issue, featuring background information, interviews with activists, and practical steps for getting involved. It's a comprehensive guide that left me feeling both informed and empowered to take action!

Ijeoma pours her heart into this book. This book is so needed and I always benefit from first story accounts. It is evident how much care was taken to interview and get each story right. Real life example of how to work in community. ❤️❤️❤️🤟🏼🤟🏼🤟🏼

This was excellent and I can't recommend it enough, especially the audiobook read by the author. I've read all of Ijeoma's work and just like her previous two books this one is so comprehensive and informative yet so accessible. It is great for intro to nonfiction readers or regular nonfiction readers. If you have been frustrated with how to be more involved in social justice work and asking yourself "what do I do?" then this is a great book to read. Each chapter has a little background on the issue/topic, then interviews with people who are currently doing the work, and then a summary of what you can do. I really appreciated how each chapter covered a topic, while it is a lot of information you could easily just read one chapter as you have time. Just overall really appreciate how accessible this book is and can't recommend it enough!

Be a Revolution is practical and visionary, activating and inspiring! I want everyone to read this! Give it out for free at bus stops, have it in vending machines like candy, keep it at the grocery store. Grateful for Ijeoma Oluo's work. Yes, I did buy the Audiobook to listen more. Thank you to the author and NetGalley!

this is a super accessible and effective introduction to the work of abolition! i will say i was slightly disappointed because i don't think it accomplishes the "how you can, too" in a comprehensive or effective way, but the rest of this was impressive and enlightening.

Touches on a wide range of topics and gives first hand accounts of those who are currently fighting for what what is right. Oluo also offers strong credibility with personal connection.

This book is an absolutely necessary read for everyone. I savored every page and also listened to it on audiobook, which was an excellent choice to do in tandem with reading.

I know for myself, I often get bogged down with "this problem is too big, where could I possibly start in order to help?". The interviews and analysis in this book filled me with joy and hope and reminded me that there are people already making big rocks into small rocks and the community is there to join.

It was also an excellent reminder that BIPOC should absolutely be at the center of creating solutions, but should not carry the burden of the entirety of the labor.

I would 100% recommend this to anyone and everyone.

Oluo has written (yet again) such an extremely helpful book to guide those who want to positively impact the world. I found the format of the book to be engaging as well as actionable. Each section is a different topic of advocacy (although there is often (always?) overlap in social justice work) and starts with a vignette from Oluo that makes the reader see why the work is so important. What follows us interviews of different people and/or organizations that are working in that space currently. Each section ends with a “Be a Revolution” list of immediately actionable tasks the reader can do to support the work. As I was reading a digital copy, I also really appreciated the list of all individuals and organizations highlighted again at the end so I could follow up on them without having to find the page on my kindle. Bravo Ijeoma; this is one I’m going to be recommending to others looking to make a positive impact. Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper One for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.. I have found the author's other books thought-provoking and they provided new and interesting perspectives around racism and culture. This new book is a wonderful read filled with the author's experiences and how we can make a difference in our world as seen through the many activist's that are profiled in the book. The book is divided into chapters such as abolition, gender justice, race and labor, race and environment, race and education, and race and the arts. For me, I learned the most about disability justice which has kept me thinking in a new perspective. It then wraps it all up with how one can be an activist by being aware of where one is at through the ideas of ability and privilege, mental health and well-being and how to start. Not only does it share how others are doing their activism, it gives a roadmap of how to start in so many different ways. There is also a great resources chapter that lists all the organizations of the people profiled making it easier to get started. I loved this book and the stories of those doing the work inspired me.

This is such an informative read and I can see this being required reading in school. I love the intersectionality conversations and the amount of care Oluo puts into her writing. I appreciate how the book is structured. My only note is that this read is quite long. I had to take a couple of breaks, but I did always go back to it. Well done!

I learned a lot from this book. I confess it was a very slow read for me so I switched from digital to audio half way through. Ijeoma always challenges me to think differently and more radically.

Thank you to netgalley and Harper One for the eARC. I will read anything Ijeoma Oluo writes!

This is an excellent book that covers so many aspects of seeking justice. Oluo provides interviews and stories about everyday people who are making a difference, and then she gives specific and concrete ideas of things to do in those areas for people who are looking to "be a revolution." One of my favorite parts is how she discusses that it's ok to focus on one thing, or to do lots of small things, instead of being a firebrand, life dedicated to one passion type of activist. She brings ableism into the discussion when talking about the different ways to be an activist outside of what is commonly thought of as the way (leading protests, being arrested, working 24/7, etc).

Excellent and thought provoking, and a true guide that the reader can return to over and over.

Following up her first two bestselling books, Ijeoma Oluo offers her third book as an examination of systems of oppression through the eyes of community change makers.

Not only does this book focus on power systems like media, health, housing, education, and more, Oluo includes calls to action inspired by the people interviewed in the book.

If you’re looking for a book with a clear call to action that explains systems of oppression, do not miss out on this book!

Ijeoma's last book, Mediocre, is one of my favorite non-fiction titles of all time! I have been waiting for Be a Revolution since I first heard it was in the works! I loved the structure of this book. Discussing different intersectionalities and then showing a real life example is so effective! I loved hearing so many different individuals' stories and how they've taken action!

I absolutely LOVED Ijeoma Oluo's Mediocre, so I'm thrilled to have been given early access to read Be a Revolution. Oluo tackles such complex and demoralizing subjects and manages to make them feel both accessible and hopeful. Her writing is honest, confident, and deeply personal—much like a mentor or a (much) wiser friend might be.

Based on the amount of highlighting I did in the introduction and author's note alone, I knew I wanted to secure a physical copy of the book for myself. Once she started digging at the roots of abolition (and unearthing a broader sense of the word), or the relationship between race and any number of other factors (incl. education, environment, labor), this book became required reading. I have already recommended this title in a variety of contexts and to a variety of different types of readers, without hesitation.

Thank you to HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review! This may be one of the most essential non-fiction reads of 2024.

Unlike Oluo's first two books which were more passive, readers of this book are asked to get involved in making change. There are many ways given to get involved with various levels of commitment and they all are through the lens of working with and respecting existing structures that BIPOC activists have already created. This isn't as readable as "Mediocre" and the reader needs to be ready to take some type of action so it's not going to reach as large an audience, but it gives an excellent overview of some amazing people doing amazing things.

5 stars

As an ongoing, avid fan of Oluo's, I was thrilled to read this most recent effort, and my incoming high expectations were exceeded.

Oluo is always mindful of the topic and the audience, and I appreciate the constant attention to not only prime information but to how it might (or WILL) be received by different groups and individuals. For me, as a professor and a practitioner in DEIA and ongoing scholarship, there's an added benefit to this approach that makes me more mindful and challenges what I often don't realize are weaker plans on my end. The point is always to learn and to act but mindfully, and I can't get enough of this approach.

While the featured aspect of this title - 'Be a Revolution' - is an obvious call to action, what's more gripping than thinking about how I'm going to act is having access to how many, many others have made strides in their own ways (see the post-colon part of this title). I LOVED learning about how people addressed difficult experiences, ongoing inequities, and unexpected barriers (like pandemics hitting right when their restaurants are scheduled to open). It's easy to give people info and tell them to act, but since one of the most challenging aspects of this work is feeling disheartened by slow progress/seemingly insurmountable institutional barriers/gross people, this is the uplift we all need. The tough stuff is here, too, but there's so much more than that.

I was so into this that I broke a personal rule and - when forced to leave environments in which I could read by sight - I listened to parts of this with an AI narrator. You know what I learned? That bot can't pronounce 'BIPOC.' I'd say I'm surprised, but... Despite the bot's Kareny tendencies, my willingness to absorb in this format reveals how hooked I became. As noted, I loved the personal stories, but the sections on disability and education were also huge standouts for me.

Thanks to Ijeoma Oluo for continuing to do difficult and exhausting work, at times at her own (and her family's) peril. We are listening and eagerly anticipating all future works.

I don't know what to say except that this book, like other writing by this author, should be read by as many people as possible.

Everything Ijeoma Oluo writes should be required reading for all. She writes about race and social issues in such an accessible way that I consider So You Want to Talk about Race an essential jumping off point for anyone looking to understand race and anti racism further. This book is perfect for those wanting to deepen their commitment to antiracism and being a true, active ally to any social or racial justice cause they care about.