I have a long-term reading list, but it takes me a long time to read each book, so let’s start with just what I’m reading right now:
- How to Be an Anti-Racist
I’m about 1/4Th of the way in, listening on Audible. I’m very interested in the ways Kendi concretely defines racist and anti-racism, and how he defines that “passive” is not an option on the “racism spectrum.” - The Cross and the Lynching Tree
I’ve owned this one on Kindle for ages, but just got a physical copy because I suspect I’m going to want it; haven’t started it yet. I’ve only recently realized that, theologically and socially, what I want to throw my life behind more than anything else is Black liberation. And if that’s the case, I need to read work by the people who first started talking about it that way. Cone is seen by many as the father of Black Liberation Theology, so this is definitely a good place to start. - White Fragility
This and “How to Be an Anti-Racist” Are definitely the two top books for “white people joining book clubs in the response to the uprisings across the country in June.” I have known I need to read this since it first came out, but it’s only been through many social media arguments with white people who’ve shown an incredible amount of fragility—suggesting we’re attacked when we are disagreed with—and also a growing awareness of how hard I take any criticism, even if it’s constructive, that I’ve realized that I need to understand White fragility better.