Starred Review ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Starred Review This absorbing, thoroughly researched book provides an in-depth look at racism and offers steps young readers can take to become antiracist advocates. Fleming, a sociologist, defines racism, its history, and its pervasiveness in a wide range of areas e media, sports, the criminal justice system, and health care. In describing white supremacy, Fleming focuses on how the system has affected all people of color, using examples from history such as the theft of Indigenous peoples' land, Chinese American and Chicano citizenship restrictions, and Japanese American internment during WWII. She examines the lynchings of both Mexican and Black people in the U.S. and recounts the long history of racial violence against Latinx and Asian Americans. Fleming's conversational tone and frequent reminder to readers to reflect on the questions she poses as they read will draw them in, as will the text's ripped-from-the-headlines examples. One of the book's strengths is the statement reiterated throughout that race is a social construct, and she highlights many successful BIPOC who have helped to break barriers. The book's positivity, depth of information not mentioned in other books for this age group, and the five steps provided to help people become antiracist advocates make this a standout and are sure to inspire young people to act.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A clear and damning appraisal of the United States' long-standing relationship with White supremacy-with actionable advice for readers to do better.Educator, researcher, and sociologist Fleming draws from pop culture, data science, global history, and cultural studies, among an impressively wide range of disciplines and sources. This broad foundation represents well how ambitious this project truly is, accessibly delivering, as it does, a mountain of information to an audience of teen readers while utilizing a vocabulary and understanding of racial injustice that is inclusive of the distinct yet overlapping experiences of Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, and other people. From the racialization of Jews in Europe to the displacement and genocide of Indigenous peoples in the Americas, the text details the genealogy of racism and White supremacy while resisting a tradition of Whitewashing and omission. In this way, connections are easily drawn between past and present by way of close examination of the criminal justice system, media representation, contemporary sports, and racial biases in developing technologies. The author is a bisexual, cisgender, African American woman, and she explicitly calls upon her experiences to inform intersectional, lived interpretations of racism and how to best oppose it. Through anecdotes and thorough research, Fleming leaves readers not just with a detailed account of the problems, but concludes with five things they can do to work toward justice.A smart guide to understanding and living anti-racism. (note on language, notes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

Gr 6 Up In her YA debut, Fleming brings readers through the history of resistance to white supremacy, inspiring and educating young activists on how to take up the fight along the way. Each chapter's topicpolicing, immigration, pop culture, and sportsis explored with a lens toward examining the roots of racism and how it manifests. Throughout, Fleming highlights exemplars of antiracist activism, both around the word and in the United States, though with a focus on the latter. The final chapter centers the book's main aim: empowering readers to actively join in dismantling the oppressive systems, and offering directives on and examples of how to begin. The author's voice is engaging and the narrative is deeply informative; her choice of subjects makes for a notably intersectional set of represented experiences. Extensive end notes and an index make this a valuable research and classroom text. VERDICT A first purchase that will build up and inspire young activists.Darla Salva Cruz, Suffolk Cooperative Lib. Syst., Bellport, NY

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

Professor and critical race sociologist Fleming introduces teens to the history of race and racism, beginning with an overview of racist ideas and practices and how they relate to white supremacy. Through examples including European colonizers' stealing of land from Indigenous peoples; the enslavement of Africans; and the U.S.'s exclusion of people from Asia and Latin America through immigration policies, she traces the perpetuation of white supremacy. She also shows, in concrete detail, how racist ideas and practices affect the law; the images we see in movies and other media (with pictures throughout adding context); and the world of sports. Fleming provides readers with the language and knowledge necessary to begin an antiracist journey and offers five steps they can take. She notes from the outset that racism can be an uncomfortable subject but expresses hope that teens learning about it early can enact change. Detailed source notes and an index are appended. Nicholl Denice Montgomery

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A clear and damning appraisal of the United States' long-standing relationship with White supremacy-with actionable advice for readers to do better.Educator, researcher, and sociologist Fleming draws from pop culture, data science, global history, and cultural studies, among an impressively wide range of disciplines and sources. This broad foundation represents well how ambitious this project truly is, accessibly delivering, as it does, a mountain of information to an audience of teen readers while utilizing a vocabulary and understanding of racial injustice that is inclusive of the distinct yet overlapping experiences of Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, and other people. From the racialization of Jews in Europe to the displacement and genocide of Indigenous peoples in the Americas, the text details the genealogy of racism and White supremacy while resisting a tradition of Whitewashing and omission. In this way, connections are easily drawn between past and present by way of close examination of the criminal justice system, media representation, contemporary sports, and racial biases in developing technologies. The author is a bisexual, cisgender, African American woman, and she explicitly calls upon her experiences to inform intersectional, lived interpretations of racism and how to best oppose it. Through anecdotes and thorough research, Fleming leaves readers not just with a detailed account of the problems, but concludes with five things they can do to work toward justice.A smart guide to understanding and living anti-racism. (note on language, notes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)