A thoughtful, enlightening guide that joins a host of others addressing persistent racism.
A cogent explanation of why respect and acceptance should ground conversations about race.
Headlee joins authors such as Ijeoma Oluo (So You Want To Talk About Race) and Robert Livingston (The Conversation) in offering practical suggestions for thinking about, and talking about, racism. Headlee’s mixed-race heritage—she identifies as a “light-skinned Black Jew”—and “non-race-specific features” have allowed her “to see the racial underpinnings of our society in a way that most can’t, or don’t.” Defining a racist as “someone who makes assumptions about another person (either positive or negative) because of their perceived race or ethnicity,” an attitude not limited to White supremacists, Headlee provides questions and exercises for self-evaluation. Drawing on research from neuroscience, psychology, political science, and sociology, as well as ideas from Buddhist thought and philosophy, the author offers a road map for crafting productive conversations that, she contends, “have the power to change hearts. Among her suggestions are engaging with others through curiosity, fostering empathy, and listening actively. She advocates “using a series of questions intended to increase your understanding” of someone else’s views while also encouraging them “to think through their ideas on a deeper level than they may have before.” Even when disagreeing on important issues, it’s possible to develop a meaningful relationship with someone “simply by spending time with them.” Commonalities, Headlee asserts, “help to build bridges of empathy.” Regarding conversational strategies, she advises that we take turns talking: “Before anyone states their own opinion, they should restate what they heard from the other person, making sure they’ve articulated their ideas accurately.” The author focuses most on private interchanges. In the workplace, businesses trying to promote diversity often employ unproductive methods that do not lead to a change in culture. True inclusivity requires “specific policies,” and it’s vital to realize that “silence is complicity.”
A thoughtful, enlightening guide that joins a host of others addressing persistent racism.Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-309815-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Harper Wave
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Everything about Sabathia is larger than life, yet he tells his story with honesty and humility.
One of the best pitchers of his generation—and often the only Black man on his team—shares an extraordinary life in baseball.
A high school star in several sports, Sabathia was being furiously recruited by both colleges and professional teams when the death of his grandmother, whose Social Security checks supported the family, meant that he couldn't go to college even with a full scholarship. He recounts how he learned he had been drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the first round over the PA system at his high school. In 2001, after three seasons in the minor leagues, Sabathia became the youngest player in MLB (age 20). His career took off from there, and in 2008, he signed with the New York Yankees for seven years and $161 million, at the time the largest contract ever for a pitcher. With the help of Vanity Fair contributor Smith, Sabathia tells the entertaining story of his 19 seasons on and off the field. The first 14 ran in tandem with a poorly hidden alcohol problem and a propensity for destructive bar brawls. His high school sweetheart, Amber, who became his wife and the mother of his children, did her best to help him manage his repressed fury and grief about the deaths of two beloved cousins and his father, but Sabathia pursued drinking with the same "till the end" mentality as everything else. Finally, a series of disasters led to a month of rehab in 2015. Leading a sober life was necessary, but it did not tame Sabathia's trademark feistiness. He continued to fiercely rile his opponents and foment the fighting spirit in his teammates until debilitating injuries to his knees and pitching arm led to his retirement in 2019. This book represents an excellent launching point for Jay-Z’s new imprint, Roc Lit 101.
Everything about Sabathia is larger than life, yet he tells his story with honesty and humility.Pub Date: July 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-13375-0
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Roc Lit 101
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
Some of Avant’s mantras are overstated, but her book is magnanimous, inspiring, and relentlessly optimistic.
Memories and life lessons inspired by the author’s mother, who was murdered in 2021.
“Neither my mother nor I knew that her last text to me would be the words ‘Think you’ll be happy,’ ” Avant writes, "but it is fitting that she left me with a mantra for resiliency.” The author, a filmmaker and former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, begins her first book on the night she learned her mother, Jacqueline Avant, had been fatally shot during a home invasion. “One of my first thoughts,” she writes, “was, ‘Oh God, please don’t let me hate this man. Give me the strength not to hate him.’ ” Daughter of Clarence Avant, known as the “Black Godfather” due to his work as a pioneering music executive, the author describes growing up “in a house that had a revolving door of famous people,” from Ella Fitzgerald to Muhammad Ali. “I don’t take for granted anything I have achieved in my life as a Black American woman,” writes Avant. “And I recognize my unique upbringing…..I was taught to honor our past and pay forward our fruits.” The book, which is occasionally repetitive, includes tributes to her mother from figures like Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton, but the narrative core is the author’s direct, faith-based, unwaveringly positive messages to readers—e.g., “I don’t want to carry the sadness and anger I have toward the man who did this to my mother…so I’m worshiping God amid the worst storm imaginable”; "Success and feeling good are contagious. I’m all about positive contagious vibrations!” Avant frequently quotes Bible verses, and the bulk of the text reflects the spirit of her daily prayer “that everything is in divine order.” Imploring readers to practice proactive behavior, she writes, “We have to always find the blessing, to be the blessing.”
Some of Avant’s mantras are overstated, but her book is magnanimous, inspiring, and relentlessly optimistic.Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023
ISBN: 9780063304413
Page Count: 288
Publisher: HarperOne
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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