Book Reviews

Whether you want a book for a gift or you want something to read yourself, there are literally hundreds of books about racism to choose from. Here are a few suggestions.

Annette Gordon-Reed is a history professor at Harvard University who has written a book that every American should read, and it should be required reading in every high school. Her special gift as a historian is to describe the complexity of past events so that they reveal the people who made them. Then, as a social commentator, she shows how Texans and Americans are products of history by sharing stories about her family and herself.

I met Will Jawando because we both participated in President Obama's White House mentoring program.

For me, a white man, the book opens up a window into the challenges Will faced, challenges that he says are not unique to him. Will says it is important for white people to learn the stories of Black men and "help to shape a new story about who America is." Reading "My Seven Black Fathers" is an excellent way to learn a story of an amazing Black man.

"Little Brother" is a personal story of love and heartbreak. It is also a window into a world shaped by the intricate web of racism, guns, drugs, poverty, and violence.

If you care even the tiniest bit about understanding the world outside of your own privileged box, read "Little Brother." You'll be glad you did.

Marion Helland was known to her family as a teacher and a civil rights advocate, but the extent of her activism became more fully evident after her death. When she died, she left behind fifty boxes of memorabilia from her 91 years of life. Her nieces, Diana and Pam, studied, organized, and learned from the contents of these boxes, ultimately writing “Breaking Free From Rigid Boxes.”

“The Cult of the Constitution” is a very provocative discussion of the U.S. Constitution. Franks observes: “We are facing a continuing crisis of constitutional inequality. For more than two hundred years, the lion’s share of legislative, judicial, political, and social resources has been devoted to protecting the constitutional rights of white men above all others…It is hardly surprising, then, that the picture of who holds power today does not look that different from 1787.” Her critique of the Constitution is convincing.