BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR 

Bernard, Emily. Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine. Vintage. 2019. 240p. ISBN 9781101972410. pap. $16. MEMOIR
Bernard, a Black literature professor from the South who now lives in Vermont, writes about the role of race in her life and her family’s.

Lawton, Georgina. Raceless: In Search of Family, Identity, and the Truth About Where I Belong. Harper Perennial. 2021. 304p. ISBN 9780063009486. pap. $17.99. MEMOIR
Lawton, raised as a white Briton by white parents, never wondered why she looked different than them. After taking a DNA test, she exposes a family secret that compels her to grapple with her Blackness and identity.

Laymon, Kiese. How To Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America. Scribner. 2020. 176p. ISBN 9781982170820. pap. $16. MEMOIR
Carnegie Medal winner Laymon writes about being a Black man in Mississippi in this essay collection (a reissue of the 2013 edition, now with six new essays).

Philippe, Ben. Sure, I’ll Be Your Black Friend: Notes from the Other Side of the Fist Bump. Harper Perennial. 2021. 320p. ISBN 9780063026445. pap. $16.99. MEMOIR
Philippe reflects on his role as “the Black friend” (the person white people turn to for insight into Black life), pop culture, and the immigrant experience.

Ruffin, Amber & Lacey Lamar. You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism. Grand Central. 2021. 240p. ISBN 9781538719367. $28. MEMOIR
Sisters Ruffin and Lamar compare their personal and professional lives in a funny, vivid account that unpacks the realities of coping with constant racism.

Young, Damon. What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays. Ecco. 2019. 320p. ISBN 9780062684301. $27.99. MEMOIR
PEN-longlisted essays from the co-founder of VerySmartBrothas.com, about growing up Black and gay in Pittsburgh.

SOCIETAL EXAMINATIONS

Garza, Alicia. The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart. One World. 2020. ISBN 9780525509684. $27. SOC SCI
Garza recounts her evolution as an activist and creating the Black Lives Matter movement, and offers lessons for advocacy.

Hamad, Ruby. White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color. Catapult. 2020. 304. ISBN 9781948226745. pap. $16.95. SOC SCI
Hamad explains how white feminists reinforce racism and seek to maintain and advance their own privileges, often at the expense of Black women. Pairs well with Hood Feminism.

Kendall, Mikki. Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot. Viking. 2020. 288p. ISBN 9780525560548. $26. SOC SCI
Kendall writes a searing critique of mainstream white feminism and its neglect of issues like hunger, the education gap, and a living wage, drawing on her own experience as a Black Chicagoan.

Kendi, Ibram X. How To Be an Antiracist. One World. 2019. 320p. ISBN 9780525509288. $27. SOC SCI
The essential introduction to antiracism as a concept; Kendi weaves together lessons with his own experiences to create a practical guide for readers.

McGhee, Heather. The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. One World. 2021. 448p. ISBN 9780525509561. $28. SOC SCI
McGhee posits that U.S. disinvestment in civic infrastructure stems from a zero-sum mindset among white people—that if Black people benefit, white people lose. She travels the country to investigate the impact on public hospitals, parks, and schools.

Starred titles are considered essential for most libraries.

Rebekah Kati is the Institutional Repository Librarian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been reviewing for LJ since 2012.