Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi

It wasn't intentional that it took me so long to finish this. I got caught up in House of Earth and Blood and then His Dark Materials and I am ashamed that I didn't get back to this until today, and I was so close to done, like 50 pages away...but it is an important book and a must read.

Jason Reynolds is my favorite YA author (and young reader too). If he writes it I will at some point read it. I took my son, who also loves Jason, to see him read from a work in progress (which is now out, Look Both Ways: A Tale Told In Ten Blocks) and it was a memory that will stay with us both forever.

When this YA friendly remix of Ibram's Stamped From The Beginning was announced I immediately preordered it at work. It really is something you must read, and you should have your kids read too.

It is described by Jason as:

"This is NOT a history book.

This is a book about the here and now. 

A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.

A book about race. "

And it is that and more. And honestly it is a little bit of a history book. He goes on to call it a not history history book. 

It covers the construct of race and the way racism has taken hold and never left (no matter what anyone tries to tell you we don't live in a post-racial society) from 1415 to the current day. It introduces important people both on the right and wrong side of history. 

But what I found extremely important was the language used. There are three words it is important to know and understand:

Segregationists

Assimilationists

Antiracists

This is how Jason defines these words:

Segregationists: HATERS. "People who hate you for not being like them" (RACISTS!!)

Assimilationists: People who "like you." But "they "like" you because you're like them." (racists!)

Antiracists: "They love you because you're like you." (GOALS!!!)

He explains these terms in the introduction and explains that over a lifetime a person can act out thoughts and ideas that fall into more than one of these groups. Evolution is possible. Change is possible. But someone can also not realize that they are still acting upon racist ideas because they don't have outright, clearly racist ideas....I know it sounds like and either/or but it can be both/and. 

That all being said we all, regardless of the pigmentation of our outer shell, our skin, should have the goal of being an ANTIRACIST. 

This book may make you feel uncomfortable, it may challenge your ideas, it may challenge your idea of what you thought of your own attitudes, and that's ok. That is kind of the point, to be aware of your thoughts and ideas and make sure you understand them and how to move into the antiracist way of thinking. 

Jason has a way of writing that makes you feel and think without feeling like you are being lectured at or talked down to and it gets in, it hits the mark....

(Finished April 19, 2020)

The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2) by Philip Pullman

I was going to take a brief break The Golden Compass after and read Red, White, & Royal Blue and even started the first few pages. While I liked it I couldn't stop thinking about Lyra so I put it down for now and started this.

Yes it took longer than normal to finish but this time I can't completely put it on pandemic distraction but I lost two damn days to Animal Crossing....first there was a fishing derby on Saturday and then Sunday was bunny day and I had to get rid of all those damn eggs!!!

So now here I am just having finished The Subtle Knife and I again find I can't take a break even though I now also really want to read Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know. That was my plan too, I loved Love, Hate & Other Filters and Internment by Samira Ahmed so I was excited to get her new book but I need to finish this trilogy because of the damn cliffhanger this ended on.


If you watched the show on HBO then you have seen Will but he doesn't appear until this book. I really like him. Him and Lyra are an amazing team. They complement each other and watching them bond and grow was exciting and scary and beautiful. She us so much more than she is on TV and I love her.

If you didn't like Mrs. Coulter before you will totally despise her after this. If like me you didn't like her but felt pity for her that will be gone by the time you are done with this book.

And there is so much I would like to say about Lee Scoresby but in case you are, like me, coming to this story for the first time, I will be careful. He is amazing. He is funny and loyal and brave. And he loves Lyra so much. Given that her parents are who they are it is so nice to see people (and Bears) who want to protect her and truly love her.

I also love Serafina Pekkala. She is fierce and loyal and I feel like this is what Molly Weasley was like a young witch.

I am anxious and worried for where this war is going. I am scared for Will and Lyra.

As for the religion it is here for sure. But I honestly think it is not what I assumed and had taken from reviews back when this was new, it is not about converting. Rather what I am taking from this is a battle between spirituality, admitting you don't know the answers, and the legalistic blind following of organized religion.

So on to The Amber Spyglass I go.

(Finished April 16, 2020)

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) by Philip Pullman

Since being furloughed on March 24, well maybe since even for a week before that, I have had a hard time reading, a hard time focusing on anything....Worries over COVID19, stay at home orders, being out of work, my son's school being closed and if he will get to finish 8th grade and have the traditional transition to high school, how long will this last, etc etc...I feel like I am getting my mojo back. I have had to force myself to turn off the news and limit somewhat my time checking social media for updates. It is helping a little...so please don't take the length of time it is taking me to read books as any kind of reflection on the book...


I of course had heard of this trilogy way back when but hadn't read it. I think it was because I was under the impression that it was going to be preachy and whatnot..But then the HBO show with Lin-Manuel released and I had to check it out..and I really liked it...but then being who I am, I then felt the need to read the books...and here I am..

Of course, I mean it almost goes without saying, the book is somewhat different than the show...first of all there is stuff in the show that doesn't happen at all in the book, I am thinking that it comes up in later parts of the story. Since the show is called His Dark Materials and not Golden Compass it seems like they are pulling from all three books and intermingling them. But there are other differences...Lyra is better in the book, I mean she is much more interesting and deeper. The time line in the books is different, but that could just be because it isn't spelled out on screen, for example the amount of time she stays with Mrs. Coulter before the party that sets her on the road...

Religion...since that was what kept me from reading them before now...I didn't feel preached at or that I was trying to be converted. I was Jewish before I started reading and I am still Jewish now, no pull to go out and join a Church. It becomes more overtly spoken of near the end of the book, but in such a way as I don't know yet if Pullman is preaching for or against religion or overly dogmatic religious views...

I love, I mean really love, the development of the relationship between Lyra and Iorek Byrnison. Ma Costa is so much better in the book as is Farder Coram. As is typical, the book is better than the screen version. Because I watched before I read I didn't have that dissatisfied feeling while watching so maybe I will just operate them in my mind and think of them as two different entities and watch season 2 when it comes out...We shall see...In the mean time I will finish up the trilogy

(Finished April 9, 2020)