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Books – Racism

Equality and Anti-Racism Book List Equality and Anti-Racism Book List
Annotated list from Advocates for Human Rights

Fourteen Children’s Picture Books Exploring Race and Racism 
Recommended books for children Pre-school – Grade 4


Non-fiction

Beyond Heroes and Holidays: A Practical Guide to K-12 Anti-Racist, Multicultural Education and Staff Development
Award-winning interdisciplinary guide for teachers, administrators, students, and parents offers lessons and readings that show how to: analyze the roots of racism, investigate the impact of racism on ourselves, our families, and our communities, examine the relationship between racism and other forms of oppression such as sexism, classism, and heterosexism, and work to dismantle racism in our schools, communities, and society.

  • Author: Enid Lee, Deborah Menkart, Okazawa Rey
  • Publisher: Teaching for Change
  • Grade Level: Adult
  • Subject Area: social studies


The Freedom to Be Racist?: How the United States and Europe Struggle to Preserve Freedom and Combat Racism
Explores policies that the United States, Britain, France, Germany, and other liberal democracies have implemented when forced to choose between preserving freedom and combating racism. Reveals that since the end of World War II most countries have increased restrictions on racist speech, groups and actions, but this trend has resembled a slow creep. Argues that we should pay close attention to the specific context and to the likely effects of any policy we implement, and that any response should be proportionate to the level of harm the racism inflicts.

  • Author: Erik Bleich
  • Publisher: Oxford, 2011


How Real is Race: A Sourcebook on Race, Culture, and Biology
Cover the myth of race as biology and the reality of race as a cultural invention, drawing on bi-cultural and cross-cultural perspectives. Extends the discussion to racial educational inequalities; slurs and racialized labels; and interracial relationships.

  • Author(s): Mukhopadhyay, Henze, Moses
  • Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007


Let’s Talk about Race!
Picture book introducing race as just one of many chapters in a person’s story.

  • Author(s): Julius Lester
  • Illustrator: Karen Barbour
  • Publisher: Google Books, 2008
  • Grade level: elementary


Rethinking Multicultural Education: Teaching for Racial and Cultural Justice
A collection of the best Rethinking Schools articles that deal with race and culture. 

  • Author: Wayne Au
  • Source: Rethinking Schools, LTD, 2009
  • Grade Level: adult, educators
  • Subject Area: Social studies, psychology


Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination
Anthology of selections that range from classics by Martin Luther King, Jr., and Gordon Allport to contemporary essays by scholars such as Stephen Jay Gould, Claude Steele, and Peggy McIntosh. Combines research articles, opinion polls, legal decisions, news reports, personal narratives, and more.

  • Author: Scott Piious
  • Source: McGraw Hill, 2002
  • Grade Level: high school – adult
  • Subject Area: social studies, psychology


Voices from the Storm: The People of New Orleans on Hurricane Katrina and its Aftermath
Oral histories of men and women who survived Hurricane Katrina, only to be victimized again by their own government reveal the racial and economic rifts that continue to plague American cities. Many resident of traditionally poor and minority communities suffered incalculable losses and endured unimaginable conditions due to late evacuations and insufficient aid after the Gulf Coast disaster. Fills a crucial gap in the understanding of this disaster. Free download of lesson plans for Voices from the Storm available.

  • Author: Chris Ying and Lola Vollen (editors)
  • Publisher: Voice of Witness/McSweeney’s
  • Grade Level: middle school – college/adult
  • Subject Area: social studies


A White Teacher Talks about Race
Discusses the daily trials and triumphs of her students, 75 percent of whom are not of European descent. Includes some of the practices that work with “nontraditional” students, such as having them write from different perspectives and offering more inclusive lessons about history.

  • Author(s): Julie Landsman
  • Publisher: Scarecrow Press, 2008
  • Grade level: adult
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