ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Kiely, Brendan

The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege

272 pp. | Atheneum/Dlouhy | September, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-1-5344-9404-6 $18.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-5344-9406-0 $10.99
(2) YA An introduction by Jason Reynolds, coauthor with Kiely of All American Boys (rev. 11/15), begins this honest and informative reflection on what it means to be white--and a call for white readers to take anti-racist action. After stating that conversations about race and racism often occur between caregivers and children of the Global Majority (the term Kiely uses throughout), the author opens the door to a conversation on whiteness for an assumed white readership. Using the first-person perspective, and with a casual tone but a deliberate use of language, the author relates personal stories, while acknowledging the contradictions of his authorship and of de-centering whiteness. Voices of youth and of those not always recognized by mainstream society are celebrated. Section breaks pace readers and invite them to pause and reflect; questions offer further opportunities for reader engagement. Kiely carefully scaffolds content, embraces discomfort, rejects either/or binaries, and owns his mistake-making: "I know I'm not going to get everything right. But I think I have to try." Charts and timelines showcase facts about history and racist systems and institutions; extensive back matter is included. Throughout this heartfelt model of white racial identity development, the emphasis remains on self-interrogation, group responsibility, and anti-racist accountability.
Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

RELATED 

SOCIAL SCIENCES

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry
by Yoo, Paula
SOCIAL SCIENCES

Our World Out of Balance
by Minoglio, Andrea
SOCIAL SCIENCES

The Birthday Almanac
by Saunders, Claire
SOCIAL SCIENCES

Areli Is a Dreamer
by Morales, Areli
SOCIAL SCIENCES

Design like Nature
by , Clendenan, Megan & Woolcock, Kim Ryall
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?