The Other Talk
Reckoning with Our White Privilege
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- £6.49
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- £6.49
Publisher Description
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Brendan Kiely starts a conversation with white kids about race in this “well-executed and long overdue” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) introduction to white privilege and why allyship is so vital.
Talking about racism can be hard, but...
Most kids of color grow up doing it. They have “The Talk” with their families—the honest talk about survival in a racist world.
But white kids don’t. They’re barely spoken to about race at all—and that needs to change. Because not talking about racism doesn’t make it go away. Not talking about white privilege doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
The Other Talk begins this much-needed conversation for white kids. In an instantly relatable and deeply honest account of his own life, Brendan Kiely offers young readers a way to understand one’s own white privilege and why allyship is so vital, so that we can all start doing our part—today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This approachable memoir and guide, comprising Kiely's own experiences relating to race and allyship, is a welcome tool to help facilitate conversations with white teenagers about white privilege, and the ongoing journey to become effective allies to those in the "Global Majority," on both a personal and systemic level. By openly detailing personal missteps—from participating in "ninja runs" to jokingly terrorize his neighborhood with fellow white friends, to "recklessly minivanning" down the highway with no consequences save for a "tender" warning from a police officer—Kiely creates a judgment-free space, skillfully demonstrating that there "are two different Americas, divided by racism" and that honestly addressing the realities of whiteness is imperative "to do better than our past." Conversationally addressing common arguments that white people employ during "uncomfortable" discussions on race and privilege, Kiely shuts down justifications with directly applicable data; concrete definitions of terms and ideas, such as cultural ethnicity and race; and anecdotes that both address reader questions and provide the language and encouragement to dig deeper, ask questions, and become coconspirators in the fight for equity and equality. Front matter features an introduction by Jason Reynolds; back matter features an author's note, endnotes, and bibliography. Ages 12–up.
