Social Justice Books

Critically reviewed selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

Carter Reads the Newspaper

Review Source: Zinn Education Project Book Author: One of the most important advocates for teaching the full story of African Americans in U.S. history was Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Woodson founded Negro History Week in 1926 (which grew into Black History Month), the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), and […]

We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide

Reviewed by Edi Campbell Review Source: Cotton Quilts Book Author: We Are Not Yet Equal is an adapted version of Anderson’s White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide. Anderson, an African American woman, is the Charles Howard Candler professor of African American Studies at Emory University who researches public policy in relation to race, justice, and equity. […]

When Stars Are Scattered

Reviewed by Lidwien Kapteijns Book Source: African Access Book Author: This graphic novel for 9-12 year-old readers is a real masterpiece. It is based on the life of a Somali boy called Omar, who had to flee his rural village in Somalia in 1991 when he was four, and, together with his mentally challenged younger […]

Calvin

Interview by Audie Cornish, Jonaki Mehta, and Sarah Handel Review Source: NPR Book Author: Instead of a review, we are posting an interview with the authors of Calvin,  JR and Vanessa Ford, by Audie Cornish, Jonaki Mehta, and Sarah Handel at NPR. Calvin was always a boy — but the world did not recognize him that […]

Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay

Reviewed by Lucy Sieczka Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author:  Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay by Kelly McWilliams follows the story of 17-year-old Harriet Douglass on her mission to stop a neighboring plantation from becoming an event venue. Harriet has lived on the Westwood Plantation for about a decade as her parents restored the […]

Juliet Takes a Breath

Reviewed by Sawyer Lovett Source: Lambda Literary Author: Do you remember the first book that changed the way you looked at the world? The one that made you question the status quo and your place in it? For Juliet, a chubby 19-year-old Puerto Rican queer girl from the Bronx, it’s Raging Flower: Empowering your Pussy by […]