Social Justice Books

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

We Are Gems: Healing from Anti-Asian Microaggressions through Self-love & Solidarity

Reviewed by Zapoura Newton-Calvert Review Source: Reading Is Resistance Book Author:  I saw We Are Gems on social media and was interested in the focus on solidarity and healing. This book was self-published by the author and illustrators through their writing collective, Just Words, Just Deeds. There is an upsurge in self-publishing the books that […]

We Still Belong

Reviewed by Debbie Reese Source: American Indians in Children’s Literature Author: What I particularly like about Christine Day’s books is that she includes things that I know kids know about. For example, young people are way into video games and gamer culture. More about that later. Early on in her book, we learn that Wesley […]

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition

Review Source: Zinn Education Project Book Author: Finally, a book about the real Rosa Parks — the Rosa Parks who was a lifelong activist, tireless organizer, and who did so much more than refuse to give up her seat on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama. In story after story, Jeanne Theoharis and Brandy Colbert breathe […]

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 […]