I can see why this was so heavily recommended when if first came out but unfortunately it doesn’t hit for me. I feel almost like the title is misleading - this is a memoir of one woman’s experiences and understanding supported by a references section. There are some parts that I feel are timeless and worth reading. The chapter about fear and the one about housing for instance. But much of the book is strung together more like a stream of consciousness that it can be somewhat confusing and other parts are so simple that it feels like unless this is the very first political/anti-racist book you’ve read then you don’t get any new perspective or dialogue.

I also feel like Kendall severely missed out on talking about the American military. She touched on it when she covered gun violence but with her talking about intersectionality I would have loved to see her address the cage that is the nearly forced joining and subsequent almost privilege of financial stability it gives.

Maybe this book is too tied into 2020 but I feel like there are many other books that cover these topics more thoroughly and with better organization.

A necessary read. One that you may need a dictionary and wikipedia to fully understand too, as I did.

I haven’t been genuinely challenged by a book in a while, even the ones that I felt changed my opinions or understanding of something. This book pulls no punches. It doesn’t filter itself down nor does it pretend that the way it delivers the message isn’t part of that message.

Work through it if you need. Research the philosophical concepts. Understand and educate yourself. We are more than vessels to pour knowledge into. Just be careful of blindly absorbing the ideas Freire puts forth as he is rather human supremacist in this particular aspect.