Reynolds insists from the first paragraph that "this is not a history book," and he's right; what instead he has created, in high rhetorical style, is a taking-to-account of American racism: how it got here, why it sticks around, why it needs to stop. Based on Kendi's National Book Award--winning Stamped from the Beginning (not read by this reviewer), this young reader's edition begins its argument in the European explorations and conquests of the fifteenth century, proceeding through slavery in colonial America through the Black Lives Matter movement of today. It's not an upward journey, though: the book takes a determinedly radical approach to racism and antiracism. Its heroes are John Brown, Malcolm X, and Angela Davis (very well profiled here) rather than Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., or Barack Obama. It's a point of view rarely seen in books for young people, but much of the appeal will stem from its fondness for overbold statements, like identifying a fourteenth-century Portuguese writer as "the world's first racist" only to contradict that claim with a reference to Aristotle within a few pages; and categorical thinking, like saying there were only two kinds of people in colonial America (farmers and missionaries) and, more generally, only three kinds of people in the world (racists, assimilationists, and antiracists). The casual voice is inviting if sometimes glib (comparing owning slaves to owning fancy sneakers, for example), but the joyful epater-ing of la bourgeoisie (e.g., Brown v. Board of Education is "actually a pretty racist idea") offers lots to think and talk about. With source notes, an index, and a suggested reading list (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry). Roger Sutton May/June 2020 p.144(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 7 Up--Kendi's National Book Award--winning book Stamped from the Beginning has been engagingly adapted here for younger listeners by Jason Reynolds. Billed as a "not history history book," the audio traces the history of racism and African American people from 1415 to the present day. Reynolds focuses more on the people that made the history than the events, which gives life to the story. Activists such as Cotton Mather, W.E.B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Angela Davis are spotlighted, as are the American Founding Fathers/slaveowners George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Slavery, the civil rights movement, and #BlackLivesMatter are covered. Kendi reads the introduction to the audio, clearly describing the differences among segregationists, assimilationists, and antiracists. Reynolds narrates the rest with his customary energy and expression, and in a conservational tone which adds intimacy. The audio is set up chronologically and in easily accessible chapters. Younger listeners may find some of the issues discussed both challenging and emotional. VERDICT This audiobook, which has deservedly received a lot of media attention, should be in all secondary school libraries.--Julie Paladino, formerly with East Chapel Hill H.S., NC