Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You

Aremixed remix of a foundational text.

Kendi’s Stamped From the Beginning (2016) is a crucial accounting of American history, rewritten and condensed for teens by Jason Reynolds as Stamped (2020). Educator Cherry-Paul takes the breadth of the first and the jaunty appeal of the second to spin a middle-grade version that manages to be both true to its forebears and yet all her own. She covers the same historical ground, starting with the origins of anti-Blackness and colonialism in medieval Europe, then taking readers through the founding of the U.S.A. and up to the present, with focuses on pivotal figures and pieces of pop culture. Cherry-Paul does an unparalleled job of presenting this complex information to younger readers, borrowing show more language from Reynolds’ remix (like the definitions of segregationists, assimilationists, and antiracists) and infusing it with her own interpretations, like the brilliant, powerful, haunting metaphor of rope woven throughout. “Rope can be a lifeline,” she says, and “rope can be a weapon….Rope can be used to tie, pull, hold, and lift.” Readers are encouraged to “Think about the way rope connects things. Now think about what racist ideas have been connected to so far: Skin color. Money. Religion. Land.” Baker’s stark portraiture paces the text and illustrates key players.

Exhilarating, excellent, necessary. (timeline, glossary, further reading.) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

-Kirkus Review show less

I recently added this book to our grade 4/5 school library. Written in a way children can understand, it helps explain the complicated history of racism. I didn't realize how sad I would feel after finishing it. In under 150 pages, it demonstrated how little has changed over time. It blows my mind that in 2021 we still have those who think someone's skin color is an indicator of intelligence or morality. I have students of various races, nationalities, religions, and gender identities. Sometimes they get along and sometimes they fight, like all kids, but it's about kid stuff like who took an extra turn or who cut in line, not about their color or where they're from or what they practice or who they are. Why do some adults continue to show more perpetrate racism? It breaks my heart.

One minor quibble as a librarian. There are a number of stories listed in chapter 11 as having included racial stereotypes. I didn't see the connection in all of them, such as Peter Pan and Curious George. Maybe I'm just not well-informed enough, but if I don't understand what's racist about the titles listed, children won't. Perhaps a parenthetical note after each one would help in a future edition.

This book is a kids' version adapted from Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You . I would highly recommend adults reading that alongside their children reading Stamped (For Kids). And then TALK. As the authors warn:

"Scrolling will never be enough. Reposting will never be enough. Hashtagging will never be enough. Because hatred has a way of convincing us that half love is whole." show less

Adapted From Stamped, a History of Race, Ibram X Kendi and Jason Reynolds, Stamped for Kids is an easy to understand history and current implications of race and racism in the United States. Talking in language that does not overwhelm, but is still honest, this book gives new comers into their Anti-Racist journey a chance to get the foundational knowledge they need to know what people are talking about, why they are talking about it, and what they can do to help.

What I Liked:

This book is what young people need. Many of the topics on race and racism are geared toward a young adult crowd, and many have intense descriptions of violence that may be unhelpful for a young person to work through when they are starting to understand race and show more racism. The book is still honest, does not create excuses, and provides a history and explanation that people need to know why this is still an issue.

What I Missed:

I would like to see more on intersectionality in this book. While it is touched on, I feel like the book would have benefited from talking about how girls and boys experience race differently- and lead into the conversation about gender. show less

Segregationists - haters
Assimilationists - people who like you only if you act like them
Antiracist - love you cuz you're you

This book was very well written. Bonus that it had short chapters and a laid back tone (my mom hated that part). There was so much information in this book but it was in manageable bites. This was a book club book with some colleagues and we had so much to say about it as it challenged and brought awareness to the way we were raised.

Note to self: chapter notes located in school Google Drive

Gr 4–8—The dark history of racism is made accessible here by Cherry-Paul, an educator who has distilled the work
of Kendi and collaborator Reynolds for middle grade readers, giving young antiracists the tools needed to question
and dismantle racial inequity. The urgency of the writing compels readers to purposeful action.

An adaptation of the young adult book Stamped by Jason Reynolds, which is a remix of Ibram x. Kendi's Stamped from the Beginning. The book is clear to say it is a present book but goes through history to trace roots and ramifications of racism in America (and the world). Looking at behaviors as segregationist, assimilationist, and antiracist and showing ways in which people can move between these behaviors at different times. Concise, accessible. The book uses pauses as a way to break the narrative to explain different concepts and ideas.
A short, powerful read.

RGG: The complexity of the subject matter is just as difficult as the YA version of this book. Efforts to make it friendler to younger readers seem forced and diminishing to the impact of the book's content. Not sure this works. Reading Interest: 10-YA.