The BIG Book Club

Excellent books have been, and continue to be, written about our nation’s state of affairs, and how we came to this point of recognizing the level of societal change we need to make. There are also books that allow us to hear the diverse voices of our fellow citizens; some of whom have known unique struggles in their quest to realize the American Dream; voices of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian; the poor of all ethnicities.  Book club members read and discuss such materials to enlighten and educate ourselves, and thus make common cause in compassion and solidarity.  Come join us! If you’d like to find out more about how to join the BIG Book Club, please email info@bandoninclusivitygroup.com.
 
Below you’ll find a compilation of recommended books that cover issues of racism, psychology, politics, and the intersection of these topics in the context of the history of the United States. We encourage readers to purchase titles from BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) owned book stores and/or locally.  Please note that the following icon: ⇒ denotes books we have read in the BIG Book Club. If you have other recommendations to add to this list, please don’t hesitate to let us know!

Book titles we read Summer 2021:

May 13th and 27th, 2021
See No Stranger by Valarie Kaur
“See No Stranger is a practical guide to changing the world, a synthesis of wisdom, a chronicle of personal and communal history – all joined together by a story of awakening.” 
Available via Bandon Library *must order ahead, comes from outside libraries. 
 
 
June 10th and 24th 
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad
“Me and White Supremacy: A 28-Day Challenge to Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor leads readers through a journey of understanding their white privilege and participation in white supremacy, so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on black, indigenous and people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too. The book goes beyond the original workbook by adding more historical and cultural contexts, sharing moving stories and anecdotes, and includes expanded definitions, examples, and further resources.”
 
Available at Bandon Library, Overdrive and booksellers
The author’s site:
This book has an associated workbook. 
 
 
July 8th and 22nd
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
“Widespread reporting on aspects of white supremacy–from police brutality to the mass incarceration of Black Americans–has put a media spotlight on racism in our society. Still, it is a difficult subject to talk about. How do you tell your roommate her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law take umbrage when you asked to touch her hair–and how do you make it right? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend? 
 
“Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to “model minorities” in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life. “
Available via Bandon Library, Overdrive, and booksellers
 
August12th and 26th
White Fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism  by Robin DiAngelo
Available at Bandon Library, Overdrive and booksellers. 
 
The author’s comments about the book:  https://www.robindiangelo.com/publications/

BOOKS CONCERNING RACISM:

⇒ “Mending America’s Political Divide: What Science Tells Us About Solving the Political Hatred Between the Left and the Right” by Rene H. Levy, PhD

⇒ “See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love” by Valarie Kaur

⇒ “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin
DiAngelo

• “Race & Racism: A Critical Approach” by Tanya Golash Boza

• “How to Be an Anti-Racist” by Ibram X. Kendi

• “Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good
Ancestor” by Layla F. Saad

• “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates

• “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

• “Long Time Coming: Reckoning With Race in America” by Michael Eric Dyson

• “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness” by Austin Channing
Brown

• “Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White People” by Michael Eric Dyson

Books Concerning Understanding our Brains, Other People, Politics and Framing Our Ideas

• “Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think” by George Lakoff

⇒ • “Don’t Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate” by George Lakoff

• “The Political Brain: Why You Can’t Understand 21 st Century American Politics With an 18 th Century
Brain” By George Lakoff 

• “Lead From the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change” by Stacey Abrams

•  “American Poison” by Eduardo Porter

Books Concerning Racism & American History

• “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America” by
Ibram X. Kendi

• “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn

• “Trouble in Mind” by Leon F. Litwack

• “The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime and the Making of Modern Urban America” by Khalil
Gibran Muhammad

• “Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History 1513-2008” by Henry Louis Gates Jr.

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