If you know me even a little bit, you know that I’m an avid reader. And you know that the books I read inform my strategy and influence my approach to this work. Below is a list of some of the books that have informed my antiracism work. They are listed alphabetically by author’s last name. Enjoy!

All books are linked to one of these four Black-owned bookstores.

The Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib

They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho

The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo by Oscar Zeta Acosta

The Revolt of the Cockroach People by Oscar Zeta Acosta

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There by Sylvia Boorstein

We Will Not Cancel Us by adrienne maree brown

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

Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

How to Be an Inclusive Leader by Jennifer Brown

Your Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown (editors)

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Welcoming the Unwelcome by Pema Chödrön

Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change by Pema Chödrön

Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chödrön

The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahisi Coates

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper

Women, Race, & Class by Angela Davis

Nice Racism by Robin DiAngelo

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Strength of Soul by Naomi Raquel Enright

The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon

How to Be Less Stupid About Race by Crystal Fleming

The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mohandas K. Gandhi

The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table by Minda Harts

Bone Black by bell hooks

Grappling: White Men’s Journey from Fragile to Agile by Andrew Horning

Radical Friendship: Seven Ways to Love Yourself and Find Your People in an Unjust World by Kate Johnson

How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That the Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

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

The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change by Michelle MiJung Kim

Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out by Ruth King

Not My White Savior by Julayne Lee

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Real American by Julie Lythcott-Haines

The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness by Rhonda Magee

That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row by Jarvis Jay Masters

My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem 

Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Five Levels of Attachment by Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. 

Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad

Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World by Sharon Salzberg

I’ll Meet You There: A Practical Guide to Empathy, Mindfulness, and Communication by Shantigarbha

The Buddhist on Death Row by David Sheff 

Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki

I Can’t Breathe: A Killing on Bay Street by Matt Taibbi

Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness, and World Peace by Chade-Meng Tan

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum

The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley

Whatever Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker by Damon Young

A People’s History of the Unites States by Howard Zinn