Goodnight Racism By Ibram X. Kendi

Goodnight Racism

Reviewed By: Daniela Izquierdo 

Synopsis: 

"Goodnight Racism" by Ibram X. Kendi is a book that imagines the creation of a world where everyone has equitable opportunities, is loved all, and accepted by society regardless of their differences, backgrounds, and ways of life by "embracing the power of dreaming". It tackles concepts of racism, justice, equality, and equity in an easy to read format and is a good conversation starter for younger audiences as it depicts a variety of relationships, cultures, and diverse characters working towards a better future. All in all, the story takes shape in the form of a dream and inspires children to work towards achieving justice when they wake up and say "goodnight" to injustices around the world.

Anti-Bias Elements: 

Diverse Representation and Message about Different Lifestyles:

This book highlights various different characters of different origins and ways of life which teaches children to be accepting of others' religions, race, gender, cultures, relationships, and situations. It teaches the children about inclusivity and shines a light on those who are oftentimes invisible in other works or literature and art such as people of color. It avoids tokenism as well by showing how regardless of all of these differences everyone can make a difference and doesn't just highlight one persons importance.

Language:

The language in the book is encouraging and embraces everyones differences in a positive tone. It avoids harmful generalizations and stereotypes, and instead encourages students to learn about and appreciate the different ways people choose to express themselves.  

Inclusive Illustrations: 

This book is illustrated by Cababi Bayoc, an artist who's goal in his works of art is to "Impact lives one paint stroke at a time". And here, I believe he achieves this goal in the book by beautifully depicting different individuals and their own ways of life in such a vivid and colorful way that is eye catching to children of all ages. In seeing so many different characters, the children are more likely to find themselves or their families being represented, allowing them to relate to the book and embrace its message about acceptance even more.

Review: Overall, I found this book to be a good read for older children (maybe from 3rd to 5th grade and up) to be able to become familiar with the injustices that exist around the world and inspire them to further look into this and take action. But, for younger audiences this book is a great conversation starter. It's so inclusive and is easy to pose questions for such as "what do we see in this picture" and "how do we feel about it". I especially love the inclusion of accepting the ways people "look, worship, and love"! And, the illustrations themselves are so beautiful, bright, and diverse. Their inclusivity just highlights and makes the message about acceptance that much more special.