Books Team Members Suggest

1.  Barbara Davenport suggests the book:

“ Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the story of Race”  by Debby Irving ( paperback,  2014).

She says, "I  found it very informative and thoughtfully written and opened my eyes to subtle, subconscious ways I don’t acknowledge white privilege.  Each chapter  ends with self-reflective questions." 

 The library has two copies.   Village Books doesn’t have it but it can be ordered through them.  

The book authors statement:  

"Waking Up White is the book I wish someone had handed me decades ago. My hope is that by sharing my sometimes cringe-worthy struggle to understand racism and racial tensions, I offer a fresh perspective on bias, stereotypes, manners, and tolerance. As I unpack my own long-held beliefs about colorblindness, being a good person, and wanting to help people of color, I reveal how each of these well-intentioned mindsets actually perpetuated my ill-conceived ideas about race. I also explain why and how I’ve changed the way I talk about racism, work in racially mixed groups, and understand the racial justice movement as a whole. Exercises at the end of each chapter prompt readers to explore their own racialized ideas. Waking Up White's personal narrative is designed to work well as a rapid read, a book group book, or support reading for courses exploring racial and cultural issues."

2.  Many in the team suggest:  "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
The Bellingham library has several copies.

3.  Lauralee suggests "The Third Reconstruction" by The Reverend Dr. Wm. J. Barber II