Hi, Asheville. We’ve had a number of readers reach out requesting info on ways they can educate themselves about the crucial topics of racism and social justice. Listed below are some book recommendations from our favorite independent booksellers Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe + Firestorm Books & Coffee that aim to provide dialogue, stories + conversations about race, privilege, and social justice.

“Deep Roots: How Slavery Still Shapes Southern Politics” by Avidit Acharya, Matthew Blackwell, and Maya Sen I "This book's arguments can't be right, can they? But the authors bring evidence to bear so well that they have knocked the ball back into the skeptics' court. Deep Roots will be enormously productive in advancing knowledge--it is what we want books to be."— Robert Mickey, author of Paths Out of Dixie

“The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin I "Basically the finest essay I’ve ever read. . . . Baldwin refused to hold anyone’s hand. He was both direct and beautiful all at once. He did not seem to write to convince you. He wrote beyond you.” — Ta-Nehisi Coates

“Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot” by Mikki Kendall I "If Hood Feminism is a searing indictment of mainstream feminism, it is also an invitation. . . . [Kendall] offers guidance for how we can all do better." — NPR.org

“The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander I “Devastating. . . . Alexander does a fine job of truth-telling, pointing a finger where it rightly should be pointed: at all of us, liberal and conservative, white and black.”— Forbes

“Memoir of a Race Traitor: Fighting Racism in the American South” by Mab Segrest I “Courageous and daring, this work testifies/documents the reality that political solidarity, forged in struggle, can exist across differences.” — bell hooks

“Taking Sides: Revolutionary Solidarity and the Poverty of Liberalism” by Cindy Milstein I "Taking Sides is more than a book; it's a politic aimed at the heart of every radical struggling against a racist state." — Luis A. Fernandez, author of Policing Dissent

“How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi I “The most courageous book to date on the problem of race in the Western mind.” — The New York Times

“White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin Diangelo | “White fragility is the secret ingredient that makes racial conversations so difficult and achieving racial equity even harder. But by exposing it and showing us all – including white folks – how it operates and how it hurts us, individually and collectively, Robin DiAngelo has performed an invaluable service. An indispensable volume for understanding one of the most important (and yet rarely appreciated) barriers to achieving racial justice.” — Tim Wise, author of “White Like Me: Reflection on Race from a Privileged Son”

Here are some recommendations on books for educating children:

“Just Like Me” by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

“Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History” by Vashti Harrison

“Black Is a Rainbow Color” by Angela Joy

“I Believe I Can” by Grace Byers

“Antiracist Baby” by Ibram X. Kendi

Protip: Many of these titles are sold out at Malaprop’s + Firestorm, so we recommend calling to check book availability. Both bizzes also take special orders, and can still process back orders.