--- description: Find out why How to Be An Anti-Racist is one of the best books of 2019. title: 'How to Be An Anti-Racist' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2019 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5bb94c59a07091d/698a05db97cdffb3096b9d71/how-to-be-an-anti-racist-ibram-kendi-100-books-2019.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 14, 2019 # _How to Be An Anti-Racist_ Ibram X. Kendi by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Scholar [Ibram X. Kendi](https://time.com/5647303/how-to-be-antiracist-author-interview/ "undefined") won a National Book Award for his 2016 history of racist thought in the U.S., [_Stamped From the Beginning_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1568585985/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1568585985&linkId=db0d274501e8728f6cc1d8316ec0ad76 "undefined"), and leads the Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University. He’s spent years immersed in the facts and theory of one of society’s ugliest dimensions. His conclusion? There is no such thing as not being racist. Rather, he posits, there is only racism and that which actively works against it: antiracism. In his latest book, both self-examination and self-help, Kendi offers detailed instructions on how and why to put antiracism into practice. _How to Be an Antiracist_ offers a reverberant challenge to its readers, calling on them to rethink deeply rooted ideas about race. It won’t be easy or comfortable, but Kendi makes a convincing case that it’s worthwhile. **Buy now:** [_How to Be an Antiracist_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525509283/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time-books-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0525509283&linkId=fd71177c968958d5f04ad2d8557cdf0f "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2019/5724579/how-to-be-an-anti-racist/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2019/5724579/how-to-be-an-anti-racist/"},"headline":"'How to Be An Anti-Racist' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2019","datePublished":"2019-11-14T15:22:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:35:05.746Z","description":"Find out why How to Be An Anti-Racist is one of the best books of 2019.","url":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2019/5724579/how-to-be-an-anti-racist/","keywords":["Books","Must-Read Books of 2019"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5bb94c59a07091d/698a05db97cdffb3096b9d71/how-to-be-an-anti-racist-ibram-kendi-100-books-2019.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5bb94c59a07091d/698a05db97cdffb3096b9d71/how-to-be-an-anti-racist-ibram-kendi-100-books-2019.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2019/5724579/how-to-be-an-anti-racist/","name":"'How to Be An Anti-Racist' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2019"}}]}] ```