Your interest in discovering social issues shouldn’t stop because the BLM marches ended in 2020 or because the white supremacist invaded the capital almost a month ago. To help society continuously progress we have to keep educating ourselves.
- Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents – Isabel Wilkerson
This book came out in 2020 and was advertised everywhere! I honestly ignored it for a while. There is a reason people are hyping this book up…it’s a really good book! Like the title says the book looks at caste systems in America, more particularly how Black Americans are treated. Wilkerson shows how this system was later introduced to Nazi Germany. No joke… an American man who believed in racial purity and genocide helped formulate a system for Nazi Germany. Yay America. This book also has interviews and real-life stories, which is something I enjoyed. It is not a boring read.
2. Hood Feminism – Mikki Kendall
Out of all the feminist books that have been published for mainstream in 2019 to Jan 2021 this one is the most well written. It is an easy read for those not looking for academic-type books but it also has a lot of information. I actually was shocked about the rape kit statistics given in this book. If you are curious about what Black women face, poor women of all races and etc. face this is for you. I actually recommended it to everyone (male, female, other), it explores many topics that many people overlook.
3. When Islam is Not a Religion – Asma T. Uddin
This book I really enjoyed. It is a book discussing Islam in American law/politics. The author is a lawyer and uses many real-world examples. She explains how religion is interpreted in the American legal system and how Muslims are often treated. There are also examples of other religions and how they gained liberties. I found it interesting that by banning “sharia law” many women who had Islamic-based marriages in countries like Iran couldn’t legally divorce. You have to read Uddin’s book to get what I mean. Like all the books on this list, this book is written for a general audience. You can find it at Barnes and Noble, it is very interesting.
4. Muslim Women and White Femininity: Reenactment and Resistance – Haneen Shafeeq Ghabra
If you recognize white women’s racism in the feminist movement…then you should be aware of the islamophobia in white women’s feminist movements. There is a reason many groups don’t like identifying as feminists. What I enjoyed about this book is that she dives into some popular Uncle Muslims in Western media and dissects their image. It isn’t a long book but is a really interesting one.
5. Fearing the Black body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia – Sabrina Strings
Okay, this one may be a little bit academic but it’s a good read I promise. This book focuses on the origins of fatphobia and the image of the black female body. What I liked about this book was that I learned a lot about the artwork in the renaissance period and race theories. She includes old paintings of black women in the 1500s to the 1700s to the 1800s. It was interesting to see the obvious deterioration of the black form in European artwork. While this book is really fascinating it is dry in some places, so it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. That being said it has a lot of interesting information.