Anti-Racist Book Club

The Anti-Racism Book Club began in 2020 as a way to come together in community while deepening our own learning about racism, privilege, and systemic inequities.

Unlike traditional book clubs where you finish a book and share opinions, our focus is on slowing down—taking a few chapters, essays, or articles at a time, and creating the space to truly reflect, wrestle with ideas, and apply what we’re learning to our daily lives and leadership.

Our gatherings are guided by a simple purpose:

• To learn, with humility and openness.

• To be brave in asking difficult questions.

• To engage in conversations that may feel uncomfortable, yet necessary.

• To listen deeply and grow in our awareness.

• To move beyond awareness into action—becoming stronger allies and playing an active role in dismantling systemic racism.

Since 2020, we’ve explored a wide range of books—spanning nonfiction, fiction, and memoir. From Desmond Cole’s The Skin We’re In and Tanya Talaga’s Seven Fallen Feathers, to Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half, Michelle Good’s Five Little Indians, and Tricia Hersey’s Rest is Resistance, each selection has opened new doors for reflection and dialogue. Together, these works invite us to confront Canada’s history, grapple with global perspectives, sit with grief and healing, and imagine more liberated futures.

Rooted in connection, the Book Club has also been a way to support our wider community—whether by purchasing from local, independent bookstores like Audrey’s here in Edmonton, or by using our collective learning as a way to stand alongside others during key moments of reflection and action.

This is not about perfection or performance. It’s about showing up with curiosity, courage, and a willingness to learn together. Whether you speak up often or prefer to listen, your presence matters. Each conversation is one small act of resistance—one step closer to the more inclusive world we are striving to build.

Curious what we’ve read so far? Scroll below for the full list of books, articles, and resources that have shaped our journey.

The Skin We're In, Desmond Cole

• A month-by-month account of anti-Black racism in Canada, blending Cole’s personal stories with broader national events of 2017.

• We started here to ground ourselves in the Canadian reality of racism. It was a sobering reminder that systemic injustice isn’t only “elsewhere” — it is present in our own cities and communities.

Theme: Awareness

Seven Fallen Feathers, Tanya Talaga

• Investigates the deaths of seven Indigenous high school students in Thunder Bay, exposing systemic racism, colonial legacies, and institutional neglect.

• This book invited us to sit with grief, anger, and responsibility. It deepened our understanding of how Canada’s colonial history continues to impact Indigenous communities today.

Theme: Truth-Telling

The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America, Thomas King

• About the Book: A witty, incisive account of the historical and ongoing treatment of Indigenous peoples in North America, blending history, politics, and storytelling.

• What it Sparked for Us: King’s humour and honesty challenged us to recognize how narratives shape perception. Storytelling became a way for us to unlearn stereotypes and build new understanding.

Theme: Perspective

The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett

• About the Book: A novel about twin sisters whose lives diverge when one chooses to pass as white, exploring race, identity, and generational impact.

• What it Sparked for Us: Fiction opened a new door for us. This story sparked reflection on the complexities of identity, belonging, and the choices people make under systemic pressure.

Theme: Identity

How the Word Is Passed, Clint Smith

• About the Book: A journey across monuments and memory sites in the U.S., revealing how slavery has shaped collective history and how stories are remembered or erased.

• What it Sparked for Us: This book invited us to reflect on the narratives we inherit and what it means to confront uncomfortable truths about history.

Theme: Memory

Hood Feminism, Mikki Kendall

• About the Book: Argues that mainstream feminism often ignores issues of survival — such as food insecurity, housing, and safety — that disproportionately affect marginalized women.

• What it Sparked for Us: Kendall reminded us that equity work must be intersectional. Feminism without attention to race, class, and survival misses the mark.

Theme: Intersectionality

Well, That Escalated Quickly, Franchesca Ramsey

• About the Book: A memoir-meets-guidebook from a digital activist, reflecting on online debates, trolls, and lessons learned in public conversations about race and identity.

• What it Sparked for Us: This book gave us tools for engaging in difficult conversations, both online and offline. It was a reminder that activism takes many forms — including humour, candor, and resilience.

Theme: Voice

Five Little Indians, Michelle Good

• About the Book: A novel following five residential school survivors as they navigate trauma, healing, and community in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

• What it Sparked for Us: This story broke our hearts open. Through fiction rooted in truth, we witnessed the long shadow of residential schools and the resilience of survivors.

Theme: Healing

Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo

• About the Book: A polyphonic novel following twelve interconnected characters — mostly Black British women — across generations, exploring identity, sexuality, and belonging.

• What it Sparked for Us: We were struck by the beauty of interconnected stories and how different identities intersect. It reminded us of the importance of multiplicity in narratives.

Theme: Connection

Bad Cree, Jessica Johns

• About the Book: A debut novel about Mackenzie, a young Cree woman whose haunting dreams pull her back to family, land, and community as she grapples with grief and memory.

• What it Sparked for Us: This book gave us space to explore Indigenous storytelling, spirituality, and the ways ancestral knowledge can guide healing. It reminded us that horror, grief, and hope can live side by side.

Theme: Ancestral Memory

The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison

• About the Book: Morrison’s debut novel about Pecola Breedlove, a Black girl in 1940s Ohio who longs for blue eyes, exposing how beauty standards are tied to racism and self-worth.

• What it Sparked for Us: This book invited deep discussion about internalized racism, beauty ideals, and the violence of invisibility. Morrison’s prose challenged and moved us.

Theme: Invisibility

Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto, Tricia Hersey

• About the Book: A call from The Nap Ministry’s founder to see rest as a radical act of resistance against grind culture, capitalism, and white supremacy.

• What it Sparked for Us: We reflected on how rest and restoration are part of anti-racism work. This book reframed self-care as collective care and liberation.

Theme: Liberation

Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, Adrienne Maree Brown

• About the Book: Explores how joy, pleasure, and desire can fuel activism and transform systems, weaving theory, stories, and practices.

• What it Sparked for Us: This text reminded us that activism isn’t only about struggle — it can also be rooted in joy, abundance, and imagination.

Theme: Joy

Hotline, Dimitri Nasrallah

• About the Book: A novel about Muna, a Lebanese immigrant in 1980s Montreal, who works as a hotline operator while navigating identity, prejudice, and resilience.

• What it Sparked for Us: This story expanded our conversation to immigrant experiences in Canada, showing the intersections of survival, isolation, and human connection.

Theme: Resilience

Hijab Butch Blues, Lamya H.

• About the Book: A memoir weaving queer, Muslim, immigrant identity with stories from the Qur’an, exploring belonging, faith, and authenticity.

• What it Sparked for Us: This book brought us into rich discussions on queerness, spirituality, and self-definition. It celebrated courage in claiming one’s truth.

Theme: Belonging

Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America

• About the Book: Investigates the growth of far-right movements within Latino communities in the U.S. and what it reveals about identity, politics, and power.

• What it Sparked for Us: We reflected on how racism and extremism can operate within communities of colour, complicating narratives and underscoring the need for nuance.

Theme: Complexity

Shut Up You’re Pretty — Téa Mutonji

• About the Book: A collection of linked short stories about a Congolese Canadian woman navigating girlhood, sexuality, and identity in Scarborough.

• What it Sparked for Us: This book gave us an intimate window into coming-of-age stories that are raw, funny, and unflinching. It sparked conversations about migration, gender, and belonging.

Theme: Self-Discovery