Jinyoung Kim & Sabina Patawaran (text) and Emma Iamawi (illustrator), Anti-Racism Kit: a guide for high school students, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, January 2024, 208 pp., RRP $24.99 (pbk), ISBN 978761211171
This book is on the Children’s Book Council of Australia Eve Pownall Book of the Year Awards 2025 Notable list.
This is a well-illustrated and researched pocket book on the subject of anti-racism, with all its definitions. It starts with a lot of basic questions. What is racism? What is anti-racism? Who are people of colour and what is white privilege? The book then goes on to cover three actionable areas for change: Self, School and Society.
By breaking down the subject into these areas, the reader is guided into new thought processes. In Self. … there’s nothing braver than taking a long hard look in the mirror and asking yourself tough questions (p. 27) including do you hold unconscious biases? In School, the reader is asked to critically assess established policies in the school and then how to encourage changes. In Society, there is a focus on migration, intergenerational trauma and changing wider systems.
It’s a great start in a relatively small volume. Use of colour placement and graphics on the page ensures that the reader comes across unexpected page formats, adding interest. The book’s smaller format has a disadvantage in that it has reduced the font size, and the pages are packed with information. The latter could be a failing of the book: where the reader should start. I am not sure who the intended audience is, despite the subtitle. I am not sure that high school students will choose to read it.
But … it is a very good start on a complex topic.
Reviewed by Maureen Mann
