Publishers Weekly
★ 04/18/2022
Dyson and Favreau examine significant moments of injustice and inequality throughout U.S. history in this crucial nonfiction volume, which posits that “the first step to changing the world... is to understand what has come before.” Blending stories of historic Black activists with those of today’s prominent movers and shakers, the creators shed light on the changemakers of America’s history and explore how inequality affects every aspect of society, from housing laws to healthcare. The authors “have a hard time imagining that anyone would want to make history illegal in the United States of America,” and use each chapter to highlight a historical event not often taught in classrooms, such as Ossian Sweet breaking the housing color line in 1925 Detroit, and James Meredith integrating the University of Mississippi in 1960. The creators also tie each historic moment to a contemporary counterpart, including Stacey Abrams fighting voter disenfranchisement, as well as legislation seeking to replace real-life history with “more patriotic views” in America’s curriculum. This searing look at attempts to block students “from learning the truth of inequality in the United States” encourages readers to acknowledge the deep-seated presence of structural racism in America. A must-read and a must-teach. Ages 12–up. Agent: Tanya McKinnon, McKinnon Literary. (May)■
From the Publisher
A YALSA-ALA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adult Award Finalist A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A New York Public Library Best Book of 2022 A Cooperative Children’s Book Center Children’s Choices list pick A Bank Street Best Book of the Year A Children's Book Council Teacher Favorite
"Michael Eric Dyson is one the greatest intellectuals and thought provokers of our time. In this book he and Marc Favreau realize we are the fruit of generations of giants who labored for and demanded a more equal America. Read Unequal to learn their stories—and our own."—Common, Grammy Award-winning artist, author, actor, and activist
"With clarity and insight, Unequal illuminates how racial inequality is built into every aspect of American society. In gripping prose, Michael Eric Dyson and Marc Favreau draw clear lines between past and present struggles for racial equality to reveal what is required of us if we truly want to live in a society without racism."—Robin DiAngelo, #1 bestselling author of White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
"Michael Eric Dyson has long offered a vital perspective on race in America. Unequal is a stunning accomplishment, where Dr. Dyson and Marc Favreau transport readers across the country and across time to show the devastation and insidiousness of racial inequality, while also offering hope and inspiration to those fighting for equality."—Joy-Ann Reid, bestselling author and host of The ReidOut on MSNBC
* "Empowering, profound, and necessary, purchase for all collections serving young adults."—SLJ, starred review
* "Crucial…This searing look at attempts to block students 'from learning the truth of inequality in the United States' encourages readers to acknowledge the deep-seated presence of structural racism in America. A must-read and a must-teach."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "This accessible, riveting collection will inspire readers to claim responsibility for helping to ensure that the U.S. one day lives up to its most ethical professed ideals. Grounded in evidence and optimistic: uplifts the social power of studying Black American freedom fighters."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* “This is a necessary resource and will inspire students to promote social justice.” —SLC, starred review
School Library Journal
★ 05/01/2022
Gr 7 Up—An incisive look at how race has been woven into the fabric of our country since its inception. Spanning from 1865 to 2021, this work profiles 20 Black Americans, including Ida B. Wells and Nikole Hannah-Jones. Other subjects who are not as widely known include 16-year-old Mary Church, who desegregated a train car in Bowling Green, KY, and went on to be one of the first Black women to graduate college, and Michelle Alexander, a lawyer who fought against "the New Jim Crow," the over-policing of Black people during the "War on Drugs" in the 1990s. The authors' goal is to feature the freedom fighters from all walks of life who have been at the center of U.S.'s 150-year struggle for equality and to emphasize that "ordinary" people have pushed back against white supremacy. They make the case that this history cannot be disentangled from the broader American story. Teens can digest the substantial narrative profile by profile, but the work is best read as a whole. This is an excellent, accessible selection for history and political science classes. Thoroughly sourced and richly researched, it can be shelved alongside Stamped and Tracey Baptiste's African Icons. VERDICT Empowering, profound, and necessary, purchase for all collections serving young adults.—Shelley M. Diaz
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2022-02-09
Weaving contemporary actors with heralded legacies, this volume profiles Black Americans who represent the unfinished struggle to envision and realize freedom and equality for all.
“The history we learn about in school is a battleground,” offer Dyson and Favreau, responding to the contemporary climate of legislation attempting to reshape how U.S. history is taught. This collection represents the work of two notable experts who pull no punches in expressing that these current challenges entail a Whitewashing of history by people who “believe that some knowledge is so dangerous that it should be kept from you at all costs.” They present snapshots of post-Reconstruction history cemented by strong, transparent source notes. This reader includes chapters on, among other topics, struggles for housing, education, and economic empowerment and against environmental racism. Patterns emerge that weave together notable forerunners and themes from the past with contemporary campaigns and newsmakers: John Carlos and Tommie Smith with Colin Kaepernick, Fannie Lou Hamer with Stacey Abrams, Malcolm X with Michelle Alexander, and Ida B. Wells with Nikole Hannah Jones. The authors invite youth to see themselves in the unfinished business of making “genuine equality a reality for all Americans.” This accessible, riveting collection will inspire readers to claim responsibility for helping to ensure that the U.S. one day lives up to its most ethical professed ideals.
Grounded in evidence and optimistic: uplifts the social power of studying Black American freedom fighters. (index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)
