BLACK STONES in my pocket BLACK STARS in my heart.
by Allen Reel

The BookViral Review:

A powerful and illuminating look at the deep effects of racism on the experiences, lives, minds and relationships of black people and people of colour in the USA Reel’s book should be considered required reading for anyone wanting to understand racism in the United States.

“Our culture, not our genetics, is really what we should be looking at when we examine our differences. How were we raised, taught, trained, educated, indoctrinated and programmed?” writes Reel as he explores racism in a historical context and analyses how it resonates today. From slavery to Buffalo soldiers, Malcolm x to Martin Luther King, to Reel’s own family and experiences he encourages people of colour and white people to confront the powerful ways in which structural racism affects minds, relationships and everyday politics in a world that still remains extremely unequal and often vehement in terms of racial relations.

“We prefer our own kind mostly. Those who don’t fit into our class or nationality, or creed or culture, or race, are not accepted, or worse, are looked down upon.” is another point Reel makes as he explores the defensive tropes some people fall into when challenged about their attitudes to race with his prose encouraging us to reflect on what we can do to move beyond these challenges and engage more constructively.

Superbly researched and easy to navigate BLACK STONES in my pocket, BLACK STARS in my heart is unreservedly recommended to all readers looking to educate themselves about these long-standing and endemic issues.