One of the components that Black Lives Matter’s resurgence has emphasized over the past few months is amplifying Black voices and businesses; one of the most notable spikes of consumer interest is in the sales of books written by Black authors and the promotion of Black-owned bookstores. Prominent book charts by The New York Times and Publishers Weekly have released major upticks in sales for titles about race such as “How to Be an Antiracist” and “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism.” Although the biggest increases are in the United States, where the Black Lives Matter movement originated and is the most concentrated, other places such as the U.K. are seeing increased interest as well.
Why Books?
Books are vessels of knowledge, and for a mass of people hoping to learn about racial injustice, this is one of the most obvious solutions. Simply put, knowledge can overturn ignorance. Although some may disagree about how to dismantle racist systems, there is a general understanding that establishing a base level of knowledge about racial injustice is essential. As Khalil Muhammad, a Harvard University professor of history, race and public policy said, “People use reading as a way to understand what they're doing, why they're doing it and why the work is critically important.” He further explained, "There's a fundamental requirement of organizing around shared knowledge, usually coming from shared text, to build collective engagement around what histories are relevant to explain the matter."
This widespread desire for information during surges of activism is not new and has been occurring for decades. In regard to this movement in particular, some of the foremost goals have included efforts to get a more complete understanding of history through the lens of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) eyes, in addition to learning how to be actively anti-racist. Many of these books’ authors have made statements of support about this rush for knowledge. Ijeoma Oluo, author of bestselling “So You Want To Talk About Race,” tweeted, “I am happy people are reading my book. But if you read my book and think ‘oh - now I understand racism!’ You have a lot more books to read. My book was intended as an introduction.” Without substantive knowledge, people will not have as fluent an understanding of the actions needed to dismantle racial injustice. It is important to note that a person wishing to contribute substantial change must move beyond just reading books and translate their newfound knowledge into meaningful action.
Bookseller Reactions
As physical copies of many books about race and anti-racism have been selling out on major online sites such as Amazon and Bookshop.org, people have turned to their local booksellers. There has been a spotlight on Black bookstore owners, many of whom have shared that their business traffic has increased dramatically in terms of overall book sales and race-oriented books in particular. Though reactions are generally positive, there is also some trepidation and agitation among booksellers. Some say that as great as it is that these books are getting more attention, texts about Black experiences have been overlooked on bookshelves for years. Others want to emphasize that Black voices should be lifted in every genre, not just in race education. “We want to make sure people are not just reading books about slavery, even though that's important,” explained Shauntee Burns-Simpson, vice president of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.
Perhaps some of the most mixed responses have come from those booksellers who have previously focused on educating Black communities and are now shifting resources to address a new non-Black audience. The creation of a White Ally Book List has aided booksellers as they attempt to make this transition. There is also the problem of those booksellers who say that during this turbulent time they are managing the “‘emotional labor’ of guiding customers” towards anti-racist literature recommendations that could have easily been determined from one of many reading lists already online.
Proof in the Numbers
Beyond the buzz of social media and blog posts, there are some companies that have tried to tackle the notoriously tricky task of monitoring “bestselling” books. One tracker reported that sales for political science civil rights titles increased by 330% and books about discrimination increased by 245% during the week of May 17 to May 23. In the United States, books about race and anti-racism have dominated bestseller lists for months. During the week of June 10, half of USA Today’s Best Selling Books list was composed of titles about race. As of July 14, multiple categories of The New York Times bestsellers are still dominated by books about race and anti-racism. Other bestseller lists to check out include IndieBound and some Amazon lists.
Although countries such as France, Germany and India did not have chart-topping books on race during June, demand for these types of books has still increased globally. Publishers Weekly, a news magazine which claims to gather information internationally in order to determine its bestsellers list, has included “White Fragility,” “How to Be an Antiracist” and “Stamped from the Beginning” on its Top 10 Overall list. In the U.K. specifically, buyers are making race-related books bestsellers on their own. For example, Waterstones, a major British book retailer, has “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race” on its list of current bestsellers. Also, the U.K. is responding to the Black Lives Matter movement in a way that speaks to that country’s own history, featuring impressive sales on Amazon for books such as “Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire” (#21 as of 7/15), and “The Boy At the Back of the Class” (#30). While the United States is the center of the Black Lives Matter movement and subsequent spike in race-related book sales, this is a global matter as well.
Book covers from left to right: “How to Be an Antiracist,” “White Fragility and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
Need a place to start? Here’s a selection of books by Black authors:
“How To Be An Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi
“White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin DiAngelo
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou
“The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander
“Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race” by Beverly Daniel Tatum
“Beloved” by Toni Morrison
“Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race” by Reni Eddo-Lodge
“Sister Outsider” by Audre Lorde
Phoebe Jacoby
is a Media Studies major and Studio Art minor at Vassar College who believes in the importance of sharing stories with others. Phoebe likes to spend her free time reading, drawing, and writing letters. She hopes to continue developing her skills as a writer and create work that will have a positive outward effect.