Say Their Names, Curtis Bunn
Say Their Names, Curtis Bunn
2 Rating(s)
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

Synopsis

This definitive guide to America's present-day racial reckoning examines the forces that pushed our unjust system to its breaking point after the death of George Floyd.

For many, the story of the weeks of protests in the summer of 2020 began with the horrific nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds when Police Officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd on camera, and it ended with the sweeping federal, state, and intrapersonal changes that followed. It is a simple story, wherein white America finally witnessed enough brutality to move their collective consciousness. The only problem is that it isn't true. George Floyd was not the first Black man to be killed by police—he wasn’t even the first to inspire nation-wide protests—yet his death came at a time when America was already at a tipping point.
 
In Say Their Names, five seasoned journalists probe this critical shift. With a piercing examination of how inequality has been propagated throughout history, from Black imprisonment and the Convict Leasing program to long-standing predatory medical practices to over-policing, the authors highlight the disparities that have long characterized the dangers of being Black in America. They examine the many moderate attempts to counteract these inequalities, from the modern Civil Rights movement to Ferguson, and how the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others pushed compliance with an unjust system to its breaking point. Finally, they outline the momentous changes that have resulted from this movement, while at the same time proposing necessary next steps to move forward.
 
With a combination of penetrating, focused journalism and affecting personal insight, the authors bring together their collective years of reporting, creating a cohesive and comprehensive understanding of racial inequality in America.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ethan on November 04, 2021

At the start of this year, I resolved to diversify my reading. 2020 was a historic year for many reasons, but the call to action around the racial inequities that have plagued our country from the very beginning really moved me. I felt called to do more, share more, and learn more. An act as simple......more

Goodreads review by Kayla on August 24, 2021

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is an incredibly important read for every American, and honestly it’s even more important for white Americans to read. I pride myself on not only being “not racist,” but instead vehemently “anti racist,” but this book opened my eyes and my heart even further. Out of all my NetGalley......more

Goodreads review by Natalie on November 02, 2021

Hands down, this book is required reading. For those continuing their journey being anti-racist, this book is an absolute must. Not only do we dive into the history of racism, Bunn and the authors spend a lot of book explaining recent events, which every reader will be able to remember. I think this......more

Goodreads review by Chan on July 19, 2022

The easiest way to describe this book, for me, is that it attempts to explain and explore the Black Lives Matter movement — especially its 2020 iteration and worldwide impact — as well as place BLM in historical and cultural context: as it relates to previous Black rights movements in the United Sta......more

Goodreads review by Curtis on October 26, 2021

A vitally important book!!!......more


Quotes

“Sometimes a seed falls
And luckily it begins
To rain. Some folk complain
But the rest of us watch 
The bud grow and the mint
Cleanse the air
And we SAY THEIR NAMES 
About a wonderful
book”—Nikki Giovanni

Say Their Names is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand where we are in America’s long struggle with racism and white supremacy – and how we got here. Five award-winning journalists give us the best, most comprehensive portrait to date of the Black Lives Matter moment that was ignited by the murder of George Floyd. They give us historical perspective, intimate portraits, fact-filled examination of the issues that face Black communities across the country and a sure sense of the way forward. It is not the “first rough draft of history,” but rather a polished assessment of recent history that will stand the test of time.”—Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post columnist and MSNBC analyst

“To read Say Their Names is a journey into the collective and immediate consciousness of Black Lives Matter. The book skirts across the authors’ memory and reader’s current perspectives on race and what we know of America. In this book, Patrice Gaines, Curtis Bunn, Nick Charles, Michael H. Cottman, and Keith Harriston are speaking to the current moment and the long Civil Rights Movement. It is here, in the angst of these moments and the awareness of our collective past that we can predict our interconnected futures."—DaMaris B. Hill, author of A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing

“This book tracks the fascinating evolution of one of the world's most powerful movements and highlights the crushing racism that has made that movement so utterly necessary. Say Their Names is a timely, deeply engaging read."—Nathan McCall, New York Times bestselling author of Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America.

“A thoughtful assessment of the Black Lives Matter movement that illuminates the work still left to do. Recommended for readers newly interested in antiracist activism.”—Library Journal