Biased by Jennifer L. Eberhardt

BIASED by Jennifer L. Eberhardt is subtitled “Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do.” The book itself is split into three parts: What Meets the Eye; Where We Find Ourselves; and The Way Out.  Eberhardt, a recipient of a 2014 MacArthur "genius" grant and a professor of psychology at Stanford, defines implicit bias as “a kind of distorting lens that’s a product of both the architecture of our brain and the disparities in our society.”  Eberhardt makes this issue truly relatable by sharing stories and experiences from her own life.  One early example revolves around her move during middle school and the ensuing difficulty of distinguishing between her new - and mostly white - classmates. In addition, she discusses several cases of shootings by police, complete with bystander and family reactions, and the marches in Charlottesville.  Other examples involve bias in hiring decisions and the workplace or in relation to social media. Throughout the text, Eberhardt explains further in sections dealing with the science of recognition or the scientific lens in order to “pull back from the isolated case[s] and examine larger forces at work.” In all, Eberhardt includes roughly twenty pages of notes and links to other scholarly work.

I am looking forward to sharing this important and engaging title with teachers and students, especially since our school is continuing to offer professional development activities related to implicit bias and confirmation bias. BIASED would be a helpful guide in exploring Eberhardt’s fundamental question: “How does race shape who we are and how we experience the world?” As she says, “there is hope in the sheer act of reflection. This is where the power lies and how the process starts.” BIASED received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist (“Accessible and eye-opening, this should be required reading in high-school social-issue classes.”).

The War Outside and Washington Black

Here are some comments about two very well-written, but very sad historical novels. The first, THE WAR OUTSIDE by Monica Hesse, is a young adult novel about life during WWII for two you teenage girls, Haruko and Margot. They are a Japanese American and a German American whose fathers are suspected of being “enemy aliens” and are therefore sent to the Crystal City internment camp, a topic addressed previously on this blog. Many of our students already read and discuss Otsuka’s When the Emperor was Divine for English classes, but Hesse’s story goes in a slightly different direction by probing the experiences of both German and Japanese detainees and their families, by exploring the prejudices and misunderstandings between those two groups, and by layering on the emotional drama of a friendship and attraction gone awry between these two young teens. As the question on the cover asks, “They can’t trust their country, can they trust each other?”

Hesse’s writing evokes numerous emotions, especially the loneliness, tension, boredom, and lack of control for the internees, and this is not a “feel good” book although it is very powerful. THE WAR OUTSIDE received starred reviews from Booklist, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal. Given ongoing headlines about xenophobia and deportation, this is a timely and ultimately haunting read which will be on our shelves soon.   

 

WASHINGTON BLACK by Esi Edugyan is a historical novel written primarily for adults which deals with questions of slavery and race. The main character, George Washington Black (called “Wash”) was a slave in Barbados on a sugar plantation when (around 1830) his owner’s brother, “Titch” selected him as an assistant of sorts. Together, Wash and Titch experience numerous adventures associated with inventions (like hot air balloons) and inter-continental travel (to the Arctic and elsewhere). This book is a dark read, dealing as it does with the face of evil and brutality and cruelty involved with violence perpetuated against Blacks.

Esi Edugyan’s WASHINGTON BLACK was recently named to the short list for the Man Booker Prize (winner to be announced on October 16) and this title received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly.  Read an excerpt and see a reading guide here.

A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti

It had been a while since I had read a novel by Deb Caletti, but reading her newly released A HEART IN A BODY IN THE WORLD helped to remind me how much I enjoy her award-winning writing.  This story focuses on Annabelle who lives near Seattle and starts running one day after a drunk guy approaches her in an inappropriate way. It is clear that there has been trauma in Annabelle’s life and her family, single mom Gina, younger brother Malcolm, and Grandpa Ed all try to support her. In fact, her across the country run becomes a cause with a Go Fund Me page set up by her high school friends, and interviews arranged with high school newspapers along the way.  Annabelle reluctantly embraces this acknowledgment of her emotional pain and even begins making speeches. One of her struggles is “the sense that she must apologize for and atone for other people’s actions.” 

Here are just a few other quotes that illustrate Annabelle’s physical and emotional journey:  “Sometimes you just snap.  Snapping is easy when you’re already brittle from the worst possible thing happening.” “Worry is a different version of prayer.”  “She’s forever in a spinning round-ness of who she’s supposed to be and who she really is; what’s expected and what she really wants. When you spin like that, things get blurry.” “How weird, she thinks, that there are people who maybe don’t feel this thing, this endless buzz of nerves and fear and responsibility and control.”

Readers will empathize with her efforts both at running and with dealing with past events which are gradually shared in a series of flashbacks. Annabelle keeps a journal and many chapters start with notes about the heart like this one “There are only one and a half gallons of blood in the body at a time.  And you only have to lose two liters of it – one bottle of Diet Coke – and it’s over.” The story of A HEART IN A BODY IN THE WORLD will have wide appeal. And there are numerous connections with recent headlines, #MeToo or #WhyIDidntReport, and new non-fiction books like Rage Becomes Her.

 A HEART IN A BODY IN THE WORLD by Deb Caletti received starred reviews from Booklist, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly. Highly recommended - Look for it on our shelves soon.