Let's Talk About Race by Julius Lester

Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester is an inquisitive children’s book that really makes students think about what is under their skin. Lester makes the point that while we all have different characteristics; the inner-workings of the human body are the same. He explains that everyone is a story and that all of our stories begin the same way. We all have a birthday, parents, possibly siblings, favorite foods, hobbies, favorite colors, religions, nationalities, favorite time of day, and race. He also asks children questions on a full, colorful page throughout the book. For example, “How does your story begin?” (Lester, 2005). These questions force children to ask themselves how tolerant they are and forces them to become involved in the story. He says that while race tells a story, if one says that his or her race is better than someone else’s, that story is a lie. He gives a possible scenario for why people do this; perhaps they feel bad about themselves or they are afraid. He also takes into account that some people might say that they are better because of their communities, schools, genders, and occupations. He really gets children involved when he tells them to touch the hard bone below their eyes and to touch someone else’s. Children will discover that everyone’s bones are the same. Karen Barbour, the illustrator, then gives a picture of what everyone looks like without skin. He connects to children at the end of the book by telling them that he will take off his skin and asks them if they will do the same.

I really liked that Lester actively involved children in this book. He presents them with a profound and strong argument and then proves it. This book is bound to make children see race differently. The illustrations by Barbour are bright and colorful and really properly illustrate Lester’s descriptions and points. I especially like that the question mark on the second page fills an entire page and significantly points out how the relevance of the question.

The story reminds me of how my papaw used to tell me silly stories and how he would magically pull of my nose. His stories were usually didactic, and like Lester, he also usually narrated them in question form.

Lester also wrote To Be a Slave, which is a Newbery Honor Book, John Henry, which is a Caldecott Honor Book. He also wrote Long Journey Home: Stories from Black History. All of these books have historical undertones, and nearly all of them put a creative spin on the importance of civil rights.

From this book, I learned that race and Civil Rights are still prevalent themes in children’s and young adult literature. Our country as a whole has moved on from discrimination against African Americans and other diverse backgrounds, but there are still individuals that likely express prejudice, and books still exist to provide reasons why those thoughts are ridiculous. Finally, Lester does not only focus on race, though that is the title of the book. People can be discriminated against for hundreds of different reasons, and he names and combats some of those in this book.

References

Lester, J. (2005). Let’s talk about race. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.