The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege

This approachable memoir and guide, comprising Kiely’s own experiences relating to race and allyship, is a welcome tool to help facilitate conversations with white teenagers about white privilege, and the ongoing journey to become effective allies to those in the “Global Majority,” on both a personal and systemic level. By openly detailing personal missteps—from participating in “ninja runs” to jokingly terrorize his neighborhood with fellow white friends, to “recklessly minivanning” down the highway with no consequences save for a “tender” warning from a police officer—Kiely creates a judgment-free space, skillfully demonstrating that there “are two different Americas, divided by racism” and that honestly addressing the realities of whiteness is imperative “to do better than our past.” Conversationally addressing common arguments that white people employ during “uncomfortable” discussions on race and privilege, Kiely shuts down justifications with directly applicable data; concrete definitions of terms and ideas, such as cultural ethnicity and race; and anecdotes that both address reader questions and provide the language and encouragement to dig deeper, ask questions, and become coconspirators in the fight for equity and equality. Front matter features an introduction by Jason Reynolds; back matter features an author’s note, endnotes, and bibliography. Ages 12–up. Agent: Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management. (Sept.)