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Books White People Need To Read

1,322 books — This list was created and voted on by Goodreads members.

Based on an article from The Good Men Project called "Why I Don't Want to Talk About Race" by Steve Locke, this list is a way for white people to learn more about race, whiteness, and oppression. It is focused on nonfiction and memoir and comes from an American viewpoint—more are welcome! Please add your ideas in a respectful, openhearted manner and tell us why you picked the books you added.

"There needs to be discussion among people who think of themselves as white. They need to unpack that language, that history, that social position and see what it really offers them, and what it takes away from them."

This list is for nonfiction and memoir written from a progressive, anti-racist point of view.

1.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
4.52 117,378 ratings 11,537 reviews

2.

Between the World and Me
Between the World and Me
4.40 366,808 ratings 32,488 reviews

3.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
4.37 291,624 ratings 10,506 reviews

4.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
4.26 102,518 ratings 6,247 reviews

5.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
4.13 805,611 ratings 44,565 reviews

6.

The Hate U Give
The Hate U Give
4.45 1,012,604 ratings 79,562 reviews

7.

The Fire Next Time (Vintage International)
The Fire Next Time (Vintage International)
4.55 121,370 ratings 11,877 reviews

8.

Just Mercy
Just Mercy
4.62 262,089 ratings 29,161 reviews

9.

Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism
Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism
4.50 19,212 ratings 1,784 reviews

10.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
4.48 117,111 ratings 13,538 reviews