White author Brendan Kiely uses stories from his own life and learning as springboards to talk about white privilege and racism. His decision to share his own experiences, including events he’s witnessed, missteps he’s made, and adult reflections on events from his young adulthood, are among the things that make this work so accessible and relatable. Kiely doesn’t lecture, he shares, inviting readers to consider the ways race impacts how we are all perceived and treated, and how racism shapes those perceptions and much of that treatment for people who are not, or not perceived as, white. Throughout he references various studies and statistics, all of which are cited in the end matter, which also includes a bibliography for further reading. In his author’s note, Kiely expands on the discomfort he feels in being a white person writing about racism—something he’s never experienced—as well as the importance of white people working to combat racism and listening to and learning from those who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. (Age 12 and older)