Read This Book…

Blair Imani is a Black, bisexual, and Muslim educator, historian, and internet influencer who makes great videos under the series name Smarter in Seconds. These videos are often under a minute long and will give concise explanations of anything from online harassment to how to apologize to gaslighting to bisexuality. This book is almost like a bunch of those little videos all together in book form. She tackles a lot of big subjects and supplies readers with enough information that we can walk away knowing basic definitions and also ideas about where we need to dive deeper. A single chapter in a book is in no way enough to tackle something like gender but it’s maybe enough to give an overview to a relative who has perhaps not thought deeply about it.

The author starts with the self and focuses on identity from name pronunciation to gender and deadnames and last names and pronouns and more. Then she moves on to relationships like family structures, intimate partnerships, abusive relationships, boundaries, and things like how to be accountable to your circles and how to apologize.

One of my favorite sections is about class where she answers questions like “What is capitalism? and “What is socialism?” We already have socialist programs, like the postal service and the library! “What do people mean when they talk about wealth hoarding?” There are also great sections on race and racism and disability and so much more.

This book is a really phenomenal resource for folks who are new to thinking about all of these topics. I see it as not only a good personal read, but also a good gift for anyone from a young adult to an older relative who has not done any deliberate learning since they were in high school. You know the ones. The ones that respond to everything remotely new with, “Well, that’s not what I was taught.” What I like most about this book is that the subjects felt bite-sized. It was clear and concise and laid a lot of basic groundwork for further learning.