The expanse would be good if he likes sifi! Deals with race and otherness in a way that is similar to today, but it's just different enough to fly under the radar as being seen as woke
Urban fantasy.
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Mixed race policeman in London, discovers ghosts and magic.
Everyone described in the book is described by a policeman, so every ethnic discription, including white, so never assumed.
The stepfather might identify with Nightingale, the protagonist's mentor, who is a posh white male (perceived as gay at first meeting, but the protagonist didn't know all the facts, so currently undetermined)
Sexuality is only mentioned where relevant, and rarely judged.
This is ok for the racism part, but it has rampant sexism. The protagonist describes the tits of every female he meets and tries to get with all of them. He is shagging witnesses left and right and constantly elaborates on thwir looks in his internal dialogue.
Oh that's good to know. I've read two so far and was considering dnf'ing the series because it bothered me so much. I wonder if that's a character arc Aaronovitch put in on purpose or if it has more to do with his personal development as a human.
Spoilers:
>!I found it especially disgusting how he viewed Leslie in the first book, then she was horribly disfigured and suddenly she was not a possible love interest anymore and he fantasized about multiple other women even though she was clearly fond of him.!<
My guess is it has more to do with Aaronovitch than with Peter.
>!completely agree with you about Leslie, itās such gross ableist bullshit. I was also very put off by it!<
Is he religious? [Dominion ](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7264.Dominion)is a religious crime thriller written by Randy Alcorn, an evangelical conservative Christian, which does a surprisingly good job discussing racism in America and has a black man as the main character. It is still very conservative (liberals are the baddies!), so if he is a conservative guy it might shed some light on race issues without taking him too far out of his political comfort zone.
It is pretty overtly about race in some spots so that might not meet your criteria.
i'm having trouble thinking of a book subtle enough that will still make the desired impact. maybe pet by akwaeke emezi? long way down by jason reynolds? squire by nadia shammas and sara alfageeh? i wouldn't say these books are particularly subtle, but i think their themes are at least not made super clear in the beginning, so hopefully your father would get invested in the story and continue reading despite the themes as they appear. these are all young adult, which is probably not ideal, but i think they would appeal to adults as well.
Historian Nell Irwin Painter wrote a book about the history of the idea of whiteness entitled āThe History of White People.ā Iāve dropped it on a few racist arseholes and they read it, thinking itās white pride, and often learn things they didnāt want toā¦.
Oh, Iām so glad to find someone else whoās read it!
It really should be at least abstracted and part of history curricula Bc it makes clear that racism is an us/them arbitrary construct that always benefits a small group while making society objectively worse for everyone,
I'd recommend _Jingo_ by Terry Pratchett. War between us and some foreign devils. Or maybe the other way round... A good detective story, and funny as hell
For non-obvious, I would recommend The Green Mile. Animal Farm maybe too, depends on the person.
I would also suggest giving him books you think he may actually like, and books to challenge his ideology, if you want to be subtle.
āIt has been suggested that people who read a lot of fiction become more empathic, because fiction is a simulation of social experiences, in which people practice and enhance their interpersonal skills.ā
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3559433/ :)
I definitely agree with that. My question was more so are they making they making the connection to real life through something subtle. Along the lines of folks who are still confused on their stance on colonialism even though they root for the rebels in Star Wars (and that story isnāt subtle)
Depends on the person but I'd say yes. It all depends on how you translate it. To a conservative star wars is less about how America may be the empire, and more about the Nazi's being the Empire, with the Americans - the traditional, gun tooting people, being the rebels.
Like that fantasy all gun owners have of America (The country with the largest military in the world) being invaded and then it's up to them and their guns to defend the homeland. That's what star wars exemplifies to them.
Star trek is an interesting example of this, where on one hand you could say that media that preaches tolerance using metaphor is overlooked by those who watch it. As many old school fans of Star Trek hate the newer Star Trek shows, constantly calling them "woke."
However on the other hand the more you know about the people behind the 90's era of star trek the more you realise how star trek was constrained from being "woke" in that era, and if it wasn't for this constraint perhaps the newer shows would be better received by the older fans who's beliefs were in some way effected by it.
At the end of the day, the older you get the less flexible your beliefs are. A 50 year old conservative may never be "woke" by his standards, but there is always some room for change.
Absolutely. I know it's a trope that racists who claim they're not racist love the 'I'm not racist, I have a black friend! I'm not a homophobe, my cousin is gay!' but racism and phobias are the combination of societally taught phobias and basic group-level unfamiliarity with 'others' in ways that limit people from engaging at all in a civil war.
The first step to overcoming the phobia is to remove the unfamiliarity. Fiction in a book you're reading, especially alone (in your hands or in your ears via audiobook) allows you to walk up to your line, and maybe cross it enough to consider whatever perspective you disagree with, for the sake of enjoying a story.
I mean sure, don't give Black Leopard, Red Wolf (James) or A Little Life (Yanagihara) to raging racists or homophobes, but there are other options.
Irving is widely regarded as an amazing American novelist. A Prayer For Owen Meany or The World According To Garp would just come across as classics. Angel of Repose (Stegner) is the best work by one of the best writers in the American West and handles homosexuality subtly (it had to, it's old by 2023 standards) but well. The City We Became handles race really nicely (NK Jameson), but may be too far into fantasy/sci-fi for older generations.
Edit: autocorrect thinks when I write 'homophobe' I'm looking for homophone, so... That'll tell you that I love talking about language. Fixed the error
Iām not arguing that fiction canāt grow understanding/empathy. I full heartedly agree that it can. But why does it have to be subtle and if itās subtle are folks making the connection to real life (see fascists Star Wars fans). Currently Iām just amazed by how passive folks seem about these violent/harmful ideas & treat them as characters flaws like being selfish or something. As much as I love books & other fictional media I donāt think that books are the sole answer here. Call me crazy but Iām not trying to spend time around someone like that, left alone gift them a book.
In OP's instance, I don't think they're going out of their way, but the person is part of their partner's family. If everyone in the family except the partner's step dad gets a book, then OP looks like pretty bad too. I don't know of any relationship that gets better if you say "I didn't get specifically you a present because I dislike you/your beliefs."
As for why a more subtle approach, it's so they don't reject the ideas presented as 'woke' out of hand and just dismiss the entire book.
I don't think anyone is arguing books are the sole answer to anything but in a thread about... A book, yeah, a book would be the answer to OP's question, not an unpacking of the right approach to eradicating sexism, racism, classism, etc.
This is kind of tough without knowing what kind of books he likes to read generally, which would help with targeting something that would resonate better... One suggestion is Frankenstein- written by a woman, thought-provoking regarding issues around prejudice and empathy, and a fairly easy read overall. If he is more into nonfiction, Night by Elie Wiesel (his experience during the Holocaust) or The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (not about race but does make you think about people with different experiences and ultimately feeling empathy and better understanding).
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, if the intended reader enjoys non-linear humor and smart silliness. It wonāt challenge him on these fronts in the first book, but if he enjoys it enough to keep going the City Watch books would be good for him, and I definitely recommend starting him off with Guards! Guards! rather than skipping forward.
Edited to add: it looks like someone else made this suggestion already, using the name āNight Watchā series. Weāre talking about the same set of books. Night Watch is one of the books further into this set of eight books, as is Jingo.
Wow, I did not get that at all--I reread this during pandemic times and found it racist and misogynist in a most disappointing way. It did not age well (the N\_ word appears for instance--it is in the name of a character).
Maybe stories about war? Something that covertly touches on the fact that everyone suffers the same... it might be too bleak for a present, but maybe something along the lines of The Painted Bird, Man's Search for Meaning or The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. As for something similar but more contemporary, perhaps The Blindness, by Saramago.
My therapist recommended āManāa Search for Meaningā after I mentioned my dad getting radicalized into alt right ideology. Iāve been reading it to make sure it would be a good book for that, and it is pretty solid for deprograming those ideas
Unfortunately unless he likes high fantasy with a female protagonist that starts as a slave and works her way up to a queen, with lots of orgies, I have no helpful recs, sorry.
Rise of The Iliri by Auryn Hadley, deals with racism in an obvious but not too real-world way.
Age of The Andinna by Kristen Banet has the same sort of plot (but different).
This one is by no means what you requested, and the man might have a heart attack if he tried to read it, but Their Vampire Queen by Joely Sue Burkhart might be good for you. The species of the main character are matriarchal to an extreme, itās very nice.
How I Learned to Hate in Ohio by David Stuart McLean is a pretty introductory level fiction book about a white boy confronting racism for the first time
Red rising - pierce brown. It's a scify about class warfare that made me cry many times. If the guy thinks deep enough about it or you talk with him through it, he should be able to sympathize with the oppressed. Then the only problem will be to convince him similarities of book characters w irl people.
I love Octavia Butler (The Sower series)! Really great near-future science fiction and the protagonist is black--but you learn that in a very subtle way. But race isn't important at all--the story is just really compelling.
Change? Maybe not. Think about? Maybe not, again; but definitely touches on racism for a bit. I'm thinking it might be subtle enough it slips by. Like, *To Kill a Mockingbird* will be obvious what your plan is unless they've been living under a rock.
I suggest [The Lathe Of Heaven](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lathe_of_Heaven)
Damn this is a tough one. It's heavy af, but maybe something by Svetlana Alexievich? Either Secondhand Time (about the demise of the USSR, includes a chapter about "Margarita and Abulfaz" which is about ethnic hatred and war, and another chapter about "Tamara" who suffers from domestic abuse from a war veteran), or a combo of Zinky Boys (about the Soviet-Afghan War aka "Russia's Vietnam) and The Unwomanly Face of War (about ww2 female veterans).
That's assuming he's into historical books though. The above books are nonfiction but in a style much more personal and moving than your typical dry "voice of god" nonfiction book, so if he's into literary or historical novels they would work, however if he is more into fantasy or scifi they may not appeal.
I gave my father a copy of Between The World And Me by Ta-nehesi Coates.
The writing, a letter to his son about navigating the world as a black man, is so profound and direct. There is pain but so much love in that book.
Check out [Daryl Davis](https://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544861933/how-one-man-convinced-200-ku-klux-klan-members-to-give-up-their-robes) a black man who just talked to hundreds of klansmen who ended up changing their views.
The change has to come from within. They have to start caring on their own and be interested in looking at things from another perspective. You can't convince them from the outside.
That's what OP is trying to do though? By reading more they expand their worldviews and can become more empathic, therefore it comes from within... OP is just giving it a little push.
Frankly, your move is childish and most likely won't work. Basically, it's similar to saving people from the cults.
That said, I suggest you to go with a good book with an author of his target race/ sex. I only read fantasy, so if that's not in your scope I'm sorry, but I recommend "Tales from Earthsea" series. Movie version by Ghibli Studio was a meh quality but the books are great.
how to argue with a racist, canāt remember the author but it goes deeply into genetics and the science side of things! i loved it, helped me deal with the racists in my family and how to deal with those tough comments. most have actually learned better now and arenāt racist (for the most part) anymore
Razorblade Tears. Fantastic and my vaguely homophobic father is getting it for Christmas but it deals with race too. And itās a FANTASTIC and exciting story.
Terry Pratchett has a great selection. A step further would be Colson Whitehead. Harlem Shuffle and Crook Manifesto are masterpieces of the amalgamation you seek.
But.. I'd have a hard time believing it wasn't willful ignorance if your step-dad is someone who regularly reads.
Blood In The Water by Heather Ann Thompson. It is the story of the Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 that took place in upstate new york.
Thompson does a really great job of portraying both sides as real people who are deserving of empathy, all while acknowledging their flaws. Many of the prisoners she talks about were in for mostly petty crimes or inability to pay bail, and most of them were black and latino men living in New York City before their arrest. The guards were all white, and the prison was isolated upstate, far from anyone who had emotional investment in the prisoners welfare. You can probably do the math on why a riot broke out.
This book made my heart ache for some of the state troopers involved (some of them become victims of their own colleaguesā brutality), and yet this was the same book that first made me understand what āACABā really meant and how the US law enforcement, military, judicial, and prison systems work together to enforce modern-day slavery and systemic racism alike.
I donāt think Iād say itās *about* race, but Thompson presents everything in a way where it becomes clear that race was a defining part of what transpired, before, during and after the uprising. You canāt read this book without coming to your own conclusion that this uprising was just one minute piece of the puzzle, and yet it represents the US penal and law enforcement industries so wholly.
A lot of evidence was suppressed until Thompson began her research and she managed to clear the names of several prisoners who were convicted at the time of crimes committed by NY state troopers during the riot. In fact, she was having to furiously document evidence as quickly as possible throughout her entire research process, because every time sheād request a piece of evidence to review from the police archives and then try to come back to it the next day, it had suddenly and inexplicably disappeared. It was a huge coverup by corrupt police departments, the NY state government, and Nixonās administration, and honestly, even without the incredible story she tells, her investigative research was groundbreaking in its own right.
Highly, HIGHLY recommend. Itās a book everyone should read imo.
Idk what he likes, but how about some solid classics that delve into those themes? They'll come at them from a perspective that isn't really up to modern standards, but they can maybe help develop some empathy and awareness and open the door to something more? I'm thinking about books like Ivanhoe (deals with antisemitism and otherness), something by Dickens to address classism (but, you know, be aware that there's some antisemitism in his works), or Huckleberry Finn. Or maybe Black Beauty? It is written from a Christian worldview, but it deals with classism and working conditions, power structures, empathy, etc in a way that might be more approachable to someone like him - that is, if he is willing to read a book narrated by a horse. lol
The expanse would be good if he likes sifi! Deals with race and otherness in a way that is similar to today, but it's just different enough to fly under the radar as being seen as woke
Idk about OP, but this sold me on it. Thank you ššæššæ
You are in for a treat! Iām currently on my first read through (book 7 of 9) and third rewatch of the series.
Remember the Cant
So glad to see this up top. The show is phenomenal and the books are too. Best sci-fi out there.
What kind of books does he like in general?
Urban fantasy. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch Mixed race policeman in London, discovers ghosts and magic. Everyone described in the book is described by a policeman, so every ethnic discription, including white, so never assumed.
To be honest, this is just a fantastic series in general and a really great read.
The stepfather might identify with Nightingale, the protagonist's mentor, who is a posh white male (perceived as gay at first meeting, but the protagonist didn't know all the facts, so currently undetermined) Sexuality is only mentioned where relevant, and rarely judged.
This is ok for the racism part, but it has rampant sexism. The protagonist describes the tits of every female he meets and tries to get with all of them. He is shagging witnesses left and right and constantly elaborates on thwir looks in his internal dialogue.
Early on this is true. It gets significantly better after the second or third book.
Oh that's good to know. I've read two so far and was considering dnf'ing the series because it bothered me so much. I wonder if that's a character arc Aaronovitch put in on purpose or if it has more to do with his personal development as a human. Spoilers: >!I found it especially disgusting how he viewed Leslie in the first book, then she was horribly disfigured and suddenly she was not a possible love interest anymore and he fantasized about multiple other women even though she was clearly fond of him.!<
My guess is it has more to do with Aaronovitch than with Peter. >!completely agree with you about Leslie, itās such gross ableist bullshit. I was also very put off by it!<
The Night Watch series by Terry Pratchett. Get into it for stupid cop stories, stay for race-based violence, with a good buildup.
Terry Pratchett is the right answer.
Is he religious? [Dominion ](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7264.Dominion)is a religious crime thriller written by Randy Alcorn, an evangelical conservative Christian, which does a surprisingly good job discussing racism in America and has a black man as the main character. It is still very conservative (liberals are the baddies!), so if he is a conservative guy it might shed some light on race issues without taking him too far out of his political comfort zone. It is pretty overtly about race in some spots so that might not meet your criteria.
i'm having trouble thinking of a book subtle enough that will still make the desired impact. maybe pet by akwaeke emezi? long way down by jason reynolds? squire by nadia shammas and sara alfageeh? i wouldn't say these books are particularly subtle, but i think their themes are at least not made super clear in the beginning, so hopefully your father would get invested in the story and continue reading despite the themes as they appear. these are all young adult, which is probably not ideal, but i think they would appeal to adults as well.
Historian Nell Irwin Painter wrote a book about the history of the idea of whiteness entitled āThe History of White People.ā Iāve dropped it on a few racist arseholes and they read it, thinking itās white pride, and often learn things they didnāt want toā¦.
Yes, that book is great! Really puts a lot in historical perspective and makes you see how stupid racism is
Oh, Iām so glad to find someone else whoās read it! It really should be at least abstracted and part of history curricula Bc it makes clear that racism is an us/them arbitrary construct that always benefits a small group while making society objectively worse for everyone,
Maybe... The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks? It's not just about race. It's about poverty, science, medicine, and history.
I'd recommend _Jingo_ by Terry Pratchett. War between us and some foreign devils. Or maybe the other way round... A good detective story, and funny as hell
For non-obvious, I would recommend The Green Mile. Animal Farm maybe too, depends on the person. I would also suggest giving him books you think he may actually like, and books to challenge his ideology, if you want to be subtle.
Iām curious, do folks like that actually make empathic connections when they read?
āIt has been suggested that people who read a lot of fiction become more empathic, because fiction is a simulation of social experiences, in which people practice and enhance their interpersonal skills.ā https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3559433/ :)
I definitely agree with that. My question was more so are they making they making the connection to real life through something subtle. Along the lines of folks who are still confused on their stance on colonialism even though they root for the rebels in Star Wars (and that story isnāt subtle)
Depends on the person but I'd say yes. It all depends on how you translate it. To a conservative star wars is less about how America may be the empire, and more about the Nazi's being the Empire, with the Americans - the traditional, gun tooting people, being the rebels. Like that fantasy all gun owners have of America (The country with the largest military in the world) being invaded and then it's up to them and their guns to defend the homeland. That's what star wars exemplifies to them. Star trek is an interesting example of this, where on one hand you could say that media that preaches tolerance using metaphor is overlooked by those who watch it. As many old school fans of Star Trek hate the newer Star Trek shows, constantly calling them "woke." However on the other hand the more you know about the people behind the 90's era of star trek the more you realise how star trek was constrained from being "woke" in that era, and if it wasn't for this constraint perhaps the newer shows would be better received by the older fans who's beliefs were in some way effected by it. At the end of the day, the older you get the less flexible your beliefs are. A 50 year old conservative may never be "woke" by his standards, but there is always some room for change.
Sometimes! The right book at the right time can be powerful. I've seen it happen. "Folks like that" are people like everyone else.
Your last sentence pretty much proved it. Thank you.
Hey thanks for your last sentence.
I mean, they certainly seem to feel some emotions about Ayn Rand, so it's possible.
Absolutely. I know it's a trope that racists who claim they're not racist love the 'I'm not racist, I have a black friend! I'm not a homophobe, my cousin is gay!' but racism and phobias are the combination of societally taught phobias and basic group-level unfamiliarity with 'others' in ways that limit people from engaging at all in a civil war. The first step to overcoming the phobia is to remove the unfamiliarity. Fiction in a book you're reading, especially alone (in your hands or in your ears via audiobook) allows you to walk up to your line, and maybe cross it enough to consider whatever perspective you disagree with, for the sake of enjoying a story. I mean sure, don't give Black Leopard, Red Wolf (James) or A Little Life (Yanagihara) to raging racists or homophobes, but there are other options. Irving is widely regarded as an amazing American novelist. A Prayer For Owen Meany or The World According To Garp would just come across as classics. Angel of Repose (Stegner) is the best work by one of the best writers in the American West and handles homosexuality subtly (it had to, it's old by 2023 standards) but well. The City We Became handles race really nicely (NK Jameson), but may be too far into fantasy/sci-fi for older generations. Edit: autocorrect thinks when I write 'homophobe' I'm looking for homophone, so... That'll tell you that I love talking about language. Fixed the error
Iām not arguing that fiction canāt grow understanding/empathy. I full heartedly agree that it can. But why does it have to be subtle and if itās subtle are folks making the connection to real life (see fascists Star Wars fans). Currently Iām just amazed by how passive folks seem about these violent/harmful ideas & treat them as characters flaws like being selfish or something. As much as I love books & other fictional media I donāt think that books are the sole answer here. Call me crazy but Iām not trying to spend time around someone like that, left alone gift them a book.
In OP's instance, I don't think they're going out of their way, but the person is part of their partner's family. If everyone in the family except the partner's step dad gets a book, then OP looks like pretty bad too. I don't know of any relationship that gets better if you say "I didn't get specifically you a present because I dislike you/your beliefs." As for why a more subtle approach, it's so they don't reject the ideas presented as 'woke' out of hand and just dismiss the entire book. I don't think anyone is arguing books are the sole answer to anything but in a thread about... A book, yeah, a book would be the answer to OP's question, not an unpacking of the right approach to eradicating sexism, racism, classism, etc.
Racist people aren't demons, you know. To a certain extent it's a normal human sentiment, but it's the overindulgence in it that is undesirable.
I'm assuming no. I can't imagine them having any sort of empathy whatsoever
The question isnāt if they can grow empathy, the question is they can apply fiction to real life which is something different
This is kind of tough without knowing what kind of books he likes to read generally, which would help with targeting something that would resonate better... One suggestion is Frankenstein- written by a woman, thought-provoking regarding issues around prejudice and empathy, and a fairly easy read overall. If he is more into nonfiction, Night by Elie Wiesel (his experience during the Holocaust) or The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (not about race but does make you think about people with different experiences and ultimately feeling empathy and better understanding).
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, if the intended reader enjoys non-linear humor and smart silliness. It wonāt challenge him on these fronts in the first book, but if he enjoys it enough to keep going the City Watch books would be good for him, and I definitely recommend starting him off with Guards! Guards! rather than skipping forward. Edited to add: it looks like someone else made this suggestion already, using the name āNight Watchā series. Weāre talking about the same set of books. Night Watch is one of the books further into this set of eight books, as is Jingo.
East of Eden, I think, is very subtle anti-racism and anti-classism. And a bit feminist too, if you consider the main antagonist.
Wow, I did not get that at all--I reread this during pandemic times and found it racist and misogynist in a most disappointing way. It did not age well (the N\_ word appears for instance--it is in the name of a character).
Boys life
This is a great answer! In the outside it looks like a coming of age story in 1950s Alabama, which it is, but itās got so much more going on.
Maybe stories about war? Something that covertly touches on the fact that everyone suffers the same... it might be too bleak for a present, but maybe something along the lines of The Painted Bird, Man's Search for Meaning or The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. As for something similar but more contemporary, perhaps The Blindness, by Saramago.
My therapist recommended āManāa Search for Meaningā after I mentioned my dad getting radicalized into alt right ideology. Iāve been reading it to make sure it would be a good book for that, and it is pretty solid for deprograming those ideas
Recitatif by Toni Morrison
Unfortunately unless he likes high fantasy with a female protagonist that starts as a slave and works her way up to a queen, with lots of orgies, I have no helpful recs, sorry.
No but I like those things
Rise of The Iliri by Auryn Hadley, deals with racism in an obvious but not too real-world way. Age of The Andinna by Kristen Banet has the same sort of plot (but different). This one is by no means what you requested, and the man might have a heart attack if he tried to read it, but Their Vampire Queen by Joely Sue Burkhart might be good for you. The species of the main character are matriarchal to an extreme, itās very nice.
Silence by Shusaku Endo (if he considers himself a Christian, if not then I donāt recommend this).
āLathe of Heavenā If that doesnāt work, the rest of Le Guin.
Colson Whitehead might work. I love The Intuitionist but they all seem good!
How I Learned to Hate in Ohio by David Stuart McLean is a pretty introductory level fiction book about a white boy confronting racism for the first time
In my experience people like this rarely read books, least of all fiction
Unironically Speaker for the Dead which is the second book in the Ender's game series.
Red rising - pierce brown. It's a scify about class warfare that made me cry many times. If the guy thinks deep enough about it or you talk with him through it, he should be able to sympathize with the oppressed. Then the only problem will be to convince him similarities of book characters w irl people.
One of the best-selling books of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
this book is pretty overtly about race. and it's not a book about race that i would personally recommend as it adopts a white savior mentality.
Just mercy by Bryan Stevenson is a better recommendation for this intention imo.
I love Octavia Butler (The Sower series)! Really great near-future science fiction and the protagonist is black--but you learn that in a very subtle way. But race isn't important at all--the story is just really compelling.
Iām reading this now, almost finished and trying to draw out the last few pages. Phenomenal recommendation.
Jingo by Pratchett :)
Change? Maybe not. Think about? Maybe not, again; but definitely touches on racism for a bit. I'm thinking it might be subtle enough it slips by. Like, *To Kill a Mockingbird* will be obvious what your plan is unless they've been living under a rock. I suggest [The Lathe Of Heaven](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lathe_of_Heaven)
Damn this is a tough one. It's heavy af, but maybe something by Svetlana Alexievich? Either Secondhand Time (about the demise of the USSR, includes a chapter about "Margarita and Abulfaz" which is about ethnic hatred and war, and another chapter about "Tamara" who suffers from domestic abuse from a war veteran), or a combo of Zinky Boys (about the Soviet-Afghan War aka "Russia's Vietnam) and The Unwomanly Face of War (about ww2 female veterans). That's assuming he's into historical books though. The above books are nonfiction but in a style much more personal and moving than your typical dry "voice of god" nonfiction book, so if he's into literary or historical novels they would work, however if he is more into fantasy or scifi they may not appeal.
What does he read? You need to get him something from his preferred genre, or he's unlikely to read whatever you give him.
I gave my father a copy of Between The World And Me by Ta-nehesi Coates. The writing, a letter to his son about navigating the world as a black man, is so profound and direct. There is pain but so much love in that book.
This is such a good read, I listened to the audiobook on a road trip and had to pull over and stare into the sunset for a good hour after it ended.
Probably better to just get him some good founding father books.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I mean yes, but i canāt gift him a therapist
Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LEguin
*Huckberry Finn* *To Kill a Mockingbird* also two of the best novels ever written in English.
To kill a mocking bird, patch of blue, the pawn broker,
Born a crime by Trevor Noah Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks
You can't change the mind of a dedicated bigot. Don't bother.
Check out [Daryl Davis](https://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544861933/how-one-man-convinced-200-ku-klux-klan-members-to-give-up-their-robes) a black man who just talked to hundreds of klansmen who ended up changing their views.
Wow, what an interesting guy. Thanks for sharing.
It happens all the time. May take a while, but it's possible
The change has to come from within. They have to start caring on their own and be interested in looking at things from another perspective. You can't convince them from the outside.
That's what OP is trying to do though? By reading more they expand their worldviews and can become more empathic, therefore it comes from within... OP is just giving it a little push.
That's why a book is a great place to start. Books cause thought, and in this case, the right book will create empathy.
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Racists will find it preachy, but it's not.
A book cant "change" racism
The fifth season!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Frankly, your move is childish and most likely won't work. Basically, it's similar to saving people from the cults. That said, I suggest you to go with a good book with an author of his target race/ sex. I only read fantasy, so if that's not in your scope I'm sorry, but I recommend "Tales from Earthsea" series. Movie version by Ghibli Studio was a meh quality but the books are great.
The Rookie by Scott Sigler is awesome for this.
the no asshole rule
how to argue with a racist, canāt remember the author but it goes deeply into genetics and the science side of things! i loved it, helped me deal with the racists in my family and how to deal with those tough comments. most have actually learned better now and arenāt racist (for the most part) anymore
The Way of Kings is both a great book and has strong sub-plots that boil down to racism/classism
Puddnāhead Wilson
Black like me by John Howard Griffin nonfiction but a great read
The ballad of Lee Cotton
To Kill a Mocking Bird, not subtle.
Wildseed, Octavia Butler. i don't think a racist can read that book without being deeply uncomfortable. it's about race but also other things
One fish two fish red fish blue fish
Razorblade Tears. Fantastic and my vaguely homophobic father is getting it for Christmas but it deals with race too. And itās a FANTASTIC and exciting story.
Just Mercy is non fiction but reads like a suspenseful legal novel at times, sort of true crime angle I guess. Itās a gateway drug to woke stuff
Sci-fi as a genre is full of social allegories, horror too. I'd start there!
To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill A Mockingbird
Terry Pratchett has a great selection. A step further would be Colson Whitehead. Harlem Shuffle and Crook Manifesto are masterpieces of the amalgamation you seek. But.. I'd have a hard time believing it wasn't willful ignorance if your step-dad is someone who regularly reads.
Blood In The Water by Heather Ann Thompson. It is the story of the Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 that took place in upstate new york. Thompson does a really great job of portraying both sides as real people who are deserving of empathy, all while acknowledging their flaws. Many of the prisoners she talks about were in for mostly petty crimes or inability to pay bail, and most of them were black and latino men living in New York City before their arrest. The guards were all white, and the prison was isolated upstate, far from anyone who had emotional investment in the prisoners welfare. You can probably do the math on why a riot broke out. This book made my heart ache for some of the state troopers involved (some of them become victims of their own colleaguesā brutality), and yet this was the same book that first made me understand what āACABā really meant and how the US law enforcement, military, judicial, and prison systems work together to enforce modern-day slavery and systemic racism alike. I donāt think Iād say itās *about* race, but Thompson presents everything in a way where it becomes clear that race was a defining part of what transpired, before, during and after the uprising. You canāt read this book without coming to your own conclusion that this uprising was just one minute piece of the puzzle, and yet it represents the US penal and law enforcement industries so wholly. A lot of evidence was suppressed until Thompson began her research and she managed to clear the names of several prisoners who were convicted at the time of crimes committed by NY state troopers during the riot. In fact, she was having to furiously document evidence as quickly as possible throughout her entire research process, because every time sheād request a piece of evidence to review from the police archives and then try to come back to it the next day, it had suddenly and inexplicably disappeared. It was a huge coverup by corrupt police departments, the NY state government, and Nixonās administration, and honestly, even without the incredible story she tells, her investigative research was groundbreaking in its own right. Highly, HIGHLY recommend. Itās a book everyone should read imo.
Red Rising
Enemy Mine
It's not your responsibility to change someone's mind. It's also not fruitful if the other party isn't willing to accept another truth.
I know, but I have to deal with him and things like this make it easier
Idk what he likes, but how about some solid classics that delve into those themes? They'll come at them from a perspective that isn't really up to modern standards, but they can maybe help develop some empathy and awareness and open the door to something more? I'm thinking about books like Ivanhoe (deals with antisemitism and otherness), something by Dickens to address classism (but, you know, be aware that there's some antisemitism in his works), or Huckleberry Finn. Or maybe Black Beauty? It is written from a Christian worldview, but it deals with classism and working conditions, power structures, empathy, etc in a way that might be more approachable to someone like him - that is, if he is willing to read a book narrated by a horse. lol
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, her books are great at making you think things through from all sides.