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The Good Ally - Nova Reid

 

Genre: Non-Fiction

Released: 19th September 2021

Publisher: HQ

‘I invite you to be courageous and get comfortable with being uncomfortable, because any discomfort you feel is temporary and pales in comparison to what black and brown people often have to experience on a daily basis.
Are you ready?
Let’s get started, we have work to do.’

The Good Ally is more than a book, it's a guided journey for anyone and everyone into the complex subject of fighting social injustice. It isn't a book about how to simply not be racist, but about being actively anti-racist, which is something we all need to learn how to do. 

The writing style was easy, straightforward and structured in a helpful way, Nova Reid has nailed a perfect conversational style to her writing that makes even difficult subjects like this easy to follow and understand on a personal level. 

Encouraging readers not to only fight against the blatant systemic racism that we can all see, but to reflect inwards and assess our own internal biases and microaggressions we may not even realise. Of course, this can get uncomfortable and painful, as we look at ourselves and realise we may have been harbouring unconscious racism or prejudice against others, or even ourselves. 

The beauty of this book is Reids gentle focus on self-care - they acknowledge how painful this kind of reflection can be, and encourage the reader to be kind to themselves, to practice loving and caring for yourself, and to not allow your subconscious and taught behaviour to influence who you are and the choices you make. 

A frustrating, painful read but something that should definitely be on your bookshelf regardless. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted a reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review. 

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