The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth

Recommended reading:  everyone should read and discuss this book with a child.

Racism is a hot topic in books this fall, even in books for children and teens. The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson, was released in September. It is a book that can help you start important conversations about racism with your child. In the forward, the editor’s note includes: “There are myriad versions of ‘The Talk,’ because there are myriad ways to be human.” The Talk is a collection of parental talks which were either received from each writer’s parent(s) or talks that they have given to their own children. The collection proves that our strength as humans lies in our diversity and our willingness to love rather than fear our differences.   

The Talk is comprised of narrative pieces, poetry and illustrations created by a range of racially diverse range of authors, poets and illustrators of children’s and teen books. Each piece is unique, and each creator has taken great care not only to caution children about the dangers they face simply because of their race, but also to encourage them to find love, success and joy in their lives despite those dangers.

The pieces are brief and presented in language that is appropriate for readers from mid-elementary school and older.  They are packed with honesty, love, caution, and beauty. I read the book a second time to find the juiciest quotes to share in this article and filled five pages of a legal pad. I wish I could share them all here, but I simply cannot choose a favorite piece or a favorite quote. Like people of all races, religions, backgrounds, ethnicities, ableness, gender and sexuality, each piece in The Talk shines with its own beauty, pain, quirks, and most of all the love of parents for their children in every case.