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This Is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism
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About This Book
In this "vital book for these times" ( Kirkus Reviews ), Don Lemon brings his vast audience and experience as a reporter and a Black man to today's most urgent How can we end racism in America in our lifetimes? The host of CNN Tonight with Don Lemon is more popular than ever. As America's only Black prime-time anchor, Lemon and his daily monologues on racism and antiracism, on the failures of the Trump administration and of so many of our leaders, and on America's systemic flaws speak for his millions of fans. Now, in an urgent, deeply personal, riveting plea, he shows us all how deep our problems lie, and what we can do to begin to fix them. Beginning with a letter to one of his Black nephews, he proceeds with reporting and reflections on his slave ancestors, his upbringing in the shadows of segregation, and his adult confrontations with politicians, activists, and scholars. In doing so, Lemon offers a searing and poetic ultimatum to America. He visits the slave port where a direct ancestor was shackled and shipped to America. He recalls a slave uprising in Louisiana, just a few miles from his birthplace. And he takes us to the heart of the 2020 protests in New York City. As he writes to his young We must resist racism every single day. We must resist it with love.
Reviews
"CNN host Lemon...ruminates in this lyrical yet diffuse account on the legacy of white supremacy in America ..."
"A thoughtful analysis which deserves a place on readers' anti-racist reading lists."
"Ending, Lemon muses of how he and Tim speak of race, sometimes disagreeing but always finding their way home to the love they share."
"Sections exploring deep American history suddenly give way to contemporary anecdotes ..."
"His dismay and anguish are laid bare with a fervor that is authentic and hard-won."
"Lemon strikes a nice balance between the personal and the political, sharing moments of his life with his fiance, Tim, and his family, dealt a severe blow by the death of his sister, Leisa."
"But it leaves me wanting more."
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