Becoming Human

By Zakiyyah Iman Jackson,

Book cover of Becoming Human: Matter and Meaning in an Antiblack World

Book description

Winner, 2021 Gloria E. Anzaldua Book Prize, given by the National Women's Studies Association
Winner, 2021 Harry Levin Prize, given by the American Comparative Literature Association
Winner, 2021 Lambda Literary Award in LGBTQ Studies
Argues that Blackness disrupts our essential ideas of race, gender, and, ultimately, the human
Rewriting the…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Becoming Human as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book is not for the faint of heart. It’s got a lot of academic jargon, and it can be tough reading.

But it’s well worth the work, because it is also one of the best explanations I’ve ever seen, anywhere, of how and why widely accepted categories like “human” and “animal” come from a bigger story influenced by slavery and its aftermath. Jackson’s book also has lovely and subtle case studies that will introduce you to writers and artists you won’t forget, like the incredible paintings of Wangechi Mutu or the sensitive creativity of writer Nalo Hopkinson.

Want books like Becoming Human?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Becoming Human.

Browse books like Becoming Human

Book cover of Ancillary Justice
Book cover of Dawn
Book cover of Primate Visions: Gender, Race, and Nature in the World of Modern Science

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,525

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in black people, race relations, and African Americans?

Black People 76 books
Race Relations 268 books
African Americans 813 books