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Remix
Novelist Jason Reynold’s Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You describes itself from the outset as a “remix,” a term borrowed from contemporary music to indicate that a new version of a work has been created by rearranging the original material in new and compelling ways. The original, in this case, is Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (2017) by Ibram X. Kendi. Reynolds substantially pares down the original text and shifts its presentation using an engaging and sometimes provocative writing style to draw readers into the book. In doing so, Stamped abandons the original’s emphasis on being “a definitive history” in favor of providing a more accessible overview of key moments in the long history of American racism. It is a “remix” in rejecting the conventions of academic history and in aiming for a new audience, especially younger readers.
“Not a history book”
The narrator frequently reminds readers that Stamped is “not a history book,” even if it is derived from one. While the book certainly conveys historical details, its informal style and flippant tone emphasize how the past shapes the present for its readers. Instead of offering a nuanced retelling of historical moments, Reynolds encourages readers to reflect on their present emotional responses to historical racism and injustice. Often, for example, the narrator uses all caps to tell the reader to “PAUSE,” take a deep breath, and check in with themselves. Throughout the narrative, Reynolds remains acutely aware that racism is an ongoing source of trauma for Black people today. It is not merely an unfortunate relic of the past. Yet the book suggests that readers, and particularly young readers, have the power to relegate this present, and its ugly past, to the pages of history.
