Killing Rage: Ending Racism

Killing Rage: Ending Racism by bell hooks (who intentionally never capitalizes her name) was originally published in 1995. In this collection of nonfiction essays, hooks draws upon her experiences growing up in Appalachian America, specifically Kentucky, during desegregation, as well as her professional experiences in academia. She writes about the ways racism, sexism, and classism intersect. hooks writes for a primarily Black audience, but Killing Rage: Ending Racism is also featured on many general lists of books about understanding racism. The book includes essays and quotes from hooks’s previously published work, as well as new essays. She discusses the history of slavery and Black resistance, as well as current events from the 1980s and 1990s. Themes include Overcoming Systemic White Supremacy, Black Sexism and Misogyny, Class Consciousness in Black Communities, and Solidarity and Betrayal.

This guide cites the Henry Holt paperback edition.

Content Warning: This book contains discussions of racially motivated hate crimes, sexual assault, and other forms of oppression based on race, gender, and class.

Summary

The collection’s Introduction, “Race Talk,” identifies a key problem in discussions about race. Men, Black and white, dominate discussions about race, excluding feminism and the perspectives of women.