In Radical Reparations, Marcus Anthony Hunter discusses reparations in seven areas: political, intellectual, legal, economic, spatial, social, and spiritual. Among other things, reparations must involve ensuring representation, seeking restorative justice, repairing the social fabric, reclaiming cultural heritage, and expanding opportunities. Hunter emphasizes that we cannot reduce the idea of reparations to a simple monetary calculation.

I was drawn to this book because of a respect for Dr. Hunter's work. Formerly a high school English teacher, Hunter realized his knowledge gap about the Black experience and began pursuing his self-education. He has a wealth of knowledge from which we can benefit. The book has a beautiful cover and a compelling narrative, but it differs from what I expected. I found it to be disjointed. It includes several lengthy parables that are hard to tie into the discussion. It would have been more helpful to deal with specific reasons for reparations directly.

Despite my disappointment with this book, it is worth your time, even if you choose to skim through the middle part and concentrate on the last chapter. I greatly respect Dr. Hunter's work and look forward to following his future projects.

Thank you, Amistad and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. #RadicalReparations #NetGalley