Stamped from the Beginning

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You is adapted from Stamped: From the Beginning, originally written by Kendi.[9] The first book, published in 2016, focuses on historical figures.[10] However, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You follows a chronological format.[9] Kendi reached out to Reynolds to collaborate on a chronological version after seeing success with his first book. Reynolds first declined Kendi's proposal, adamant that he was a fiction writer. It took a writing style that made Stamped "not a history book" to get Reynolds on board with the idea.[10]

Kendi and Reynolds insist throughout the book that "it is not a history book" and writes in a casual, easy-to-understand manner, using slang and pop culture references to cater to the younger audience. There are five sections split by time periods: 1415–1728, 1743–1826, 1826–1879, 1868–1963, and 1963-today. The chapters vary in length and there are 28 in total. In these chapters, Kendi and Reynolds focus on important, often overlooked figures and events to illustrate the development of racist ideas throughout the history of the United States. Throughout the book, Kendi and Reynolds return to the themes of racists, assimilationists, and antiracists, and the book ends by encouraging readers to take what they have learned from the book and to become antiracist. 

Stamped is a New York Times Bestseller[11] and received numerous positive reviews, including starred reviews from Booklist[12][13] and Kirkus.[11] Kirkus also named it one of the best books of 2020.[11]

The print book has received the following accolades:

• Goodreads Choice Award for Nonfiction (2020)[14]
• Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth (2020)[15]
• Kirkus Prize finalist (2020)[11]
• Notable Children's Books (2021)[16]
• NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Youth / Teens nomination[17]

The audiobook has received the following accolades:

• American Library Association Top 10 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (2017)[18]
• Booklist Editors' Choice: Youth Audio (2020)[19]
• Odyssey Award Honor Audiobook (2021)[20][21]

Despite the above, in 2020, Stamped landed the second position on the American Library Association's list of the most commonly banned and challenged books in the United States.[22] The book was banned, challenged, and/or restricted "because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains 'selective storytelling incidents' and does not encompass racism against all people."[22]