​Book ReviewMagee, Rhonda (2019). The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing ourselves and transforming our communities through mindfulness. Penguin Random House LLC.

Many argue that the issue of race and racial divide is the single, most powerful force in American politics and in our social order. Dr. Rhonda Magee’s recent book challenges us to consider race as a social construct - fictional, yet present in our everyday lives. She shows how race and racism are embedded into our history, our upbringing, and our thoughts that result in our defining people as Asian, white, black, Hispanic, etc., and creating impressions that affect our world view and ways we interact. 

Dr. Magee believes that in today’s time, we are presented with a profound opportunity to begin the process of transformative healing. By engaging in reflective, mindful practices that render a deeper look at how our lives have been shaped by the narrative of race, we have the capacity to be open, “to being wrong”, and to reduce the suffering and tendency to make groups feel as the “other”.  Dr. Magee weaves a series of mindfulness practices throughout the book to use as tools to help us uncover our personal biases, develop awareness of the lived experiences of others, and participate in conversations of honesty and truth.
 
Her book, The Inner Work of Racial Justice, is a must read for anyone interested in social justice. Dr. Magee calls for each person to join her and be part of the healing process for all of us:
     “If I am to stand in my own agency and integrity, the story of healing and repair must begin-and end-with me.”
​It is a tall order. Her book offers us a way forward.
-N. Staub