NONFICTION - July 7, 1996

40 WAYS TO RAISE A NONRACIST CHILD by Barbara Mathias and Mary Ann French (HarperCollins: $10, 176 pp.). Journalists Mathias and French deserve to be commended for honestly confronting a topic as thorny as racism. “40 Ways to Raise a Nonracist Child” is clearly a courageous, worthwhile project. Criticizing it feels almost unfair. Yet the book has problems.

Taken individually, many of the “ways” listed are quite useful, even if all one does is think about them. “Examine what holds you back from interracial friendships, avoid cultural tourism and beware of your nonverbal messages,” are three especially intriguing suggestions. Yet there are other ideas that seem overwhelmingly difficult or, for some people, downright impossible: “Involve the community, help broaden your child’s social circle, select a diverse middle school.”

Mathias and French address some important issues, yet remain silent on others. Is racism embedded into the human psyche? How exactly do we define a racist? Does the perception of differences automatically involve stereotyping? When is that line crossed? Ultimately, this book may leave many readers with more questions than answers.