Wish We Knew What to Say is a vital toolkit for parents from all backgrounds to talk openly and honestly about race to their children between the ages of 2-12 about race.
We want our children to thrive and flourish in a diverse, multi-cultural world and we owe it to them to help them make sense of the confusing and emotionally charged messages they receive about themselves and others. These early years are the most crucial when children are curious about the world around them, but are also quick to form stereotypes and biases that can become deeply ingrained as they grow older. These are the people who are going to inherit this world, and we owe it to them to lay a strong foundation for the next phases of their lives.
Wish We Knew What to Say is a timely and urgent book that gives scenarios, questions, thought starters, resources and advice in an accessible manner on how to tackle tricky conversations around race and racism with confidence and awareness. it brings in the science of how children perceive race and form racial identity, combining it with personal stories and experiences to create a handy guide that every parent would refer to again and again.
Written by behavioural and data scientist, Dr Pragya Agarwal, Wish We Knew What to Say will help all parents, carers and educators give children the tools and vocabulary to talk about people's differences and similarities in an open, non-judgemental, curious way, and help them address any unfairness they might see or encounter.
About the Author
Dr Pragya Agarwal is a behavioural and data scientist, and a freelance journalist. As a Senior Academic in US and UK universities, she has held the prestigious Leverhulme Fellowship, following a PhD from the University of Nottingham. Pragya is the author of SWAY: Unravelling Unconscious Bias. As a freelance journalist, her writing has appeared in the Guardian, Independent, BMJ, Times Higher Education, Huffington Post, Prospect, Forbes, and many more.
Pragya moved to the UK from India almost twenty years ago, and now lives in the north-west with her family.
Industry Reviews
'A thoughtful, prescient read for any mother or father parenting through the unique challenges of this racially polarised year, decade and beyond'
Kenya Hunt
'Comprehensive, readable, and so very important. The next generation needs you to read this book'
Clare Mackintosh, Sunday Times bestselling author
'A vital book that equips us to have conversations about race and racism with young people, ensuring we are all playing our part to raise the next generations as anti-racist. With excellent, clear advice from Dr Agarwal I Wish We Knew What to Say is a quick, engaging and easily digestible read'
Nikesh Shukla
