How to Argue With a Racist

Get in the xigxag app
Already purchased

Click to open directly in the xigxag app.

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book. Pre-order Buy Now £{{ price }} Send as a gift

Listen to a sample

What to expect

*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*



'Nobody deals with challenging subjects more interestingly and compellingly than Adam Rutherford, and this may be his best book yet. This is a seriously important work' BILL BRYSON

Race is real because we perceive it. Racism is real because we enact it. But the appeal to science to strengthen racist ideologies is on the rise - and increasingly part of the public discourse on politics, migration, education, sport and intelligence. Stereotypes and myths about race are expressed not just by overt racists, but also by well-intentioned people whose experience and cultural baggage steer them towards views that are not supported by the modern study of human genetics. Even some scientists are uncomfortable expressing opinions deriving from their research where it relates to race. Yet, if understood correctly, science and history can be powerful allies against racism, granting the clearest view of how people actually are, rather than how we judge them to be.

HOW TO ARGUE WITH A RACIST is a vital manifesto for a twenty-first century understanding of human evolution and variation, and a timely weapon against the misuse of science to justify bigotry.

Critics Review

A fascinating and timely refutation of the casual racism on the rise around the world. The ultimate anti-racism guide for data-lovers everywhere

CAROLINE CRIADO PEREZ

For centuries science has been used and abused by racists. This book wrests it from their grubby hands by showing that race is biologically meaningless and that modern genetic science is a racist’s worst enemy. Along the way Adam Rutherford reveals that you are related to royalty, that every Nazi had Jewish ancestors and that you share no DNA with half your ancestors. A critical book on a critical issue

DAVID OLUSOGA

Nobody deals with challenging subjects more interestingly and compellingly than Adam Rutherford, and this may be his best book yet. This is a seriously important work

BILL BRYSON

A book that could save lives

SPECTATOR

A fascinating debunking of racial pseudoscience . . . engaging and enlightening . . . equip[s] the reader with the scientific tools necessary to tackle questions concerning race, genes and ancestry

GUARDIAN

Characteristically far-reaching, insightful and brilliant, Adam Rutherford casts his net wide in a book that is as timely as it is invigorating and important

PETER FRANKOPAN

Rutherford, a geneticist, debunks racist pseudoscience, showing that everyone’s ancestry is cosmopolitan in a stylish, punchy, myth-busting study

DAILY TELEGRAPH

[An] enthralling, illuminating book

MAIL ON SUNDAY

A counter-blast to those who would use science to justify prejudice

NEW STATESMAN

Adam Rutherford is the perfect writer to arm you with evidence

CLAUDIA HAMMOND

This fascinating, illuminating and original book on human evolution and development is essential reading in an age of false science, resurgent racism and conspiracy theory – and the perfect antidote to racial bigotry

One of the most pleasing observations offered by Adam Rutherford, a great communicator who knows how to simplify difficult concepts, is that the racist you are arguing with will themself be far from racially pure

I NEWSPAPER

Elucidating, enabling, and powerful in its simplicity, everyone should have a copy of this book

SUNDAY POST

Stylish and punchy

DAILY TELEGRAPH, Books of the Year

HOW TO ARGUE WITH A RACIST smashes race myths that plague society

NEW SCIENTIST

Poignant . . . A timely weapon against the misuse of science to justify bigotry and casual racism

COSMOPOLITAN

Brilliant, succinct genetics for the uninitiated

Adam Rutherford is a master storyteller

Enlightening and entertaining

RADIO TIMES

Vital

OBSERVER

If teaching is what makes humans special, then Adam Rutherford is superhuman – a truly gifted transmitter of knowledge: lucid, enlightening, witty and delightful

Dr Adam Rutherford has a gift for making complicated concepts simple

RADIO TIMES

Admirable . . . The reader will be similarly enriched by the quick blood of this book

THE GLASGOW HERALD

Timely and accessible

THE BOOKSELLER, Editor's Choice

Not only shows what science really says about race, ancestry and genetics, but also helps us argue against the idea that certain people are biologically inferior and encourages informed conversations about race . . . This book’s gift is to use science to talk about a pseudoscience

NEW SCIENTIST, Best Books of 2020

How to Argue with a Racist is doubtlessly one of the most important reads of the year. But it’s arguably the most interesting too . . . Engaging and thought-provoking throughout

BBC SCIENCE FOCUS, Best Books of the Year

A remarkable telling of the shared ancestry of the human race. The book is a treasure trove filled with gems of knowledge from the field of genetics and what it knows about skin colour, intelligence, ancestry, athletic ability and racial superiority. The reader is provided the fascinating scientific weaponry to confidently take on questions about race, genes, ancestry. Ultimately, Rutherford’s book is a challenge against the manipulation, misrepresentation, and abuse of science to justify hatred and prejudice

Big Think

About xigxag

Enjoy the best audiobooks on xigxag, an innovative, user-friendly audiobook platform that makes it easy to find, purchase, and enjoy your favorite books in audio format. xigxag’s flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less – affordable prices and the best audiobook deals with no subscription required.  Give the perfect gift with our audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

 

xigxag’s commitment to sustainability and ethical practices ensures a guilt-free listening experience from an exceptional digital book platform – an exciting alternative to big tech.  Enjoy audiobooks from the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service and a leader in audiobook innovation.

 

Search effortlessly, read honest audiobook reviews evaluating both the book and the narration, and discover hidden gems.  Download or stream top audiobook titles anytime, anywhere and get the best possible listening experience on the UK’s best independent audiobook app.  Experience the future of audiobooks today.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.