The Miseducation of the Negro (1933/2006) by Carter G. Woodson

When

I read this during my undergraduate studies.

Why

I am pretty sure it was assigned for a class, but as soon as I started reading, I was blown away. This book had a “red pill from the Matrix” type effect on me through Woodson’s articulation of the myriad ways mental slavery can constrain and distort one’s ability to fulfill their human potential.

How

It did not influence my teaching and/or scholarship in a specific way, but more generally, it was a powerful example of the potential revolutionary nature of conceptual change. And this notion, that changes in mental approach or conceptual understanding can inform substantive changes in how we relate to the world and others, helps explain my passion for developmental psychology more broadly and moral development more specifically.