The Science of Racism

Everything you need to know but probably don't - yet

By: Keon West

Narrated by: Keon West

Length: 12 hrs

Publisher's summary

'Illuminating, surprising, unnerving, moving . . . and, sadly, utterly necessary' - Sathnam Sanghera, bestselling author of Empireland

Polls show that if you ask the average person even the most basic question – ‘Does racism still exist?’ – about 50% of people will say that it does, while the other 50% will say that it doesn’t. Despite increasingly vocal and polarized opinions on both traditional and social media platforms, as a society we have no more clarity about racism than we did a generation ago.

In the ground-breaking The Science of Racism Professor Keon West cuts through the divisive anecdotes and rhetoric with decades’ worth of clear, factual, rigorous science - the data that reveals truths about racism that are shocking and tragic, but also (somehow) funny and entertaining.

He explains how we know, for example, that Black people are up to 50 per cent less likely to be called in to interview than identically qualified White people. He shows how we know there's a financial cost of selling items online while Black. He reveals the effects of racism on our friendships, relationships, healthcare and justice system. And he exposes the continued prevalence of racism, and the inadequacy of our many attempts to address it.

Whatever you’ve read before, this audiobook will ensure that you never see racism in the same way again.

©2025 Keon West (P)2025 Macmillan Publishers International Limited

Critic reviews

This isn’t like any other book you’ve read about racism. It is feverishly devoted to data, painting an unarguable picture of the extent and scope of racism in our society. Read this book and you’ll win every debate you’ll ever have with anyone who doubts the existence of racism. (Natasha Devon)