"I dare you. I challenge you. I implore you to look at things from a different perspective than the crowd." This is an earnest plea, from the author, to anyone parenting a black child in present-day America. For years, the loudest voices in the black community have publicly been in lock-step agreement about the presence of racism in America, and how it has affected the culture. These voiced opinions are traditionally passed down from generation to generation. Voices of dissent have been mainly silenced by raucous disagreement. 9 Things Kaylan Should Know gives voice to a different point of view, not only about the degree and effect of racism today, but the author also tackles how blacks are to give their descendants, and future leaders, an inspiring hope about who they are, and what is possible when they turn from anger and bitter despair to spiritual truth as their guide. 9 Things...is what one family's older generations passed down to one in the younger generation to help her navigate the issues of racism in a nation struggling to find cultural balance in a "melting pot" society. Kaylan's life lessons regarding race can benefit anyone searching for significance, and those lessons can make a difference, one person at a time. PATRICIA KNOTT is a native of the South and is happy to call it home. She lives in Arkansas with her husband, John.