This book cannot be returned.
Henry Highland was a former slave, pastor and abolitionist. This short book details his speech given just days after the adoption of the thirteenth amendment which banned slavery. Many of us have heard of the infamous I Had a Dream speech by MLK, which moved the hearts of the entire country. Highland's speech carries the same energy as MLK's speech raw, vulnerable and heartbreaking. I recommend this book to anyone who loves history or social justice.
Mass incarceration of African Americans has been a subject that's been pushed under the rug for decades. Alexander examines the US prison system and highlights how it has racism embedded within its foundation. This is an eye opening book that I recommend to everyone.
In this novel Bell Hooks examines the relationship between African American's and self esteem. African Americans have a very unique history and with that comes a complex relationship with the way one may see themselves and experience the world. This book was eye opening, It makes you realize how much negativity and shame from false narratives AA's have internalized over the last 400+ years. When we internalize something for such a long time sometimes it becomes a subconscious truth leading to a warped self image and low self image. This is the start of a harmful domino affect where low self esteem present problems relating to the black family, society and so on.
It is believed that 10-20% of enslaved Africans died on the Middle Passage en route to the new world. What if the women who were thrown aboard were able to survive? The Deep hones in on this story line. Pregnant women who were thrown aboard create a underwater civilization.
This book is easily in my top 5 list of best books I've ever read. This book may be short but it is very powerful and has so much weaved within it. The flow of the writing was perfect and sucked me in immediately. No sentence felt wasted, everything felt important. The Deep is a complex story with several layers yet not overwhelming and confusing. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a genre bending novella.
Issa Rae has become a household name after her Starz series Insecure became everyone's Sunday obsession. In her web series The Awkward Black Girl and hit show Insecure, Issa plays a socially awkward girl who finds herself in the strangest situations that creates the perfect on screen drama. This novel shows that the awkward black is not just a role Issa plays often but it's actually just a reflection of who she is. Is the book written sporadically? Absolutely, but that's what makes this book unique. If you want to laugh until your stomach hurts, cringe from second hand embarrassment; or in my case walk away from the book because you relate too much, I recommend this book!
Passing is a very short novel that packs a mean punch! This Harlem Renissance classic that shines light on the concept of passing for white as an african amerian. This book challenges our notions of what makes someone part of a racial group. Oh, and the ending is crazy!! Also, I am aware that there is a movie with the amazing Tessa Thompson but there are several VERY important relationship details that are not as intense in the movie as they were in the novel.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is Awaeke Emezi book, and I was not disappointed! Feyi is a young African woman who is trying to rebuild her life after things take a traumatic turn. This book felt like I was watching an extra season of girlfriends with more of a queer edge and if Joan happened to take some of Samantha Jones (From Sex in the city) confidence. I really enjoyed this book, it was a very fast read and it pulls at your heart strings.
This book tells the story of Assata Shakur formerly known as Joann Byron. She is a revolutionary African'-American woman who fought with the Black Panther Party in the 1970's against systemic, environmental, institutional, structural and individual racism. Shakur vulnerably takes her readers on a emotional yet thought provoking ride about her life; starting with her childhood in New York and North Carolina leading into her becoming FBI's Most Wanted. Shakur's amazing story telling , sharp words, fearless nature and passion to fight for what's right makes this book a page turner.
Beloved: Beloved is a symbol for the 60 million + Africans who were lost in slavery whose stories and names we will never know.
Stillness Speaks is one of the most powerful books I've ever read. It's a very fast read, only about 87 pages and each page packs a punch. The pages are not even filled with words just thought provoking statements that bring readers calmness. If you are a person who happens to be interested in mindfullness, this is a great start.
Claudia is so excited to see her best friend Monday after returning home from summer break. Her and Monday have been inseparable since they were kids. However, when Claudia returns home and she doesn't receive a call from Monday and Monday doesn't show up to school on the first day, Claudia begins to worry. To make things even more weird Claudia keeps finding these encrypted messages left by Monday. Where is Monday? and why hasn't anyone else noticed she's missing? This book tells the story of a beautiful friendship between two young girls and the profound story of loss and confusion .
This book feels like a stream of Maya Angelou's subconscious. She tells stories about people , events and traumatic experiences that ultimately formed her into who she is. Angelou's fiery personality and ability to be honest and vulnerable makes this book a very fast read. Through out this entire book I felt as though i was reading Maya Angelou's journal with how free and raw this book was written.
The Sweetness of Water takes place after the civil war, during the reconstruction period of southern states. Prentiss and Landry are former slaves who were recently freed by the emancipation proclamation. When they find themselves in the Georgia woods trying to trap their next meal they run into George Walker a local who is emotionally numb and having marital issues. George decides to hire the two brothers to farm his lands in hopes of growing a peanut farm. However, the locals do not approve of George's decisions to hire two black men to farm his lands. Sweetness of water tells a story of humanity and humility .
Conjure women tells the story of Rue a young girl born into slavery to a conjure woman Miss May Belle. Since Rue's birth she has faced many challenges, heartbreak, despair and adversity. She is determined to make a life worth living not just based on survival. This type of change requires a lot of conjuring, sometimes a bit too much conjuring. I recommend this book to someone who enjoys a great historical fiction page turner.
Ford vulnerably takes readers on a emotional journey though her turbulent childhood. She explains the relationship dynamics she had with her abusive and confusing mother, incarcerated father and emotionally unavailable but wise grandmother. My favorite thing about this book is Ford's ability to transport readers back to their time of early adolescents, with her vivid memory and her constant attention on the development of child curiosity.
Nobody's Magic follows the life of three albino women who live in the south as they maneuver their way through womanhood. Each woman has their own unique stories with hurdles revolving around identity, sexuality and authenticity. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story about womanhood but who can also overlook the huge role that men play in the each of characters walk into their truth.
This is a profound book that has changed my life for the better. Bell Hooks eloquently explains how not only has patriarchy terrorized women but, it has also corrupted our men mentally and emotionally. Hooks compassionately approaches heavy topics such as Men and their relationship with masculinity and love. She expresses concerns with how men are conditioned and offers up a solution. I recommend this book to everyone, anyone can learn from this book.
This stand-alone book in a 5 part series was an amazing read. It's an unorthodox romance novel that has glimmers of magical realism and weaves in some Greek mythology. This novel follows a woman who has a ring that can possibly grant the wearer the power to change three things about their partner in exchange for a huge sacrifice.
Bell Hooks has become one of my favorite authors over the last few years. In this novel Hooks speaks about our most powerful but underrated weapon, love. She explains the power of love and goes into detail on how love has the ability to heal and transform us all. Hooks ability to always come from a place a compassion when approaching issues in our society encourages change in the softest yet most powerful way. All About Love felt like a warm embrace from someone you love after a long day.
Self help books have become the new phenomenon with social media taking a more conscious turn. This is yet another self help book however, instead of it being this deep and philosophical book that follows the life of a noble man with a less than honorable occupation who learns to love his life after being envious of others. This book is straight forward and to the point it talks about self limiting thought patterns, the power of words and minimalism. I loved this book, it was a fast read and mind altering.
In this collection of essays Mikki Kendall examines black feminism and the exclusion of black women in the feminist movement. This book focuses heavily on intersectional feminism. Intersectional feminism is a complex subject that explains how discrimination is not a box that is one size fits all. There are people who belong to different marginalized identities that often overlap and intensify each other creating a distinctive experience of discrimination. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about intersectional feminism.
From the years 1963- 1965 journalist Alex Haley sat down with Malcolm X for a series of interviews, this collaboration created this amazing autobiography. The media has painted Malcolm X to be this extremely left, violent loud mouth who had a strong hate for white people. Once you read this autobiography you get a true sense of who Malcolm Little was. I really enjoyed this book! I appreciate how authentic Malcolm was when speaking about himself. Malcolm was far from perfect and he was very aware of that. I feel that is what made Malcolm who he was, his awareness of his shortcomings and drive to change the things he didn't like about himself and within the world. Reading this book you get a true understanding on who Malcolm was, what drove him and most importantly what made him who he was.
The 1619 project is a great research piece that focuses on slavery and how it has changed and affected society since the first ship arrived on British American soil in 1619. A lot of people have mistaken this book as a history book and its not. This book is more of a argument to make the reader reevaluate what they have been taught about the origin of the United States. I really enjoyed this book! Nikole Hannah-Jones did a great job at explaining the forgotten history of the US and also providing historical evidence to back each topic she spoke about.
Have you ever been bombarded by cuteness? If not, i want you to experience that so get this book. Finsion did a great job showcasing the beautiful yet annoying relationship dynamic between two sisters.
This book is the first book that comes to mind when I think about how much representation matters. Covering everything you can possibly imagine from freckles and skin disorders to physical disabilities and religion coverings. I recommend this book not only to kids but to adults also.
This book was explosive! Tracy Brown's writing style and subject matters reminds me a lot of the amazing Sister Souljah. Don't be intimidated by the size of this novel it is a true page turner.
Growing up I was surrounded by people who joined African American fraternities/sororities. I vividly remember the weddings where they would dance together in unison, holding up hand symbols and having a good time. I always wondered what exactly were these organizations and how they came about. This book answered those questions for me and gave me a new founded respect for the divine nine.
Bad ass black liberation party in the 70's, Fashion, history...AND dope art! You can never go wrong with this read. Over the years I have read several books about the Black Panther Party and this is by far the best one. I really enjoyed the spontaneity of this graphic novel. I was able to learn really cool and somewhat random facts about some of the members who tend to fly under the radar and also enjoy some powerful art work that was able to fully encompass some revolutionary moments for the BPP.