Knowing and Doing Better
I feel largely inadequate and underqualified to write this month’s book review and honestly, I’ve struggled with my words. It is a special month and I want to make space for the voices who need to be heard. I’m not sure that is my voice, but February is National Black History Month. Each year during Black History Month, I exclusively read black authors and stories. There are many informative resources out there to teach us about the past and equip us with the tools and knowledge to strive for a more collaborative future together. Black history is American history and I want to continue to learn, because in the powerful words of Maya Angelou, “When you know better, you do better.”
This month will not be a review, but a recommendation of some of the best fiction and non-fiction works I’ve had the pleasure of reading.
FICTION
Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo
After Anna’s mother dies, she goes looking for her father and finds that he is now a dictator of a tiny African nation.
The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
16-year-old Starr witnesses her best friend being murdered by the police. Juxtaposed against an all-white school and a black neighborhood in the time of social media.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Twin Sisters run away from their small black southern community. One returns and the other lives her life elsewhere, passing as white. We can never really leave home, though.
NON-FICTION
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
Wrongfully imprisoned on death row for 28 years. Powerful. Thought provoking. Emotional.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
A lawyer who is fighting for those who the system forgot.
BlackkKlansman by Ron Stallworth
A black detective in Colorado Springs goes undercover (literally) with the KKK.
In the Shadow of Liberty by Kenneth C. Davis
The history of slaves who worked in The White House. Did you know George Washington turned his slaves’ teeth into dentures?
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
This is part one and it covers President Obama’s early life through killing Osama Bin Laden.
GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
What Happened to You by Oprah Winfrey & Dr. Perry
“Conversations on trauma” and how they shape who we are.
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
Also a YouTube Show and a book for kids. This covers a variety of topics and many helpful insights.
Lifting As We Climb by Evette Dion
“Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box”
ON MY BOOKSHELF FOR THIS YEAR:
Will by Will Smith
Heavy by Kiese Laymon
What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
Passionate for Justice Ida B. Wells by Catherine Meeks & Nibs Stroupe
It would be impossible to include all the excellent books out there, but I hope you find something on this list that is fresh, new and appeals to your reading taste. Social injustice has come to the forefront of our nation in the past few years and has caused me to take time to listen, learn and lament. So, I invite you to sit alongside me and learn from our mistakes, work towards changing inherent biases and figuring out what it means to truly love one another.
