You should read Sister Outsider because Audre Lorde is critical reading for understanding Black feminism broadly, but also because her way of writing and speaking is incredibly insightful, sharp and articulate. Much of her work was originally delivered in the 70s and 80s, but it just as timely and applicable now as it was then.
Read MoreMy Soul Looks Back
Jessica B. Harris was a part of Baldwin’s New York circle in the 1970s, and while this book is about her life as a part (and outsider) of that circle, I was initially intrigued by the opportunity to gain another perspective on the great James Baldwin — and from a Black woman at that. Harris offers much more than that.
Read MoreSwing Time
Swing Time by Zadie Smith I’ve been hearing about Zadie Smith for some time now, and Swing Time in particular over the last few months. She’s one of England’s premier authors, and I’m not quite sure how she escaped my voracious high school book appetite. I’m elated to have finally found her. I was pleasantly…
Read MoreHow We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective
You should read this book if you actually care about how Black women must get free. It requires that we connect the past to the present and honor the women that came before us, who were radical before we even understood what it meant to be so, and who were willing to put their bodies on the line before we were even born. For me, this is critical literature for conscious resistance in our current time.
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The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl
I hadn’t planned to review this book this week, but the Twitter Ignants were out in rare form this week over a chapter in Issa Rae’s book that talks about how Asian men are the only men suitable for Black women. Clearly, folks just look for the chapters that are the most inflammatory when taken out of context and only read those… or more likely, don’t even read at all because, in reality, the whole book is full of hilarious takes on what it’s like to be an (oftentimes awkward) Black girl navigating America. As one of those girls, I found Issa Rae’s commentary witty and compelling in its relatability to my own life.
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Literary Black Girl 