12 BOOKS EVERY BLACK WOMAN NEEDS TO READ IN 2019
It’s that time of the year - where you list your goals & resolutions, set up a new morning/evening routine, join the gym and even change hair color.
We all know books can change a life and how it is important is to read. Read to learn, grow and understand.
Last year I shared with you a list of books you should read. I hope your reading journey went well and you did better than me. To be honest I only read 4 books out of 12 ! Despite not reaching my reading goal I am happy with the result. I surely could do better some people would say that not reaching your goal is not good enough and would probably view this like a failure. I don’t. I personally think that “trying” is a first step towards success. So if you haven’t opened a book last year it’s okay – this year you will open one. If you’ve read just one book last year it’s okay - this year you will read two and so one.
For some of you, you might be able to read one book per month. For others, you might be able to read one book per week. Regardless of your situation, the best is to read at your own rythme. Set a realistic goal for yourself. Also if you don’t have time try to combine reading with listening to an audio book while walking, cooking, cleaning, driving or taking public transportation so you can make the most efficient use of your time.
I am aiming to read at least 5 books this year. The new thing I want to try this year is to join a book club (even if it’s a one time thing).
New Year = New Books… and there is a tones of inspiring books you and I haven’t read yet!
This year we’re going to need a lot of feminist, business, spiritual, self-help reading material….Scroll down to see a few of them to look out for!
1. Becoming : Michelle Obama by Michelle Obama
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the White House.
2. Educated : A Memoir by Tara Westover
Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University.
Our "30-is-the-new-20" culture tells us that the twentysomething years don't matter. Some say they are an extended adolescence. Others call them an emerging adulthood. But 30 is not the new 20. In this enlightening book, Dr. Meg Jay reveals how many twentysomethings have been caught in a swirl of hype and misinformation that has trivialized what are actually the most defining years of adulthood.
3. The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
Growing up in one of the poorest neighborhoods of South Central Los Angeles, Tiffany learned to survive by making people laugh. If she could do that, then her classmates would let her copy their homework, the other foster kids she lived with wouldn’t beat her up, and she might even get a boyfriend. Or at least she could make enough money—as the paid school mascot and in-demand Bar Mitzvah hype woman—to get her hair and nails done, so then she might get a boyfriend.
4. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman
Falling in love is easy. Staying in love—that’s the challenge. How can you keep your relationship fresh and growing amid the demands, conflicts, and just plain boredom of everyday life? The 5 Love Languages is as practical as it is insightful., you’ll discover the secret that has transformed millions of relationships worldwide. Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today
5. Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis
Rachel unpacks and examines the falsehoods that once left her feeling overwhelmed and unworthy, and reveals the specific practical strategies that helped her move past them. In the process, she encourages, entertains, and even kicks a little butt, all to convince you to do whatever it takes to get real and become the joyous, confident woman you were meant to be.Girl, Wash Your Face shows you how to live with passion and hustle--and how to give yourself grace without giving up.
6. On The Come Up by Angie Thomas
This is the highly anticipated second novel by Angie Thomas, the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning The Hate U Give. Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, On the Come Up is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn’t always free.
7. Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittany Cooper
So what if it’s true that Black women are mad as hell? They have the right to be. In the Black feminist tradition of Audre Lorde, Brittney Cooper reminds us that anger is a powerful source of energy that can give us the strength to keep on fighting. Eloquent rage keeps us all honest and accountable. It reminds women that they don’t have to settle for less. This book argues that ultimately feminism, friendship, and faith in one's own superpowers are all we really need to turn things right side up again.
8. Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother's Time, My Mother's Time, and Mine by Emily Bernard
Profound, compelling, relatable, and full of purpose. A new and important addition to the conversation of race and privilege going on in America right now. Ms. Bernard shares the story of her stabbing, her black physical body and also her black cultural body experience.
9. Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Stephanie Land
Maid explores the underbelly of upper-middle class America and the reality of what it's like to be in service to them. "I'd become a nameless ghost," Stephanie writes about her relationship with her clients. Her compassionate, unflinching writing as a journalist gives voice to the "servant" worker, and those pursuing the American Dream from below the poverty line. Maid is Stephanie's story, but it's not her alone. It is an inspiring testament to the strength, determination, and ultimate triumph of the human spirit.
10. Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brené Brown
Leadership is not about titles, status, and wielding power. A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for recognizing the potential in people and ideas, and has the courage to develop that potential. But daring leadership in a culture defined by scarcity, fear, and uncertainty requires skill-building around traits that are deeply and uniquely human. In this new book, Brown uses research, stories, and examples to answer these questions in the no-BS style that millions of readers have come to expect and love.
11. So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans.
12. Choisie by Aurelie Nseme
This books is only available in french.
T’arrive-t’il de te demander pourquoi tu as été créée? Qui tu es vraiment et en quoi ta personne et ton histoire peuvent faire une différence? Tu cherches peut-être encore à savoir pourquoi tu as traversé des saisons si difficiles, mais aussi comment faire pour devenir une femme de prière, de conviction et d’influence? À travers Choisie, Dieu lance un appel à chaque femme, celui de se détacher des limitations et des échecs du passé, de découvrir qui elle est réellement et d’aller plus loin avec Lui pour vivre enfin ce pourquoi elle a été créée.
What are some of your favorite reads? Some books you're planning on starting next month or better yet today? Some books that have really changed your life?
Shirline is the founder of Black Milk Women. She finds inspiration in every areas of life. Creative, passionate and dreamy ... "Eat Beauty, Live Passionately and Drink Life '' is her everyday #Wordstoliveby.
Like music or romance she is old school she doesn't snap but she tweets.