Well-Read Black Girl
Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
'Required reading.' - Cosmopolitan
Remember that moment when you first encountered a character who seemed to be written just for you? That feeling of belonging remains with readers the rest of their lives - but not everyone regularly sees themselves reflected on the pages of a book.
In this timely anthology, Glory Edim, founder of the online community, Well-Read Black Girl, brings together original essays by some of America's best black women writers to shine a light on how important it is that we all - regardless of gender, race, religion, or ability - have the opportunity to find ourselves in literature.
Whether it's learning about the complexities of femalehood from Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison, finding a new type of love in The Color Purple, or using mythology to craft an alternative black future, each essay reminds us why we turn to books in times of both struggle and relaxation. Here, Edim has created a space where black women's writing, knowledge and life experiences are lifted up, to be shared with all readers who value the power of a story to help us understand the world, and ourselves.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Started in 2015 as an Instagram page, Well-Read Black Girl has grown into a nationwide book club and Brooklyn literary festival. WRBG founder Edim's collection of brief, pithy, and original essays by 21 distinguished black women addresses the question, "When did you first see yourself in literature?" The answers include discovering "the right book at the right time," reading a book first through one lens and later through another, and recognizing oneself in figures as seemingly far removed from one's experience as Hans Christian Andersen's little match girl. As expected, a pantheon of black women writers are acknowledged, with Veronica Chambers, Marita Golden, and Jamia Wilson paying tribute to, respectively, Jamaica Kincaid, Zora Neale Hurston, and Nikki Giovanni. There are thought-provoking surprises as well: Stephanie Powell Watts recalls finding inspiration in the Jehovah's Witnesses magazine Watchtower, and N.K. Jemisin in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The book's thematic organization sections include "Books on Black Feminism," "Plays by Black Women," and "Poetry by Black Women" makes it easy for readers to dive in based on personal preferences, though they could just as contentedly read from cover to cover. Speaking directly to black women readers, this book contains a journey from which anyone can derive enjoyment and benefit.
