Dear Black Girls
How to Be True to You
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4.9 • 32 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“Through honest stories and inspiring lessons from her life, A’ja Wilson reminds us to never doubt who we are or apologize for being true to ourselves. Dear Black Girls is a must-read for every Black girl out there.” ―Gabrielle Union
This one is for all the girls with an apostrophe in their names.
This is for all the girls who are labeled “too loud” and “too emotional.”
This is for all the girls who are constantly asked, “Oh, what did you do with your hair? That’s new.”
This is for my Black girls.
Despite gold medals, WNBA championships, and a list of accolades, A’ja Wilson knows how it feels to be swept under the rug—to not be heard, to not feel seen, to not be taken seriously. As a fourth grader going to a primarily white school in South Carolina, A’ja was told she’d have to stay outside for a classmate’s birthday party. “Huh?” she asked. Because the birthday girl’s father didn’t like Black people.
Wilson tells stories like this, about how even when life tried to hold her down, it didn’t stop her. She shares her contribution to “The Talk,” and how to keep fighting, all while igniting strength, passion, and joy. Dear Black Girls is a necessary and meaningful exploration of what it means to be a Black woman in America today—and a rallying cry to lift up women and girls everywhere.
“Dear Black Girls is filled with phenomenal stories and empowering insight on what it means to be a woman in today’s world. I didn’t want to put it down.” ―Tunde Oyeneyin, New York Times bestselling author of Speak
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Basketball star A’ja Wilson doesn’t just want to inspire you—she wants to empower you. In her refreshingly honest motivational memoir, Wilson chronicles a journey to success marked as much by grief and imposter syndrome as it’s been by invaluable support from coaches and family. We were hooked by her combination of warmth and realness almost as soon as started reading. Wilson may have been the WNBA’s number one draft pick and an eventual MVP, but she’s also faced tons of misogyny and racism (like getting invited to her first childhood sleepover and then learning that her friend’s dad might make her sleep outside!). Fittingly, she addresses her special words of encouragement directly to other Black girls. But her uplifting story and the raw authenticity of her voice make this a great read for anyone. Wilson never claims to have all the answers or a cheat code for life. What she has is a hard-earned wisdom that, fortunately for us, she’s decided to share with the world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Las Vegas Aces star Wilson, two-time winner of the WNBA's MVP award, debuts with a down-to-earth meditation on the complexities of Black girlhood. Avoiding prescriptive advice in favor of diaristic reflections, Wilson recalls such formative experiences as wrestling with dyslexia in a majority-white private school while dreaming of becoming an author; slowly rising to basketball success with the help of father, who coached her travel team and "told me what I needed to hear and not what I wanted to hear," even when that meant calling her play "trash" (she encourages readers to find their own "gardeners" willing to show them tough love so they can grow); and enduring crushing grief after her grandmother's death. Pushed by the latter experience to start therapy, Wilson calls for greater openness about mental health in the Black community. She strikes a voluble, friendly tone without pandering to her audience, and avoids sugarcoating the realities facing Black women while making clear that they need not resort to cynicism: "You have a body. You are Black. You are a woman. Whether you like it or not, that's the first thing people see... but you can accept this reality without letting it steal your joy." Readers will feel seen and heard.
Customer Reviews
It’s Amazing
It’s Simple and Easy to Understand, I jerked a tear in certain parts. Amazing work by the M’VP
Dear black girls read this!
Dear black girls is for every black girl. Read it!
Two Words: A Message
I absolutely loved this book and finished it in a single day, I just couldn't put it down! As a 23-year-old Black woman, it was refreshing to hear another Black woman affirm that we are enough, and more than enough, since that message is often rare. The vulnerability, resilience, laughter, and even the tears, A’ja truly delivered! Alongside her WNBA career, I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for her as an Author!