Well Read Black Girl
By: Glory Edim
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 272
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): An inspiring collection of essays by black women writers, curated by the founder of the popular book club Well-Read Black Girl, on the importance of recognizing ourselves in literature.
Remember that moment when you first encountered a character who seemed to be written just for you? That feeling of belonging can stick with readers the rest of their lives--but it doesn't come around as frequently for all of us. In this timely anthology, "well-read black girl" Glory Edim brings together original essays by some of our best black female writers and creative voices to shine a light on how we search for ourselves in literature, and how important it is that everyone--no matter their gender, race, religion, or abilities--can find themselves there. Whether it's learning about the complexities of femalehood from Their Eyes Were Watching God, seeing 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. As she has done with her incredible book-club-turned-online-community Well-Read Black Girl, in this book, Edim has created a space where black women's writing and 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.
Contributors include: Jesmyn Ward (Sing Unburied Sing), Lynn Nottage (Sweat), Jacqueline Woodson (Another Brooklyn), Gabourey Sidibe (This Is Just My Face), Morgan Jerkins (This Will Be My Undoing), Zinzi Clemmons (What We Lose), N. K. Jemisin (The Fifth Season), Tayari Jones (An American Marriage), Nicole Dennis-Benn (Here Comes the Sun), Rebecca Walker (Black, White and Jewish), and more.
First Impressions
When the most recent wave of the Black Lives Matter movement started, the very first thing I felt like I could do was support authors of color. I went on a little search and this was the first one to jump out at me. The cover is beautiful and, as a book nerd, I couldn’t say no to a book about other book nerds.
What I thought
I am not typically one to read collections of essays, but this one might have changed my mind. I went back and forth for a while about whether or not I should read it all at once or spread it out by reading one or two essays a day. Ultimately, I decided I might do better spreading the essays out and read one a day while I ate my breakfast. This ended up being the perfect decision and I loved starting my day with a reminder to be more aware.
Each essay in this book was unique but had a similar theme running through it. Stories of black females and how they first found themselves in literature. Through these women, I have discovered so many new books and authors that I have added to my to-read list. Not only because of the books that they discussed, but some of the women were authors themselves and I really connected to their writing styles. For example, Jesmyn Ward who wrote the book Salvage the Bones. Hers was the first essay in the book and I immediately got sucked in.
I highly recommend checking out this book if you are passionate about reading. It opened my eyes to a lot of literature I didn’t know about and I loved hearing other readers talk passionately about something I love.
This is a difficult book for me to review because it’s not one that has a plot or storyline to follow. But, I loved picking it up for a new essay every time I reached for it and I found that I learned a lot from reading it. If you love reading or if you are trying to expose yourself to more black authors, you need to look into this book.