Book recommendation thread

[Jalapeñomel]

I thought it might be nice to have a post to put books people recommend regarding what’s happening, whether it be on the BLM movement, whitewashing of history, the Spanish flu epidemic, or history of elections, anything that might help us grow our knowledge.

Please put the author, title, and a brief synopsis.

Here is a link to Black owned bookstores to purchase books: www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/06/9851084/black-owned-bookstores-independent-online

[eponinepontmercy]

I went through my library history so I have a bunch.


- I just read Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi. I had it on hold at the library for months, and it just happened to be my turn last week.

Stamped from the Beginning is basically a history of racist ideas starting from ancient times.  It was infuriating to read, but I will recommend it.  

Here's a link from his website: www.ibramxkendi.com/stamped-from-the-beginning 


- Sugar in the Blood by Andrea Stuart.  It tells the story of her earliest known maternal ancestor, who came to Barbados and ended up owning a sugar plantation.

www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/174940/sugar-in-the-blood-by-andrea-stuart/

- Dying of Whiteness by Jonathon Metzel.  Examines how right wing voters are affected by the policies they vote for.

www.dyingofwhiteness.com/

- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.  It's the story of the great migration.  I thought it was going to be a very academic book, but it was wonderful.  It's one of my favorites.

isabelwilkerson.com/the-book/

- Anything by JEsmyn Ward, but if we're talking non-fiction, The Men We Reaped was a heartbreaking memoir about black men in her life dying.
www.jesmynwardauthor.com/books.html

- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.  I think this has been recommended a lot.
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stephenson.  Also infuriating.

[AJL]

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

On Account of Race: The Supreme Court, White Supremacy, and the Ravaging of African-American Voting Rights by Lawrence Goldstone

Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism by James W. Loewen

Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America by Candacy A. Taylor

African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Rachel Cargle has created a spreadsheet with a list of books she recommends, everything from non-fiction to poetry by Black and non-Black writers color:

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qkZQcraDduBf5YyDWdoAeJBxtkgHLlyGJpg39m-6IYE/edit

[minzy]

I just finished Somebody’s Gotta Do It (a memoir) - Why Cursing at the News Won’t Save the Nation, but Your Name on a Local Ballot Can by Adrienne Martini. I immediately thought it should be required reading for this board, haha. It’s about her venture into local politics in upstate NY following Trump’s election. Funny, informative, eye opening, inspirational.

www.goodreads.com/book/show/45320357-somebody-s-gotta-do-it

[rupertpenny]

I also really liked The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. I knew very little about the Great Migration and it was fascinating. Also seconding The New Jim Crow, The Men We Reaped, and Just Mercy.

I loved The Autobiography of Malcom X. The little I knew about him was completely wrong. Learning about the Nation of Islam was also interesting.

White Trash by Nancy Isenberg. This book is about class relations between white people, but it talks a lot about how whiteness was constructed in opposition to blackness, and how black enslavement was used to keep poor whites in their place.

All Ta-Nehisi Coates. Especially "The Case For Reparations" in the Atlantic. I haven't read The Water Dancer but his non-fiction books are great.

White Rage by Carol Anderson. A history of white people getting angry about Black progress.

Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy. This is about unsolved murder cases in South Central LA and I learned a lot about the relationship between police and black communities.

Evicted by Matthew Desmond. About housing issues in Milwaukee. Not necessarily about racism, but race is a prominent topic.

All of these novels are great and written by Black authors and have something to say about race, especially in the US. ETA: some are memoirs, not novels.

Americanah (and honestly everything) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Negroland by Margo Jefferson
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Swing Time and White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue.
The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broome
The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead.

[Jalapeñomel]

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid was a great novel. Not history or whatnot, but it’s a good snapshot of the life of a 25 year old Black woman in Philly.

[atexan]

I'm reading The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison). It's wonderful.

[ny96]

I’m currently reading Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo which is novel about black women’s lives in England. It’s highly entertaining.

[doxies]

Jun 25, 2020 21:49:00 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid was a great novel. Not history or whatnot, but it’s a good snapshot of the life of a 25 year old Black woman in Philly.

I just read this and really liked it.

[Jalapeñomel]

Seems appropriate here:


www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/06/27/884044300/a-bittersweet-moment-for-black-bookstore-owners

[Jalapeñomel]

[dirtybella]

I’m in the middle of Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad. It’s really good, it gives you a journal prompt to think about and dig into each day.

[imojoebunny]

This bookstore has a great list. It is an unusual bookstore that focuses on mostly on social justice. They, also, have Online events you can attend on race issues.

www.charisbooksandmore.com/raceracism-0

[Jalapeñomel]

This bot will send you free recommendations of books by Black authors

Liz Moy, a 29-year-old programmer based in Brooklyn, wanted to help people educate themselves about anti-racism by reading more books by authors of color.

Last week, she created a free bot that you can text for a recommendation of a book written by a Black author based on a genre of your choosing. The bot also links you to a Black-owned bookstore that is selling the title. It's simple -- just text [phone] to try it.


www.cnn.com/2020/06/28/us/black-authors-bot-book-recommendations-trnd/index.html?fbclid=IwAR229yEcZi7MP7DL7mFtTD6eH4KH8_CUHU_Lx6FwNb1fVZZK2iphWorzcjI

[Jalapeñomel]

Can’t believe I forgot Just Mercy.

[underwaterrhymes]

I didn’t see this one yet, but I just got Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall.



“Today's feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord, and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others?”

[underwaterrhymes]

I have a lot of those mentioned above, but also:

So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Aluo

Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum

Eloquent Rage by Britney Cooper (haven’t read this one yet, but have it on my Kindle)

[underwaterrhymes]

Also, just went through my Kindle to spark my memory:

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

[Jalapeñomel]

Jun 29, 2020 21:31:18 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Also, just went through my Kindle to spark my memory:

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I love Americanah.

Picked up The Yellow House, and it’s fantastic.

[erbear]

This is already listed but it bears repeating: The New Jim Crow is a must-read. I think it might be the most influential book I've ever read in my life.

I feel the same about Just Mercy.

I've just started "How to be an Anti-Racist" and it's already raised a lot of questions for me.

An oldie but goodie - "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria" is good.

Not U.S., but "Born a Crime" should be on reading lists.

[katfco]

@@ If you want some for kids (I can delete if you'd rather this not be the thread for that)


"Something happened in our town" about a police officer shooting an unarmed person of color and the aftermath, seen from a child's point of view.

"Can I touch your hair: Poems of Race, Mistakes and Friendship" it has very frank discussions about race and racism in verse

"Brick by Brick" written in verse, about the slaves who built the White House.

[susquehanna]

"When the Stars Lead to You" by Ronni Davis.

This is Young Adult fiction by a black author. It's about a young woman who dreams of being an astrophysicist. She falls in love with a white guy from a higher socioeconomic class. Her heart gets broken. Then, the two meet again. The book touches on themes of race, class, and mental health. This is the author's first novel. 

[Deleted]

Jun 25, 2020 21:49:00 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid was a great novel. Not history or whatnot, but it’s a good snapshot of the life of a 25 year old Black woman in Philly.

I just finally got this from my library and can't wait to start it tonight.