NOMINATED FOR AN NAACP IMAGE AWARD - 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.
"Yes,
Well-Read Black Girl is as good as it sounds. . . . [Glory
Edim] gathers an all-star cast of contributors--among them Lynn
Nottage, Jesmyn Ward, and Gabourey Sidibe."--O: The Oprah
Magazine
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 in the pages
of a book. In this timely anthology, Glory Edim brings together
original essays by some of our 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.
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),
Tayari Jones (An American Marriage), Rebecca Walker (Black,
White and Jewish), and Barbara Smith (Home Girls: A Black
Feminist Anthology)
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, the subjects
of each essay remind us why we turn to books in times of both
struggle and relaxation. As she has done with her book
club-turned-online community Well-Read Black Girl, in this
anthology Glory Edim has created a space in which 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.