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Twenty-twenty was a year of radical shifts and forced stillness. As we struggled keeping up with the flood of changes coming our way, poets and performers, even former presidents, sought to help us find our way through the wilderness in the pages of their stories.
This year nothing was off limits as conversations about racism suddenly went mainstream; intersectionality was examined closer than ever; fatphobic behavior was brought to the forefront; imposter syndrome took a backseat to basic commonsense; and influencers lifted the veil on their life before the blue checks. Other authors helped us escape by reimagining romance and religion, celebrating our food and fashion and centering the Black experience in fantasy fiction.
Whether you’re practicing solo social distancing or surrounded by a three ring circus, ESSENCE has rounded up some books to help you step away from pop up notifications and into a state of reflection and relaxation during your holiday. There’s plenty of page turners to choose from.
01
“A Promised Land” – Barack Obama
In the first volume of his Presidential memoirs our forever commander-in-chief is brutally honest about his professional challenges and personal shortcomings. Consider it the long awaited companion piece to Michelle Obama’s Becoming.
02
Fattily Ever After: A Fat, Black Girl’s Guide to Living Life Unapologetically by Stephanie Yeboah
Stephanie Yeboah reveals the realities of life in a fat, Black body in this manual to loving yourself without regret. She underlines how misogynoir and fetishization impact the mental health of plus-size Black women, shares the wisdom of her peers, and declares that body positivity is for white women.
03
The Awkward Black Man by Walter Mosley
The cool Black guy stereotype is shattered in this collective of stories about Black men saddled with as much humanity as the rest of us. Follow nerds, weirdos, dorks and oddballs as they take the stage as heroes of their own stories.
04
Driving While Black—African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights by Gretchen Sorin
Black people taking up space was revolutionary long before smartphones caught their struggles on camera. Sorin revisits the Civil Rights movement through the eyes of the Black motorists and explains why four wheels are the ultimate symbol of freedom.
05
The Rise—Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food by Marcus Samuelsson
The innovative chef behind Marcus BP and Red Rooster demands that the culinary world show respect for the Black culinary tradition. Samuelsson takes the reader through the history of the flavors and influences that have erected a series of cultural contributions that go far beyond “soul food.”
06
My Fashion Fairytale by Nichole Lynel
The multi-million dollar fashion designer and influencer offers an intimate look at her life before she was popular. Unflinchingly transparent about her experiences as an abused child, a confused adolescent, and an overwhelmed young woman, My Fashion Fairytale follows the leaps of faith she took to fight depression and establish a clothing line, NLTHELABEL. This inspirational memoir will remind you that behind every like and retweet is flesh, blood, and dreams.
07
The Secret Lives Of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
These short stories offer a close up look at the lives that inspired a generation of unlearning in the Black church. Recognize yourself in the tales of these women and girls? Remember that only God can judge you.
08
Light for the World to See—A Thousand Words on Race and Hope by Kwame Alexander
Alexander sheathes his unique grasp on the grief and anger of a people forced to watch themselves be destroyed on a daily basis.
09
Luster by Raven Leilani
A young sex-positive Brooklynite experiments with a pair of white polyamorous professionals from suburan New Jersey. The experience starts out casual and sexy. But when class and race issues become unavoidable thanks to an unexpected layoff placing her in close quarter with the couple’s adopted daughter, she begins to wonder about who she is and what she wants.
10
The Office of Historical Corrections—A Novella and Stories by Danielle Evans
The novella in this collection features a Black scholar who finds herself forced to rethink her relationship to Blackness, her chosen career, romance and social circle when she lands at the center of a historical mystery.
11
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
A young girl refuses to have her goals snatched away by circumstance in this gut wrenching novel. Despite the lack of resources in her rural Nigerian village the heroine continues to pursue her education so that she can connect to her “Louding Voice.”
12
Memorial Drive—A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Tretheway
By using her own grief as a reference point, a young woman retraces the steps that lead to her mother’s life being cut short at the hands of her former stepfather. This haunting memoir humanizes the Black women we lose annually to domestic violence—and shines a light on how quickly girlhood is snatched away from Black children.
13
Grown by Tiffany D Jackson
After being plucked from an audition lineup by one of the world’s biggest R&B stars, a young woman’s dreams thrust her into the center of a nightmare. When her mentor turned menace winds up dead, she has to defend herself against assumptions that she was behind his death.
14
The Selected Works of Audre Lorde edited by Roxane Gay
This collection of choice works from the womanist icon contains all of the boldness and imagination that made her immortal. It also features editing and deeply touching insights by one of our favorite bad feminists, Roxane Gay.
15
After the Rain—Gentle Reminders for Healing, Courage and Self-Love by ALEX ELLE
There is not a Black woman among us who is not in need of healing. In After The Rain, the poet and wellness advocate provides a clear roadmap to jumpstarting personal growth, developing self-confidence and manifesting joy in 15 lessons.
16
Survival of the Thickest by Michelle Buteau
What do you get when you cross a Catholic Caribbean upbringing with thick thighs and a New Jersey accent? A seriously funny comic who writes a seriously funny book. As she sits on the cusp of stardom, actress and stand-up comedian Michelle Buteau muses on relationships, motherhood and work like only she can.
17
MEDIOCRE—The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo
The author of So You Want to Talk about Race bulldozes the theory that all you need to be an effective leader is white skin and a male ego. Oluo argues that the myth of white supremacy is dangerous not only to those who don’t fit the mold but those inside of it as well because by clinging to status, they forfeit true power.
18
African American Poetry—250 Years of Struggle & Song by Kevin Young
One thing about Black people, we are going to find some joy. Experience the generations of genius that couldn’t be stamped out by systematic hatred.
19
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
In the first volume of his Presidential memoirs our forever commander-in-chief is brutally honest about his professional challenges and personal shortcomings. Consider it the long awaited companion piece to Michelle Obama’s Becoming.
