Correct what you can; learn from what you can’t.
Toni Morrison
We believe that an emotionally well collective begins with a commitment to protecting and promoting the emotional wellness of each one of us.
Continuing our celebration of Black History Month, we’re sharing some favorite resources to help guide your reflections and conversations about our history and our role in shaping it as it unfolds.
This week, we’re highlighting 5 must-read Black History Month books for teens and adults:
1. I’m Telling the Truth But I’m Lying (Bassey Ikpi)
Examining her personal history through the lens of her experience living with Bipolar II Disorder, Nigerian-American immigrant and slam poet, Bassey Ikpi’s collection of essays serves as a powerful memoir and catalyst for our own self-reflection.
2. The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me (Keah Brown)
In her first collection of essays, disability rights activist and creator of the viral #DisabledandCute campaign, Keah Brown examines the meaning of navigating a predominantly able-bodied white America as a Black woman with cerebral palsy. Honest and charming, her reflections will challenge your assumptions about everything from your Instagram feed to the world of dating.
3. How We Fight for Our Lives (Saeed Jones)
As a young, Black, gay man from the South, Saeed Jones learned quickly that the road of identity development is filled with complex challenges. In his memoir, Winner of the 2019 Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction, Jones offers a window into his unfolding experience of race, queerness, independence, and self-compassion.
4. Lot: Stories (Bryan Washington)
Highlighting the intersecting experiences of bigotry, poverty, and abuse, this collection of stories from Bryan Washington follows the journey of a Black Latino boy coming of age in Houston. Filled with characters that will captivate and provoke you, Lot is a read that draws readers in to another world, while holding up a mirror to our own.
5. Well-Read Black Girl (Glory Edim)
We all have the right to connect with ourselves through literature. That’s the simple premise of Glory Edim’s anthology of original essays by Black women writers and book club of the same name. Whether you’re seeing yourself on the page for the first time or not, this dynamic collection of voices is well worth your attention.
Enjoy this post? You might also like:
5 Black History Month books for kids
7 emotional wellness lessons from MLK
3 ways to promote emotional wellness in schools
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