Books written by black women for other black women are always the best because they come with a certain level of relatability and understanding that make you and your unique life experiences feel seen, heard, and properly represented—which is a huge deal.
And while we have our greats—like Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, and bell hooks—it’s refreshing to hear a newer generation of women continuing to walk the paths our elders created with the same level of love, honesty, and conviction.
Here are 4 must-read books if you’re in need of a little laughter (and a few tears, too!), some education, and a whole lot of affirmation.
Red Lip Theology by Candice Marie Benbow
When it comes to encouraging women to embody independence and progressiveness in their beliefs, Christianity hasn’t always been the safest space.
But in this collection of moving essays by Candice Marie Benbow, we’re brought to a new reality that shows that our faith, feminism, activism, and radical self-acceptance can—and do— go hand-in-hand.
Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes by Phoebe Robinson
Apart of Phoebe Robinson’s series of hilarious and intelligent collection of essays, this book is one that embodies all of the wonderful highs and WTF-worthy lows of being a black woman. From dating interracially to defining her personhood outside of the idea of being somebody’s mama, Robinson’s perspective on life is refreshing, honest, and right on time.
Investing in the Educational Success of Black Women and Girls by Lori D. Patton, Venus Evans-Winters, Charlotte Jacobs, and Cynthia B. Dillard
We cannot begin to make black women and girls feel valued and recognized until we successfully pinpoint and solve the issues making it hard for us to do so.
In this brilliant anthology by Lori D. Patton, Venus Evans-Winters, Charlotte Jacobs, and Cynthia B. Dillard, they explore how educators can work together to help us all thrive—and not just survive.
In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström
In her debut novel, Lola Akinmade Akerstrom thoughtfully and carefully details the lives of three black women that—although separated by differences in socioeconomic status and background—are united by their deeply moving, and often painful, experiences with racism, classism, fetishization, and tokenism as black women in a white-dominated society.