We’ve all been there! Confused about life, sick of being stuck in the girlfriend zone (or singlehood), and worried about your financial wellbeing. It’s a part of life that everyone, at least most of us, has to dip their toes in.
And since therapy and life coaches can be costly, many seek guidance and support from the next best thing – wellness books.
A good read can get you hooked from chapter to chapter and even change your whole outlook on life. Just ask Issa Rae. The up-and-coming film mogul’s favorite go-to is Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist – she read it during a transitional period in her life, and it made her think differently. And if her recent successes are anything to go by, the book did make an impact.
So, whether you’re looking for a riveting cookbook to help elevate your kitchen skills or something to guide you into becoming the next multi-billionaire, here are some of our favorite Black-women-written wellness books.
Arm yourself with your favorite bottle of wine, light up the fireplace, and get ready for a serious dose of inspiration, hearty laughs, and overwhelming support!
The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self Love – Sonya Renee Taylor
Meticulously written by Sonya Renee, the book invites us to give body shame the finger, deepen our literacy and enthusiastically celebrate our perfectly sculpted bodies – never apologizing for the body that’s yours and takes care of you so fiercely.
Need more reasons to make this your book club read of the month?
The book also explores the Sonya Renee-approved transformational portal wellness trend, which invokes three critical elements to achieving pure self-love – radical honesty, radical vulnerability, and radical empathy. It gives you the courage to step out and claim your crown as a big girl!
What’s more, after browsing through this steal, you can get Sonya’s The Body Is Not An Apology Workbook for a thrilling, deep-dive action guide on practically practicing the art of radical self-love for yourself and how to transform society.
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person – Shonda Rhimes
By now, you’re probably bone-tired of Instagram reels and TikTok videos preaching self-care (in the most capitalist, consumerist, and energy-draining way, which doesn’t account for being an evolving human with real, growing responsibilities).
Sometimes self-care can be just as simple and cost-free as saying ‘YES’ to opportunities, and this read from the Shondaland CEO guides you on how to do that. It encourages you to step out of your comfort zone and refuse to be stuck in the same space or position, even if it scares you.
It’s an insightful, heartfelt, and laugh-out-loud funny read that reveals how saying ‘YES!’ to her voice, her weight, friendships, and love changed and saved Shonda’s life.
The Fearless Money Mindset: Broke Doesn’t Scare Me – Arian Simone
Apart from giving WOC Shark Tank-like opportunities, entrepreneur extraordinaire, and CEO of venture capital firm Fearless Fund, Arian Simone, can also add people’s favorite author to her accolades.
In this book, the Fearless business mogul invites you into her journey towards financial freedom step-by-step. She lets you in on her secrets on eliminating money-based fears and functioning at your best and highest self when it comes to business, finances, and life.
Heart & Hustle: Use Your Passion. Build Your Brand. Achieve Your Dreams. – Patricia Bright
Patricia is undoubtedly one of the most successful content creators in the world today. A beauty, fashion, and lifestyle expert, the YouTube sensation started making videos long before ‘Hi, guys, welcome back to our channel’ was used.
Now, the social media maven is sharing the lessons she’s learned along the way in her Amazon top seller, Heart & Hustle, and we’re here for it!
In true Patricia Bright fashion, the book is packed with her trademark sassiness, style, and sense of fun. It gives us insight into her journey from South London to the moment she gave up on her 9-5 and finally got into her passion, content creation.
So, if you’ve been looking for a guide to help you take control of your future, this is it!
The Traphouse Vegan – Eboni Washington & Michele Simmons
If you want to be the vegan throwdown queen, you might want to check out this read.
Crafted by Eboni Washington, a teacher from the Bronx, and Michele Simmons, a counselor from Washington, D.C, The Traphouse Vegan belabors the phrase ‘food is the language of love.’ It offers 100 recipes that do not need a blender or ingredients you can’t find in any regular grocery store.
But that’s not all.
The book also serves as a lifestyle guide to individuals in low-income communities who often grow up in food deserts (areas with limited access to fresh, pocket-friendly, and nutritious food).
It is an incredible source for anyone looking to learn how food security shapes one’s identity – and how it can help shift and adjust how people perceive food and, therefore, themselves.
My First Time – Janet Mbugua
Period shame is an issue that plagues about 10% of the countries in Africa. It’s considered a taboo topic in some families, thus denying girls the right to basic sexual and reproductive health knowledge and limiting their access to menstrual health supplies.
Well, to combat this and change the ‘shameful’ narrative surrounding menstrual health, Janet Mbugua, a renowned media personality and founder of the Inua Dada Foundation, authored My First Time, a hearty and inspiration book that shares 50 stories from different men, women, and gender non-conforming individuals on their personal or witnessed experience of a girl’s first time getting her period.
These stories, voiced by some of the most incredible personalities, draw our attention to issues of period poverty and serve as a point of encouragement and inspiration to young girls – our daughters – as they blossom into maturity.
It’s definitely a must-read, and if you have a daughter or niece who might not be comfortable talking about her menstrual health, this is the best way to help them open up and be confident about it!
Psstt…check your local bookstore or Amazon to see if they offer any of these life-changing reads. Know a book we should include in this list? Hit us up in the comment section below.
