Once you’ve checked out our three must-see documentaries, you may be in pursuit of a little literary motivation. And if you need a few suggestions, NBCBLK has compiled at list of their 16 best reads so far in 2016. Enjoy!
With the new year in full swing, it is time to get serious about resolutions. If your New Year’s goal was to read more, we’ve got you covered with this list of powerful reads by prominent Black authors.
From Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes to Joy Ann Reid’s Fracture, these books will move you to live closer your truth, and help shape your understanding of black identity and culture in an ever-evolving America.
1. YEAR OF YES, BY SHONDA RHIME
“Lucky implies I didn’t do anything. Lucky implies something was given to me. Lucky implies that I was handed something I did not earn, that I did not work hard for. Gentle reader, may you never be lucky. I am not lucky. You know what I am? I am smart, I am talented, I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and I work really, really hard. Don’t call me lucky. Call me a badass.” — Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person, Shonda Rhimes
Start off 2016 right with this remarkable read! Rhimes’ nuggets of wisdom in Year of Yes will inspire you to keep saying this three letter word this year.
In Year of Yes, the Thursday Night Television powerhouse reveals how learning to say YES pushed her to the truest form of herself.
2. BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME, BY TA-NEHISI COATES
“You are growing into consciousness, and my wish for you is that you feel no need to constrict yourself to make other people comfortable. None of that can change the math anyway.” — Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
The death of young black girls and boys like Tamir Rice sparked much dialogue about race in America. These discourses occur not only in the streets or on the TV screens, but also in the home. For parents of children of color, this conversation has become necessary.
Ta-Nehisi Coates, senior writer for The Atlantic, pens an honest and emotionally-provoking letter to his son about what it means to grow up black in the United States.
To read #3 to16 go over to NBCBLCK.
BMWK, what books have you read so far in 2016?