five books that creative black women should read for encouragement and healing
Since 2020, I have been caught in a funk, trying so desperately to get out of it. I think that the pandemic caught us by surprise in ways that have been immeasurable and invisible, even to this day. Because of this and not liking to feel desperately in a cloud of uncertain emotions for long, I have been thirsting for and avidly reading books that alter my brain chemistry for the better. I am on a quest of purging the negative from my life so I can be the best creator the Creator intended me to be.
Whether you’re an artist, writer, digital content creator, or whatever, I believe these books will assist you on your journey of belonging, healing, and self-acceptance. Here’s my shortlist:
TW: Sexual assault, Racism, Slavery
While Dionne does give a surface-level account of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child, she opens herself to explore intergenerational healing through her search of finding her roots. As a writer and journalist, the author often mentions how her experiences in life and the new-found experiences with the search of her great, great, great grandmother, an enslaved Black woman, and her enslaver grandfather has impacted and shifted her thoughts and mood associated with her work /career and her choices in her own immediate family.
This book is a reminder to never stop the passion that is tugging at your heartstrings and to inquire more of the roots that brought you to the point you are today.
What I like about this book: the wealth of resources that Dionne mentions as a fellow Black woman who has been on the search for my familial roots over time. There are also other references to timeless classics as well as books and texts written by Black scholars who critique society’s handling of Black women. Dionne seamlessly interweaves these references with her own undulating storytelling.
Activist and yoga instructor Octavia Raheem marries simple, resting yoga pose instructions, prayers, and stories in her book, Pause, Rest, Be: Stillness Practices for Courage in Times of Change. Altough this book is on the shorter side, it took me months to complete it. This isn’t a book that you want to rush through. I spent times hiking, this book in tow, ingesting, digesting, and breathing out every word on the pages, as Octavia’s musings caressed the rapidly shifting parts of my life.
She breaks down parts of hurt and trauma that many of us face and offers up prayers and mantras to help us get over. To further the healing, she invites us to explore three simple yoga poses that encourage resting in times where the ground beneath you and life as you have always known it feels shaky.
What I like about this book: how relatable every short [like 2-3 pages] chapter is in the application of a transitioning, or even waiting, period in life. Because the focus is for us (Black women!) to rest, there is no urgency with reading Octavia’s words. Take them and sit with them as long as is necessary.
This tiny workbook by psychotherapist G. Michelle Goodloe packs a really powerful punch. Within each section of this journal, she prompts us to work through our mental, physical, and emotional needs and to nurture the tender parts of ourselves that are constantly battered and bruised through societal hardships. Michelle briefly introduces each topic in the chapters before she collaborates with us on positively speaking life into ourselves within the prompts.
Michelle does a wonderful job of including informational excerpts, questions to ponder and respond to, activities to perform, and affirmations to repeat to the self as we create a domino effect of healing and empowerment in our lives. Her words of expertise are encouraging and healing, as she shares her insights as a Black woman mental health professional.
What I like about this book: much like Pause, Rest, Be, the intense brevity of the book. Though this book is no thicker than the width of a pinky, I have been answering the questions in it for years, processing my emotional and physical health. Michelle offers other texts to help us unpack further pain and trauma in our minds and bodies from brilliant authors.
I must start off by saying that Alecia Renece has one of the most soothing voices that I have ever heard, which would explain why she she is a songstress, and this book was far too short for me at only an hour long. With that said, Black Girl Creative is a short, affirming, and encouraging book that makes me feel seen as a Black creative. Alecia’s jubilant musings remind us of God’s role as Creator of all things and how He purposely created us to walk in His image and purpose.
She also reminds us that our ancestors created often from very little, but their resilience runs through our veins and encourages us to persevere in our passions and creativity. She loves on us with every calming word, as if she has peered into your soul before comforting you with healing and encouragement.
What I like about this book: the inundation of God’s love that hangs on every word written and/or spoken by Alecia. This book is the epitome of a love letter from days gone by.
TW: Sexual assault
Angelia White combines personal tales and friend accounts in this guide on finding like-minded friendships that support an atmosphere for healing. She, like Dionne Ford, briefly and superficially discusses her sexual abuse as a child and the trauma she experienced alongside it. Angelia explains how she has worked through healing as she surrounded herself with a troupe of encouraging women who spoke life into her in every stage in life.
Angelia, the creator of Hope for Women magazine, recounts how God empowered her through other women to start working on her passion and extending and receiving community to and from other creative women.
What I like about this book: similar to Alecia’s book, God’s encouragement is written in every chapter. I appreciate Angelia’s multivocal approach as she encourages other creative sisters to offer up their tips for healing and encouragement in the chapter breaks.
Glory Edim, the founder of Well-Read Black Girl (WRBG) book club, compiled this anthology of excerpts, selections, and reading lists for all sorts of genres geared towards Black women’s literary habits. It is a great introductory collection if you are looking to crossover into genres you are unfamiliar with.
Glory includes creators and thinkers like Shonda Rhimes, Roxane Gay, N. K. Jemisin, Barbara Smith, and Gabourey Sidibe along with various genre lists: Black women author classics, Black Feminism, Girlhood/Friendship, Afrofuturism, etc. that open us up to other perspectives that we may have not been exposed to in our formal education, but we inherently and intuitively knew. These perspectives may prove to be reaffirming, enlightening, and encouraging as we navigate the society.
What I like about this book: Glory’s expertise as a book club founder. She cultivates reading lists that are easily accessible and achievable, especially if you are a novice in those topics. Her selections for this book also include poems as well as essays, so it feels more conversational and creative if you need to feel like you are chatting with your homegirl.
What books have you read or are you reading that are good for healing and encouragement?
Leave a Reply