The start of a new year is the perfect time to set goals and make positive changes in our lives. I may sound a little biased, but the perfect new year’s resolution is to indulge in more books.
Just like any muscle in our body, our brain needs exercise to stay sharp; to be entertained; to be challenged. Reading regularly stimulates cognitive functions, improves memory, and enhances analytical thinking.
Whether you’re looking to escape with historical fiction or get some practical advice to help you achieve your goals, the new year has no shortage of great new books by Black authors. Here are my stand-out picks for January releases.
Black Women, Ivory Tower by Jasmine L. Harris
Black women are heading to college in record numbers, and more and more Black women are teaching in higher education. Unfortunately, our safety is not guaranteed in these spaces. Willpower may improve achievement for Black women in school, but they don’t secure our belonging. The very structure of higher education ensures that we’re treated as guests, and even outsiders to the educational institution.
Dr. Harris shares her own experiences attempting to be a Vassar Girl and reckoning with a lack of legacy and agency. She also examines the day-to-day impacts on Black women as individuals, the longer-term consequences to our professional lives, and the generational costs to our entire families. I am so excited for this one.
The American Queen by Vanessa Miller
Set in the mid 1860s, The American Queen is a gripping novel based on actual historical events. Over the twenty-four years she was enslaved on a Montgomery plantation, Louella learned to hate. She developed hate when her mother was sold and for when her daddy was left to hang from a noose. It’s a hate so powerful there’s no room in her heart for love, not even for the honorable Reverend William, whom she likes and respects enough to marry. The book centers around Louella’s hope that leads her to become the only known queen of a kingdom built on American soil.
I Did a New Thing by Tabitha Brown
Years ago, Tabitha Brown started a 30-day personal challenge that she called “I Did a New Thing!” Every day she would do something she’d never done before, from trying a new food to speaking to someone she’d never had before. I Did a New Thing is the perfect book to help you get 2024 off to the best start. Whether it’s trying a new food or updating our wardrobe, Auntie Tab encourages us to step outside our comfort zone to create positive change in our lives. We are here for it!
The House of Plain Truth by Donna Hemans
The House of Plain Truth is a gripping story about family secrets and sacrifice. When her father dies, a woman is sent on a mission to find her estranged siblings and learn the truth about a secret that tore her family apart. Moving through time and place, from Cuba to Montego Bay and from Brooklyn to Havana, The House of Plain Truth traces Pearline’s reconciliation between what she thought she knew about her family and the real truth.
Get the F*ck Out Your Own Way by MJ Harris
If you need someone to give it to you straight, look no further than MJ Harris. Following Harris on social media is one experience, so I know that his new book, Get the F* Out Your Own Way, is going to be good! This book hopes to help you identify the ways in which you block your own blessings and to give you the tools you need to let it all go. It’s the perfect book to start the year off right.
Madness by Antonia Hylton
In Madness, award-winning journalist Antonia Hylton tells the story of Crownsville Hospital, one of the nation’s last segregated asylums located in Maryland. In 1911, officials marched twelve Black men into the heart of a forest. Under the supervision of a doctor, the men were forced to clear the land, pour cement, lay bricks, and harvest tobacco. When construction finished, they became the first twelve patients Crownsville Hospital for the Negro Insane. It is a vivid account of the inhumane conditions, including Black patients forced to undergo experimental treatment without their consent. This book will definitely be difficult one to read but necessary.
And Then We Rise by Common
Rapper, actor and activist Common has achieved success in many areas of his life and career, from music to acting to writing. But for a long time, he didn’t feel that he had found fulfillment in his body and spirit. And Then We Rise is about Common’s journey to wellness as a vital element of his success. The book is composed of four different sections, each with its own lessons: This will be another good one to help you live your best life in the new year.
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