Lots of major life changes this year meant a really radically different approach to reading, to writing about books, and thinking about them. And still some of you kind book lovers managed to find me on the Internet, so I thought I’d share some of my faves. A note about the links is that they are affiliate links for my Bookshop store, so I get a little something to support my book hoarding when you shop from them. The whole list is here.
Would love to hear what you think of these if you’ve read them or what you enjoyed most in 2022.
South to America by Imani Perry
I savored reading the galley for this one late last year, and wrote about it for Oprah Daily. Now that Dr. Perry has won the National Book Award for it, which I was thrilled to see, I hope that this unique, nuanced look at the ways we regard the South — which is really just representative of how we regard the shadow side of America — gets the broadest audience it deserves.
A memoir of a literary friendship with Toni Morrison is the subtitle of this one, and it is truly that, which makes it delicious — I think maybe especially so for Black women writers. There is a reverence and beauty to Verdelle’s testimony of learning from the grace of Toni Morrison beyond the page that resonates through this one; and there is a lot of valuable writing advice. In terms of career and posture toward structural racism as it manifests throughout the publishing industry but also in terms of mechanics
A long time fan of Danyel’s work — I first wrote about her debut novel back in my SF Chronicle reporting days circa 2003 - 2004 — I loved reading about her encounters, mostly highs and hustles, but some lows, with the music and the legends behind some of the best Black pop divas in history. I’m thinking of it again as I eagerly (anxiously?) await this Whitney biopic coming to theaters. Hoo boy.
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
I will admit to avoiding this book like the plague, even though I got an early copy, because people who read it early would NOT stop talking about it and I wanted to make up my own mind (as is always the case). But finally, probably a month or two after the book was published, and when I had some down time to really pay attention to it, I understood. It’s a charming and often surprising and hilarious collection of stories about a Jamaican American man and his family and ways he tries to navigate his identity. Worth it.
The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander
Inaugural poet, Foundation president…there’s nothing Elizabeth Alexander cannot do, on or off the page. I love that her empathy and graceful phrasing as a poet translates across genre. Her memoir, The Light of the World, broke my heart open. The Trayvon Generation is more removed, more meditative, but that profound wisdom and beauty that she brings to any topic is still there. It is accompanied, in this small but powerful book, by incredible images. I was honored to review it for the Boston Globe.
Under the Skin by Linda Villarosa
The trailblazing journalist and author Linda Villarosa is legendary among Black women journalists; she was Essence Magazine’s first health editor and authored the groundbreaking New York Times magazine piece on Black maternal health that galvanized many communities and some health systems to begin to address some of the intersections of racism and sexism that persist. Under the Skin points out that health inequities, which I’m very passionate about, caused by racism, don’t just hurt Black and Brown people, but really they are everyone’s problem. In her book, she talks about this along a number of dimensions — societal, environmental, personal.
Half American by Matthew Delmont
Because I’ve been immersed, almost accidentally, in a project about World War II, I needed to educate myself about the Black experience in the world during the 1940s, the Black military experience during that timeframe and how this particular war was framed not just for Americans, but specifically for Black Americans. Reading Matthew Delmont’s Half American helped me articulate the many injustices that are hinted at in some places but really spelled out in Half American, which is a descriptor one Black veteran gives for how they feel. It’s powerful and informative.
Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey
One of the highlights of this interesting year was leading/hosting a webinar on joy. I had just gifted myself, during a random run to Barnes & Noble, Tricia Hersey’s book because I was an early fan of The Nap Ministry — or at least the Nap Ministry’s tweets. More than your average bear, I think, I need and crave the invitation to rest. To remind myself how much emotional labor has been taken from people like me, and also, literally from me. How much is demanded and asked, and how much I need to restore. It’s an excellent way to reset one’s expectations for resting without doing so to gear up for more work.
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
I don’t know if I’ve confessed this here or anywhere on the internet, at least not in a long while, but I have been a big ‘ol sucker for romance novels since I was in the fourth grade. I blame the wide selection of Danielle Steel novels above all else at the West Farms branch of the New York Public Library for opening this door. I never fully closed it, and as a result, every now and then, a romance comes along that completely floors me and Seven Days in June did exactly that. I picked up the paperback during one of my book hauls from Strand or Barnes & Noble and I could not stop talking about Eve and Shane for like a month. It’s delicious and edgy, with two famous Black writers — I mean, it was written for me! But I bet you’ll love it, too.
Sweet Soft Plenty Rhythm by Laura Warrell
I love a musical, melancholy book and this sweet debut from Laura Warrell featuring the maladapted but seductive Circus Palmer is both of those things and more. Circus can’t get it together, but he still somehow manages to get at the ladies. And in the process he conveys more than he expects to his daughter about how she should move through the world.
My Faves in 2022
Thank you for enlarging my world with these recommendations. I love what you said about taking time to rest. I know what a workaholic you are! Hope you get time to relax over the holidays, and then some.