HBF

Picked up an elementary school fave to see if it would get me out of a little reading slump and found myself weepy in the same way I was on my sixth grade carpet square

A cheeky, perfectly paced, delight of a book.

The perfect book to read while reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the next. Underlines on underlines on underlines.

“But I do not believe the acts of oppressors are my people's shame. For me, that my people became, created, and imagined from a position of unfreedom is a source of deep pride, not shame. I hope you learn that too. What better evidence of human beauty and resilience could there be?”

A beautiful, striking, loving, brutal letter from a Black mother to her Black sons on growing up and living in America.

A new favorite. There's nothing I admire more than a writer who strikes the perfect balance of honesty, vulnerability, bluntness, and wisdom in a piece of writing. A true, true must-read.