Well-Read Black Girl

Powerful. Educational, and just good.
In many ways this book reminded me of all the reasons I love to read. It also made me want to read some new books and revisit old favorites. It is going to keep me thinking about my life and the books that shaped it .And then there is the authors, poets, and protagonists of color. They are teaching me about their experience that is so different from mine. They are making me more compassionate and more ready to listen first.
This is a vital book for any book lover or anyone wanting to really learn about how other people live and see the world. And it should go without saying that these essays are well written and compelling.

Well Read Black Girl is a collection of essays from various Black women in the arts who describe what representation in literature did for them. After every essay is a list of recommendations from Black women authors clustered around the genre of the essayist or the genre they spoke about in their essay. I though that Well Read Black Girl was a decent read. I thought that the women picked were a decent mix of well known people and some women that I was surprised by. The real bread and butter though, is the recommendations provided. I know that I've been an avid reader my entire life, but a lot of that reading was centered on the dominant culture, white culture, so to have an easy reference to some of the seminal works by Black women is a treasure trove and my “want to read” list is thankful that I got this book. If you're a minority women or looking to add some diversity to your reading, this book will get you started down the right path. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to review.