Chicken Soup for the Soul: I'm Speaking Now: Black Women Share Their Truth in 101 Stories of Love, Courage and Hope

by Amy Newmark, Breena Clarke

Now more than ever, the strong, independent, courageous voices of Black women are being heard loud and clear. They share their truth about life, love, family, faith and hope in these 101 personal stories and 12 powerful poems. The world is listening.



Black women are speaking, for themselves and their families, and everyone is listening. This unique collection of stories is for readers of all colors, not just the Black community, as these contributors share their dreams, their triumphs and failures, and their lives, which have unique challenges and hardships that are not well understood by others. Readers of color will recognize their own struggles in these pages, and white readers will benefit from an inside view of Black life in America, Canada and beyond.

These 101 stories and 12 poems, written by and for Black women, cover it all—from fierce to funny—about hopes and dreams, fears and realities, identity and self-discovery, family, children, even hair. Each one starts with a quote connecting you to a wellspring of wisdom from historical and contemporary Black women.

“We are speaking now,” says Breena Clarke, coauthor of this book. “Because the moment is now, in this collection of first-person narratives. This is an opportunity to hear the often silenced voices of Black women, writing for you and because of you. These are stories of universal human experiences but also reflect the specificity of Black women’s lives in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.”

Everyone will benefit from this look into the culture, wisdom, and everyday reality of the Black experience, with 11 chapters, each starting with a powerful

• The Shoulders We Stand On
• Where We Come From
• Everyday Struggles
• Stand Up, Speak Out
• Raising Our Children
• Family & Food for the Soul
• Taking Care of Me
• Sisters, Friends
• Loving Black Men
• Identity & Roots
• Self-Discovery

Chicken Soup for the Soul books are 100% made in the USA and each book includes stories from as diverse a group of writers as possible. Chicken Soup for the Soul solicits and publishes stories from the LGBTQ community and from people of all ethnicities, nationalities, and religions.

Genres: Nonfiction

400 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2021

About the author

Amy Newmark is the bestselling author, editor-in-chief, and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. Since 2008, she has published 191 new Chicken Soup for the Soul titles, most of them national bestsellers in the U.S. and Canada, more than doubling the number of Chicken Soup for the Soul titles in print today.

Amy is credited with revitalizing the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand, which has been a publishing industry phenomenon since the first book came out in 1993. By compiling inspirational and aspirational true stories curated from ordinary people who have had extraordinary experiences, Amy has kept the thirty-year-old Chicken Soup for the Soul brand fresh and relevant.

Follow Amy on Twitter @amynewmark. Listen to her free podcast, The Chicken Soup for the Soul Podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, the Podcasts app on iPhone, or by using your favorite podcast app on other devices.

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that this book exists! I think there should be more like it. I expected more from it, though. A high percentage of the narratives in it are not very moving or inspiring, and I just thought there would be deeper content offered in a book that says Black women have been silenced all this time and are finally speaking up. Chapter 5 had more of what I expected and reading it was emotional.

One story I feel does not belong in a book about "love, courage and hope" is the one called "I Am Not Safe." The author of that piece began AND ended her words with a victim mentality. No progress was made.

One story I loved was by Ashanti Ford. She kind of made me want to move to Florida to be able to see her on the news! I loved her forward progress attitude!

[Marie-Ange Janvier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ouf! What beautiful stories! I felt sad, happy, mad and hopeful with these beautiful stories about black women. This collection of stories get you into the soul of black women. There are stories for everyone from Canada, US. And Caraïbes. I found myself in some of them. There is even a story by Rachel Decoste a black woman from Ottawa Canada. In sum, you’ll get a great glimpse of the black woman into these stories with stories as relevant to the current pandemic and Black Lives Matter era. A great book for people looking to understand and experience the black women experience in 2021!

[K.E. Garland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books is very relevant and necessary for current times. Even my 95-year-old grandmother has found much affirmation and validation of her own experiences while reading it. I recommend this for any woman, Black or white, who seeks to find camaraderie between pages.

[Mary Sisney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although some of them are journalists, poets, and novelists, I didn’t recognize the names of any of the contributors to this very interesting book, but I enjoyed most of their poems and brief essays. Each contribution was preceded by a quotation from a very well-known black female writer, entertainer, or other celebrity like Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, Alice Walker, Michelle Obama, and Beyoncé. I actually thought those quotations, some of which were repetitious, added nothing to the book since the less well-known black women were usually wise and eloquent enough to convey their own messages. My favorite essays came from the section on “Loving Black Men.” Although I’ve never taught in prison, I identified with the experience of the Rev. Michele Sweeting-DeCaro, who had to deal with young men who wanted her to cut them some slack and act more like a “Sistah” while she was trying to teach them how to read and write more effectively. I also interestingly regularly taught Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” in my basic writing courses and also taught a sophomore-level course called English 201, although I’m sure it was a very different course than the one she taught. Although I’m not a momma, I appreciated even more Vickie Lynn’s description of how she handled some too loud black boys playing in her neighborhood, quieting them down lovingly. My least favorite essays were the two where the women, one of them a cop, put themselves in danger.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chicken Soup for the Soul has been around forever. This is a collection of essays, but it also has a lot of poetry that includes all short and easy-to-read poems, bringing many different messages. This is a book provides a platform for black women to speak about their own experiences. Women talk about their lives at every stage. We've got younger women, middle-aged women, and mature women who talk about the unique experiences of black women in this country. The book goes from Canada to the Caribbean, touching on the black women's experience across this whole continent. I think that's very important as well.

There are lots of quotes from influential people at the start of each chapter. For instance, "If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it. - Zora Neale Hurston." One essay I liked was called "I Don't See Color." The quote at the beginning was, "Just remember the world is not a playground, but a schoolroom. Life is not a holiday but an education. One eternal lesson for us all: to teach us how better we should love. There's another essay, Black Girl, by Kamala Reese that starts with the quote, "You can't be hesitant about who you are," which, of course, is very true.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/bre...

[Jovi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read a book from the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, but I think this was an excellent one for me to start with. A timely read, this book gives a platform for black women to share their stories. Dealing with topics that involve family, career and romance, there's a story for almost everyone to relate to. There's also at least one story for everyone to learn from. I liked that most of these stories were written around the end of 2020. It felt very intimate reading stories of how black women handle this peculiar year and everything leading up to it.

I would have liked to see each contributor share another feature other than her writing. Each story was only a couple of pages long, and I found myself wanting a more vivid visual of each writer's life. This could've been a picture at the end of her story (either of herself or the specific family/food/location that was the main focus of the story), a map or other special visual. I think this would've added to the overall collection immensely. There is a short section at the end that gives a mini author bio for each contributor but I think it would have been nice to have something additional in the writings. Overall, a great collection and I can't wait to read more Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicken Soup for the Soul books are always very powerful, and this is no exception. I think a lot of us forget how recent desegregation is...it's only sixty years since Ruby Bridges walked into school, and there are plenty of stories here from earlier than that. This book shines a bright, very uncomfortable light on the horrific things many people went through and still go through every day.

I'm astounded by the strength and resilience and courage of the people in these stories. They should never have to display them like this, but they do and I'm amazed. It's incredible the things they bear up under.

Like with all collections, some stories are better than others, but none of them are less than fascinating. I'm so glad I was able to read it, and I hope it'll make me a better ally in the future.

[Bentley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was tough. I had high expectations for this one, but ultimately, it didn't work for me.

1. The varying quality of writing between authors made me wonder what, if any, criteria there was to be included in this collection. A good handful were not inspirational, meaningful, or of value. An editor should have taken this to task.

2. I was shocked by modern day references because I assumed this was published in the early 90s. It's just that outdated. Even the color scheme on the cover gives weathered.

[S.S. Scott | Romance Author and Fiction Story Coach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very heavy at times, very humorous and enlightening and uplifting. I'm not usually a Chicken Soup reader, but I'll never forget the level of hype I achieved when I first heard Kamala Harris utter those titular words. Even now, it still makes my heart beat a little faster, my skin tingle a little harder. The stories included in this anthology covers just the tip of the mountain that is the experience of a Black woman, whether she lives in America or abroad. Definitely would recommend!

[Kristin Contino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of thought-provoking stories by black women. I especially enjoyed the essay by Rachel R. Perkins, “The Jig is Up” about being true to yourself and leading by example for your children.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Congratulations to my colleague, Aja Moore-Ramos, on her first published book! Check out her wonderful contribution, "The Young and the Rested," in Chicken Soup for the Soul: I'm Speaking Now.

[Cassandra Ulrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impactful stories and poems. Worth the read.

[Pamela Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicken Soup type book from female, person of color perspective. I like short essay type books and enjoyed this.