20 - A book on a Black Lives Matter reading list

[L Y N N]

For sure When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir is there. I still believe everyone should read this book! But I'll step down from that soapbox for now... The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and the Rise of a New Justice Movement looks to be fascinating. And I have yet to read Between the World and Me.

What others?

Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Dixie]

I'll be reading Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.

[Ellie]

There are quite a few reading lists to choose from, here are some from a quick google:
https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-life...
https://booksinthemedia.thebookseller...
https://www.booktable.net/black-lives...
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklist...

I might go with Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption unless I can find In Black and White on a list.

[Tania]

One I read this year that I recommend:
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

[Nadine in NY]

So ... is there actually a Black Lives Matter reading list out there? When I first saw this prompt, I went looking for one. The BLM website sadly does not include a suggested reading list (and why not??? ). Where's Lauren O??? She'll have answers :-)

So I GUESS they just want us to find a book about racism / antiracism / racial injustice involving Black people? I'm wondering if it needs to be a recent book, something that's been published after the BLM movement started. Does it have to be centered in the US? Do books about Black American history, like March, count?

Each year I read a few non-fiction books about antiracism, but I think I would like to find a fiction book - something like The Vanishing Half, Such a Fun Age, or The Hate U Give.

Does anyone think The Street would work?

[Ellie]

Nadine wrote: "Does anyone think The Street would work?..."

It is on the University of Leicester's BLM reading list:
https://le.ac.uk/american-studies/abo...

[Drakeryn]

Nadine wrote: "So ... is there actually a Black Lives Matter reading list out there?"

Back in June, on Twitter I saw a lot of BLM-related reading lists. Some of them were strictly related to BLM and antiracism, while others were just curated lists of ownvoices books by black authors (with the idea of supporting black authors in an often not-very-supportive industry).

I think I'd count any kind of BLM-fueled list like that, even if it's not explicitly about the Black Lives Matter movement. I can't remember if I bookmarked any of those lists but I'll see what I can find.

[C.L.]

I teach psychology and have a unit on racism in each class - so a book I always recommend to people who haven't read a lot on this topic is So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. It's a beautifully written, fantastic introduction to social/systemic issues that Black Americans in particular deal with. Cannot recommend it highly enough if you're looking for a nonfiction book. Could also work for the social justice issue prompt.

[Tara]

Nadine wrote: "Does anyone think The Street would work?"

I would say definitely. It's a classic in Black literature and explores what it means to be Black and female in that time and place.

[Drakeryn]

Update: I couldn't find the specific posts I was looking for, but here are some more links of BLM reading lists.

A couple general lists:
https://www.booktable.net/black-lives...
https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/l...

Fiction list for teaching about BLM (YA/MG):
https://itslitteaching.com/fiction-bo...

Another YA list:
https://www.seventeen.com/life/g32854...

Goodreads listopias tagged with BLM:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/bl...

[Debbie]

I'd like to put in a few plugs, if I might.

I had the amazing honor of observing a local writer, Tyson Amir, teach a creative writing class to high school students in my district most weekends for an entire year in 2018-2019. He wrote Black Boy Poems: An Account of Black Survival in America a gorgeous collection of self-published poems and related essays about American black history and a lot of the issues related to it. As a result of his class with my district, he was able to polish and also self-publish a book of curriculum related to getting students to embrace their history and their voices. If you're a teacher, I recommend looking at Black Boy Poems Curriculum: Curriculum For Revolutionary Instruction. The book the students wrote that year is also self-published Articulation is Power Vol. 1.

Another great author you could look into is Kekla Magoon. How It Went Down, The Rock and the River, Light It Up, and X (co-written by Malcolm X's daughter Ilyasah Shabazz) would likely all be BLM-friendly, if they don't expressly appear on reading lists you found.

[Debbie]

Oh, also, A Kids Book About Racism and A Kids Book About Systemic Racism would work.

[Johanne]

A lot of libraries made BLM reading lists during the summer.

[KaalAmba]

Suggestions from my reading list over the past few years:

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir
Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot
Citizen: An American Lyric
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches
How to Be an Antiracist
The Fire Next Time
Antiracist Baby
Between the World and Me

[Sheri]

Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America This just came out this week I think, and I loved her other book so I might read this. There are a ton of options out there, I'd think that any list that was curated by Black-run organizations would be valid. I have several others on my kindle that'd probably work too, and I did want to read The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness too.

[Nadine in NY]

Drakeryn wrote: "Update: I couldn't find the specific posts I was looking for, but here are some more links of BLM reading lists.

A couple general lists:
https://www.booktable.net/black-lives...
h..."



Thanks, great lists!!

[Lauren]

I really appreciated the movie adaptation and now I have to read the book it's based on.

[Alicia]

I think I'll go with How Long 'til Black Future Month?

[Lilia]

Would Dear Martin or Tyler Johnson was Here work?

[Miriam]

Nadine wrote: "So ... is there actually a Black Lives Matter reading list out there? When I first saw this prompt, I went looking for one. The BLM website sadly does not include a suggested reading list (and why ..."

This list helped me choose a book.
https://www.popsugar.com/news/books-a...

[Layne]

Lilia wrote: "Would Dear Martin or Tyler Johnson was Here work?"

Dear Martin would absolutely work! I'm currently listening to this one and really enjoying it.

[Ellie]

BCALA and the ALA Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table: Black Lives Matter Reading List:
http://www.ala.org/rt/gncrt/-black-li...

[Christy]

I'm in the middle of reading Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor but won't be finished until after the new year so will likely use that one, but have been reading a lot of these books over the last decade or two if anyone wants some of my favorites.

[Melissa]

Drakeryn wrote: "Update: I couldn't find the specific posts I was looking for, but here are some more links of BLM reading lists.

A couple general lists:
https://www.booktable.net/black-lives...
h..."

On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope by DeRay Mckesson is on one of Drakeryn's lists. DeRay was the host of the Crooked Media podcast Pod Save the People. This is his account of going to Ferguson as part of the protests in 2014 and 2015. Since he wrote it while he was a podcast host, it would also count for the online personality prompt. It's fairly short, so I found it a quick read.

[SadieReadsAgain]

I'm going with Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race, I can't wait to get to it. I also have Superior: The Return of Race Science for another prompt.

This year I read Homecoming: Voices of the Windrush Generation, How to Be an Antiracist and Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? Police Violence and Resistance in the United States. All good, and I'd recommend them in that order.

[Lilith]

Nadine wrote: "So ... is there actually a Black Lives Matter reading list out there? When I first saw this prompt, I went looking for one. The BLM website sadly does not include a suggested reading list (and why ..."


Good question!!

Here is a reading list from a website for Black Lives Matter based in Bloomington:

https://blm.btown-in.org/anti-racist-...

My understanding of the prompt is to challenge ourselves to understand systemic racism, especially towards Black but also BIPOC folks, and how that impacts all of us.

"The BLM movement's mission is to "eradicate white supremacy... and creating space for Black imagination and innovation" — something that the United States has struggled with for decades hundreds of years.

from https://www.distractify.com/p/books-t...

I imagine people could any read a book written by a Black person that challenges systemic racism - as opposed to a singular experience would be more #own voices.

But I'm not familiar with The Street ! I'm gonna take a look.

[Lauren]

Nadine wrote: "So ... is there actually a Black Lives Matter reading list out there? When I first saw this prompt, I went looking for one. The BLM website sadly does not include a suggested reading list (and why ..."

Hi! For some reason I didn't get any notifications about this thread until now. I think all of the comments here are on the right track. There isn't an official BLM or M4BL reading list, so folks can pull from the various lists posted here. The book you mentioned should count. I think the only suggestion I have is that while there are a few books by white folks on some of these lists that add value to the work, I'd recommend reading a book written by a Black person for this prompt, whether it's fiction, not specifically about the movement (but their experiences and racism in general), or if it was published decades ago. U.S.-focused would be ideal as well, since the movement is about how racism and white supremacy work in this country, and other countries have different experiences with this.

All of the books mentioned so far sound great! I'm planning to go with one of these:
Men We Reaped
Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil
Chokehold: Policing Black Men
The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and the Rise of a New Justice Movement

[Ellie]

The BLM movement operates in the UK and Canada as well as the US, so I don't feel it's cheating reading something closer to home.

[Marie-Eve]

I'm not bit on non-fiction (which, I know, this could be the perfect prompt for it... lol) but there are a few fiction out there that i still havent read that i think fit.

I still havent read The Hate U Give, so maybe that. But I'm also thinking about :
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America
All American Boys
How It Went Down
The Poet X

Anyone read any of those and can offer suggestions?

[Layne]

I just read Black Enough the other day! I enjoyed most of the stories. Have you considered Dear Martin?

[Lauren]

Marie-eve wrote: "I'm not bit on non-fiction (which, I know, this could be the perfect prompt for it... lol) but there are a few fiction out there that i still havent read that i think fit.

I still havent read [bo..."

Yes! I've read first, third, and fifth books in this list and they're all excellent. They would all work for this prompt in my opinion.

[Nadine in NY]

Here is a BLM reading list!

From the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (a part of the NYPL):
Black Liberation Reading List for Adults *
Black Liberation Reading List for Teens
Black Liberation Reading List for Kids


NYPL is all about filters, and these lists can be filtered by:
Biography & Memoir
Essays
Fiction
Graphic Novels
History (Nonfiction)
Nonfiction
Poetry
Science Fiction
Short Stories

as well as some other filters for the kids' list (age brackets, picture books, fairy tales, etc)


* And I'm happy to see that The Street is on the list, so I can feel confident in my choice :-)

[poshpenny]

Powell's has a BLM page with lots of resources and lists, fiction and non-fiction, in different categories such as environmental racism, antiracist reading, activism, memoirs, afrofuturism, cooking, romance, kids, black joy, etc.

https://www.powells.com/featured/blac...

[Lauren]

I read Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents for this this year.
But I would also like to put in a good word for When They Call You a Terrorist (Young Adult Edition): A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World

Or The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

[Ashley Marie]

Lauren wrote: "

I really appreciated the movie adaptation and now I have to read the book it's based on."

I second Just Mercy! Just read it toward the end of December and it was brilliant.

[Lilith]

Ashley Marie wrote: "Lauren wrote: "

I really appreciated the movie adaptation and now I have to read the book it's based on."

I second Just Mercy! Ju..."

I third Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. I spent a month on this book! Just so I could luxuriate in and marvel at Bryan's compassion, and read every single footnote and look up. every, single. case. on Lexis -Nexis. Worth every moment!

[Heather]

Just finished Dear Martin. I would recommend it. I started yesterday morning and finished at bedtime last night. It was very engaging and engrossing.

[Heather]

I read Belived by Tonight Morrison for this prompt

[Melissa]

I just finished This is My America by Kim Johnson and it is excellent! YA fiction about biases in our justice system and the impact on families of those incarcerated. 5 stars!

[Sherri]

I read The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin for this prompt.

[Amy]

I’m reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston Really loving it so far

[Dea]

I’m assuming I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is on at least one list. Regardless, it’s on my TBR. So… 🤷‍♀️

[Jennifer Muster]

I read Becoming for this prompt. I loved this book. I did the audio book and Michelle Obama read it. She was wonderful!

[JC]

I'm currently reading Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy for this prompt. But there are so many others I want to read that fit this category including Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America , which my mom just finished and loved. And March: Book One and Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side.

[Tessa]

I'm currently reading The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness for this one. It's very enlightening and I would highly recommend it.

[Laura]

I just finished When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir and highly recommend it.

[Rebecca]

I read Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. I hope that fits

[Theresa]

Nadine wrote: "Here is a BLM reading list!

From the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (a part of the NYPL):
Black Liberation Reading List for Adults *
Black Liberation Reading List for Teens
Black L..."

@Nadine - this is a find! Richly diverse!

[Teri]

I read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou for this prompt.

[Heather L]

I finished Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston for a classics group read this month, which also works here. A little slow-going with the dialect, but well worth the time.