#readblackstories

[hetero-glossia]

[prncsslyssaart]

Keep growing 🌱 —— #growthmindset #bethechange #educateyourself #blacklivesmatter #indigenouslivesmatter #readblackstories #readblackauthors #readindigenousauthors #readindigenousliterature #getwoke #listentoblackwomen #representationmatters #plants #grow #kenyanart #interiorplants #interiordesign #nyapts #ivyplant #plantsofinstagram #plantsofinstagram #plantlady #keepgrowing🌱 (at Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCHpmkoJcYd/?igshid=18jlfkzi5fint

[jlmakathejsliving]

Great news guys! I updated my Patreon with a sweet new deal: Subscribe to the $10 Tier or higher before 12:00 PM on Sept. 5, and you can get a Blood Soaked J.S. Living Sticker! Just go to www.patreon.com/thejsliving (link is in the bio). #books #read #subscribe #rewards #patreon #create #creator #writer #content #chapters #shareblackstories #readblackstories #ownvoices #poc https://www.instagram.com/p/CEesenkgLKy/?igshid=c7rbkv4d1d9f

[writearn]

LeT’s ReAD SoMe InTeREstInG BlOGs ToDaY ⬇️

https://www.writearn.in/?is_signup=true

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#writearn #write_earn #tuesday #read #reader #reading #writer #blogs #like #comment #feedly #worthreading #bloglover #readingtime #readblackstories #readblackwomen #readingchallenge #reading #readingismylife #readingclub #readingtime #readingcorner #readingblogger #readingblog

[thebookdragon217]

Thank you to @goodreads and @grandcentralpub for the gifted copy. "When you hear these stories and think, None of these stories are okay, you are right. And when you hear these stories and think, Dang, that's hilarious, you are right. They're both." Going into this one, the word that comes to mind is AUDACITY. QOTD: What book do you associate with the word audacity? FEATURED BOOK: You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism Publication Date: January 12, 2021 SYNOPSIS: Writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers Amber Ruffin writes with her sister Lacey Lamar with humor and heart to share absurd anecdotes about everyday experiences of racism. Now a writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers and host of The Amber Ruffin Show, Amber Ruffin lives in New York, where she is no one's First Black Friend and everyone is, as she puts it, "stark raving normal." But Amber's sister Lacey? She's still living in their home state of Nebraska, and trust us, you'll never believe what happened to Lacey. From racist donut shops to strangers putting their whole hand in her hair, from being mistaken for a prostitute to being mistaken for Harriet Tubman, Lacey is a lightning rod for hilariously ridiculous yet all-too-real anecdotes. She's the perfect mix of polite, beautiful, petite, and Black that apparently makes people think "I can say whatever I want to this woman." And now, Amber and Lacey share these entertainingly horrifying stories through their laugh-out-loud sisterly banter. Painfully relatable or shockingly eye-opening (depending on how often you have personally been followed by security at department stores), this book tackles modern-day racism with the perfect balance of levity and gravity. #GCPCLUBCAR #nonfiction #books #shortstories #ReadBlackstories #goodreadsgiveawaywinner #reading #bookphotos #booksoutside #libros #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookrec #GrandCentralPublishing #bookish #bookdragon #BooksofIG #lights #HachetteGo #ILovebooks #nerd #Booksarelife #bookaddict #racism #yellowbooks #ownvoices #comedy #diversespines #ReadBlackauthors #You'llNeverBelieveWhatHappenedtoLacey (at The Shops at Atlas Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKfFaPPgGgf/?igshid=zuc0d7wrnna7

[thebookdragon217]

"Every single night I've prayed for God to make me beautiful--make me light. And every morning I wake up exactly the same." BOOK REVIEW: GENESIS BEGINS AGAIN RATING: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Thank you to @authoraliciadwilliams for gifting a beautiful signed copy. Genesis Begins Again is moving, heartbreaking and gutwrenching. Genesis is a 13 year old who is carrying an unbearable weight of grief, self hate and pain caused by generational colorism, her father's alcoholism and gambling problem, unstable housing and evictions, bullying at school and family conflicts. Genesis equates all the pain in her life to her dark complexion and "black features." She secretly resorts to home remedies for lightening, bleaching cream and making a list of why people hate her. I loved that this story took us through Genesis' journey and we see her transform and finally come to a place where she could love herself as she is and find her voice by confronting her inner voices as well as her family. She channels her pain through singing after her teacher introduces her to Billie Holiday and Etta James. It was beautiful to see Genesis come into her own skin by being inquisitive and also by tapping into the good relationships and friendships she made at her latest school. By the end of the story I was feeling hopeful for her. I'm still thinking about her as I write this and she will stay with me. Although this was a middle grade read, this book is so necessary and tackles deep issues such as: ● colorism & racism ● poverty & disparities in education ● mental health & stigma ● the power of friendships ● effects of white beauty standards ● bullying ● teachers as support networks ● how trauma affects self esteem ● addiction Please get this books into schools everywhere because colorism is an issue that transcends many cultures. This book can literally save a life and spark some conversations. #blacklivesmatter #readblackstories #middlegradelit #colorism #racism #bookreview #alcoholism #bullying #bookdragon #bibliophile #bookish #elevatemelanatedvoices #books #booksarelife #bookphotos #trauma #genesisbeginsagain #aliciawilliams #representationmatters #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks #bookrecs (at Bushwick) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJmaZ7lggHa/?igshid=1mie5dy3wckfi

[thebookdragon217]

"Our lives begin to end when we become silent about things that matter."- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr The clock is ticking. Now is the time for less talking and more walking. More action. More digging deep. More finding motivation. More humanity. No more excuses. Get out there and vote! Who are you speaking for today? If you need a reason to vote: 🗳 Black lives still matter 🗳 Brown kids don't belong in cages 🗳 Education not segregation 🗳 End school to prison pipeline 🗳 No one is illegal on stolen land 🗳 No taxation w/o representation 🇵🇷 🗳 LGBTQIA+ are humans too 🗳 Fair and equal pay for everyone 🗳 Rehabilitation not Mass incarceration 🗳 Women are entitled to agency over their own bodies and health 🗳 Healthcare is a human right 🗳 Climate change is real 🗳 Defund and retrain the police 🗳 200,000+ Americans are dead 👟👟 SYNOPSIS 👟👟 In the stunning and hard-hitting sequel to the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin, incarcerated teen Quan writes letters to Justyce about his experiences in the American prison system. Shortly after teenager Quan enters a not guilty plea for the shooting death of a police officer, he is placed in a holding cell to await trial. Through a series of flashbacks and letters to Justyce, the protagonist of Dear Martin, Quan's story unravels. From a troubled childhood and bad timing to a coerced confession and prejudiced police work, Nic Stone's newest novel takes an unflinching look at the flawed practices and ideologies that discriminate against African American boys and minorities in the American justice system. #votingmatters #vote2020 #votenow #blacklivesmatter #readBlackstories #nicstone #dearjustyce #ownvoices #supportBlackbooks #bookdragon #supportBlackauthors #bookstagram #booksandsneakers #booksarelife #bookworm #bookphotos #booknerd #useyourvoice #exerciseyourrights (at Bushwick) https://www.instagram.com/p/CG8Y6SIgGcA/?igshid=gtdpxeprked

[thebookdragon217]

What beautiful bookmail! Thank you so much @authoraliciadwilliams for all the details and the personal note. I cannot tell you how excited I am to read this one. Every day I love middle grade books more and more specifically because they tackle the hard topics in realistic and heart warming ways. They say the things that were in our hearts when we were growing up. In Genesis Begins Again, the topic of colorism is front and center in this coming of age story. Being latinx, I'm no stranger to the topic because the anti-blackness runs rampant through our communities as well. This is exactly why I am so grateful that books like this exist. We get an in depth view into the internalized effects of colorism and we get to confront the harmful narratives. We help young people see themselves when we share these stories with them. QOTD: What other books are you picking up about this topic along with Genesis? 💐💐💐SYNOPSIS💐💐💐 This is the story of a thirteen-year-old girl who is filled with self-loathing and must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself. There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant—even her own family. And #61: Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When Genesis reaches #100 on the list of things she hates about herself, will she continue on, or can she find the strength to begin again? #genesisbeginsagain #middlegrade #aliciadwilliams #blacklivesmatter #readBlackstories #blackresilience #diversifyyourreading #bookstagram #weneeddiversebooks #readMGlit #supportblackauthors #colorism #fallvibes #booksoutside #bookmail #atheneum #decolonizeyourfeed #comingofage #bookdragon #books #bibliophile #readingislearning (at Bushwick) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGs9u66Awbb/?igshid=1str3cjk9vlr0

[thebookdragon217]

I'm highlighting some recently released books today on this rainy Friday. Epic Reads is proud of their recent books published celebrating Black! Boy! Joy! and they want to share them with you. Here are three books that are giving us cause to celebrate during this joyfilled campaign: 🙆🏿‍♂️ Early Departures by Justin A. Reynolds 🙆🏿‍♂️ Charming as a Verb by Ben Phillipe 🙆🏿‍♂️ Not so Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles I'm excited to read all of them and share them with others. Black males are portrayed in negative ways in media and it is crucial for us to break the stereotypes and spread stories that show black males in all their glory. Young, black boys need to be able to see themselves represented doing ordinary things and navigating life and finding love their own sense of happiness in the process. If these aren't on your radar, be sure to pick them up sooner rather than later. For more information please visit the landing page so you can learn more about these wonderful books and their fantastic authors. Here is the https://go.epicreads.com/blackboyjoy/. You can also find in it through my bio page. QOTD: What are some other Black! Boy! Joy! stories you read recently? #blacklivesmatter #blackboyjoy #readblackstories #diversestories #readersforequality #epicreads #weneeddiversebooks #bookstagram #earlydepartures #charmingasaverb #notsopureandsimple #readyalit #diversifyyourfeed #YAfiction #yabooks #bookdragon #bookish (at Bushwick) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGa6SkGAx3V/?igshid=kzddlhqds3f8

[thebookdragon217]

September is almost upon us and I already have a jam packed bookish schedule with buddy reads, book club and book tours. Thanks to the lovely @thegirlwiththebookreview for the gift card which I used buy some September reads. I've been really fortunate to have read some really great books recently. I am already so excited for fall and more bookish adventures. QOTD: What is your favorite thing about fall? Do you have a theme for fall reading? #bookmailisthebestmail #bookstack #latinxbooks #ownvoices #books #blacklivesmatter #readblackstories #weneeddiversebooks #bookstagram #buddyreads #septembertbr #biblio #bookdragon #bookworm #booklove #booksandflowers #booksoutside #decolonizeyourshelf #readcaribbean (at Bushwick) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEICdwxgBCn/?igshid=t05xmc5xqhu

[thebookdragon217]

Watching the sunset and reading a book is where you will find me. Isn't this a vision of beauty? Thanks for the giveaway win @irishgirliereads. I have been wanting to read this one for so long. QOTD: What time of day do you get the most reading done? Do you enjoy indoor or outdoor reading? ***SYNOPSIS (GOODREADS)*** The beautiful island of Barbados, world-renowned for white sand beaches and tranquil blue seas, became the scene of an international crime in 1967. Forty years after Susan Taylor’s whistle-blowing novel, ‘The Unspeakable Truth’ became the most famous novel by any Caribbean author, she reaches out to a young writer to write her biography. Lia Davis has no idea why Susan would choose her, but there's more to Susan's story than meets the eye. The Girl with the Hazel Eyes will show you just why there is trouble in paradise. #readcarribbean #giveawaywinner #booksandsunsets #booksinthepark #readtoescapelife #readingisrelaxing #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #blacklivesmatter #readblackstories #readdifferentgenres #caribbeanlit #bookdragon #bookworm #booknerd #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookphoto #thegirlwiththehazeleyes #bajanbook #goodreadswithaview #ownvoices (at Grover Cleveland Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD44L7Yg8q3/?igshid=3yksrs8t7oxt

[thebookdragon217]

Some books just take your breath away! They make you want to stop and bask in their beauty. QOTD: What book leaves you breathless? ***SYNOPSIS (GOODREADS): Dear Martin meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting YA novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system. Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time—her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy’s older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a “thug” on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike. But will Tracy and her family survive the uncovering of the skeletons of their Texas town’s racist history that still haunt the present? Fans of Nic Stone and Jason Reynolds won’t want to miss this provocative and gripping debut. #readblackstories #blacklivesmatter #weneeddiversebooks #ownvoices #readersforequality #bookstagram #decolonizeyourshelf #bookdragon #booksandsunsets #booksonhighline #readbooksoutside #booksarelife #bibliophile #booklover #bookaddict #bookcoverlove #readgoodbooks #sunshine #highline #bookphoto #amplifymelanatedvoices #booklove #booksbooksbooks #bookishthings #getunderlined #readYAbooks #yalit (at The High Line) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD2UwZlAHP8/?igshid=eu9dt7l7mlr9

[thebookdragon217]

I'm hoping this will be my next read. I've been waiting for this debut and my pre-order was delayed. Anyone else reading this in August? If so, what are your thoughts so far? ***SYNOPSIS (Goodreads): Los Angeles, 1992 Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life. It’s the end of senior year and they’re spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. They can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer. Everything changes one afternoon in April, when four LAPD officers are acquitted after beating a black man named Rodney King half to death. Suddenly, Ashley’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the black kids. As violent protests engulf LA and the city burns, Ashley tries to continue on as if life were normal. Even as her self-destructive sister gets dangerously involved in the riots. Even as the model black family façade her wealthy and prominent parents have built starts to crumble. Even as her best friends help spread a rumor that could completely derail the future of her classmate and fellow black kid, LaShawn Johnson. With her world splintering around her, Ashley, along with the rest of LA, is left to question who is the us? And who is the them? #blacklivesmatter #readblackstories #amplifymelanatedvoices #books #booksandflowers #bookstagram #weneeddiversebooks #ownvoices #diversifyyourreading #bookworm #decolonizeyourshelves #booknerd #booksarelife #booksteachlessons #readersforequality #readdifferent (at The High Line) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDxKHa3gjc_/?igshid=8s67w714ep7t

[thebookdragon217]

"The mind works such that we see and perceive new things always through the lens of what we have already seen". In Memorial Drive, Natasha Trethewey reckons with her mother's murder at the hands of her stepfather. She revisits her memories and recalls events in order to make sense of the tragedy. She relives pivotal moments and relies on the psychology of her mind during those times to analyze and move towards acceptance of what happened to her mother. She comes to terms with her guilt and silence as a child forced to bear so much trauma and pain. She propels herself back in time to walk through not only her own story but her mother's to gain clarity about her life. Her writing is exquisite and it is obvious that she was born to be a poet. The prose pulls at your heart strings and you feel her emotions on a visceral level. I was emotionally destroyed by the end of it but it left me with a deeper understanding of trauma and the after effects. What I also appreciated about the author's story was that is was also a story of identity and search for belonging. The author is biracial and her parents were married illegally during the era of miscegenation laws. She talks extensively throughout the story about growing up during segregation and racism and how she was taught to act when navigating through both worlds that make up her identity. Her mother's love was the constant through her journey to make her mark in the world. When her mother is killed, the author begins to question if she could have prevented it in some way. She recalls her many anxieties and premonitions as a child and recounts how intuitive children can be when in contact with trauma and a sense of danger. She also illuminates how difficult it is to trust your own instincts and speak out when you are young. Natasha's story will stay with me for a long time to come because her emotions were so raw yet insightful. It will challenge me not to discount my trauma and emotions in my own life. This bookdragon rates it 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. #blacklivesmatter #blackresilence #readblackstories #supportblackart #weneeddiversebooks #blackmemoir #bookstagram #readbooksinthepark #takebooksoutside #bookishphotos #reading (at Juniper Valley Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDrzvjogy6o/?igshid=17a12k53xp879

[thebookdragon217]

Giveaways and bookmail make me so happy! Thanks to @as_seen_in_life for hosting this giveaway! I cannot wait to read this story! I hear it is a tear jerker. QOTD: What is a book that made you cry? *****SYNOPSIS (GOODREADS): ***** A chillingly personal and exquisitely wrought memoir of a daughter reckoning with the brutal murder of her mother at the hands of her former stepfather, and the moving, intimate story of a poet coming into her own in the wake of a tragedy At age nineteen, Natasha Trethewey had her world turned upside down when her former stepfather shot and killed her mother. Grieving and still new to adulthood, she confronted the twin pulls of life and death in the aftermath of unimaginable trauma and now explores the way this experience lastingly shaped the artist she became. With penetrating insight and a searing voice that moves from the wrenching to the elegiac, Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Natasha Trethewey explores this profound experience of pain, loss, and grief as an entry point into understanding the tragic course of her mother’s life and the way her own life has been shaped by a legacy of fierce love and resilience. Moving through her mother’s history in the deeply segregated South and through her own girlhood as a “child of miscegenation” in Mississippi, Trethewey plumbs her sense of dislocation and displacement in the lead-up to the harrowing crime that took place on Memorial Drive in Atlanta in 1985. Memorial Drive is a compelling and searching look at a shared human experience of sudden loss and absence but also a piercing glimpse at the enduring ripple effects of white racism and domestic abuse. Animated by unforgettable prose and inflected by a poet’s attention to language, this is a luminous, urgent, and visceral memoir from one of our most important contemporary writers and thinkers. #amplifymelanatedvoices #books #blacklivesmatter #readblackstories #bookdandplants #readmemoirs #bookmailisthebestmail #bookworm #giveawaywin #bookdragon #biblio #bookstagram #bookphotography #booksinnature #readdiversebooks #booksbooksbooks #blackauthor (at Bushwick) https://www.instagram.com/p/CC9x1DFA9Z0/?igshid=2jgr0cmntnjn

[thebookdragon217]

"Navigating in a space that questions your humanity isn't really living at all. It's existing. We all deserve more than just the ability to exist." Day 21 of #blackresilencebookstatour and the prompt is Favorite LGBTQ+ Author or Book. All Boys Aren't Blue is such an important read. George Johnson covers so many important topics through the telling of his story. He walks us through his family, his most important personal experiences, personal traumas and more importantly his resilience and perseverance to make his own way and forge his own identity. His voice is empowering and encouraging and I truly believe this book will save lives. He is honest and transparent in sharing his struggles with the intersectionalism of blackness and queerness. He challenges gender norms, traditional sex education, sexuality, blackness, queerness, family, unconditional love and forgiveness. He refers to his work as a manifesto and with today's cultural and political climate I can see why. He is bold and intentional with his words yet offers hope at the same time. This is one book that needs to be required reading by every educator and parent to gain understanding of today's youth that may be feeling unwanted, unloved and discarded by society for simply trying to be who they are. I cried so many tears for George yet at the same time smiled and cheered every small victory and step he took in creating his own identity. If you only read one YA book all year, I recommend this one. You will be completely transformed after being informed which is so important. Representation and visibility in literature not only validates but it can also instill purpose and provide hope to one who is fighting to just keep living. I know that many will feel seen after reading this beautifully written memoir. This bookdragon rates this one 🔥🔥🔥🔥.5 flames but no amount of words I have can justify how beautiful and necessary this book is. #blackresiliencebookstatour #books #LGBTQIA #pridebooks #bookworm #bookstagram #bookssavelives #blacklivesmatter #readblackstories #representationmatters #bookphoto #diversespines #booksandplants #bookdragon #bookreview #bookish (at Bushwick) https://www.instagram.com/p/CC7GRooANjU/?igshid=ob7njtws1ele