Well-Read Black Girl

'Required reading.' - Cosmopolitan

'This should be read as a sacred text. Here, you will bear witness to a perpetual salvation song.' - Jason Reynolds

Remember that moment when you first encountered a character who seemed to be written just for you? That feeling of belonging remains with readers the rest of their lives - but not everyone regularly sees themselves reflected on the pages of a book.

In this timely anthology, Glory Edim, founder of the online community, Well-Read Black Girl, brings together original essays by some of America's best black women writers to shine a light on how important it is that we all - regardless of gender, race, religion, or ability - have the opportunity to find ourselves in literature.

Whether it's learning about the complexities of femalehood from Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison, finding a new type of love in THE COLOR PURPLE, or using mythology to craft an alternative black future, each essay reminds us why we turn to books in times of both struggle and relaxation. As she has done with her book club-turned-online community, Edim has created a space where black women's writing, knowledge and life experiences are lifted up, to be shared with all readers who value the power of a story to help us understand the world, and ourselves.

Contributors include: Jesmyn Ward, Lynn Nottage, Jacqueline Woodson, Gabourey Sidibe, Morgan Jerkins, Tayari Jones, Rebecca Walker, and Barbara Smith.

'Essential reading for the twenty-first-century reader. This book is smart, powerful, and complete.' - Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko

“These essays build the altars for black women to recognize and support each other's work, not as collectibles rendered visible or easily consumed by non-black audiences, but as an acknowledgment of black women as architects of their own futures and universes. . . . Each essay can be read as a dispatch from the vast and wonderfully complex location that is black girlhood and womanhood. . . . They present literary encounters that may at times seem private and ordinary-hours spent in the children's section of a public library or in a college classroom-but are no less monumental in their impact, - The Washington PostGlory Edim has curated a brilliant collection of essential American reading for the twenty-first-century reader. This book is smart, powerful, and complete. - Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko and Free Food for Millionaires”

These essays build the altars for black women to recognize and support each other's work, not as collectibles rendered visible or easily consumed by non-black audiences, but as an acknowledgment of black women as architects of their own futures and universes. . . . Each essay can be read as a dispatch from the vast and wonderfully complex location that is black girlhood and womanhood. . . . They present literary encounters that may at times seem private and ordinary-hours spent in the children's section of a public library or in a college classroom-but are no less monumental in their impact, - The Washington Post

Glory Edim has curated a brilliant collection of essential American reading for the twenty-first-century reader. This book is smart, powerful, and complete. - Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko and Free Food for Millionaires

Glory Edim is the founder of Well-Read Black Girl, a book club turned online community and literary festival. WRBG provides a vital space for Black women readers and writers to connect and grow in conversation. Since launching in 2015, WRBG has steadily grown into a thriving online community, showcasing Black women through literature and paying homage to Black women writers such as Toni Morrison, Alice Walker and Maya Angelou.

'Required reading.' - Cosmopolitan 'This should be read as a sacred text. Here, you will bear witness to a perpetual salvation song.' - Jason Reynolds Remember that moment when you first encountered a character who seemed to be written just for you? That feeling of belonging remains with readers the rest of their lives - but not everyone regularly sees themselves reflected on the pages of a book.In this timely anthology, Glory Edim, founder of the online community, Well-Read Black Girl, brings together original essays by some of America's best black women writers to shine a light on how important it is that we all - regardless of gender, race, religion, or ability - have the opportunity to find ourselves in literature. Whether it's learning about the complexities of femalehood from Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison, finding a new type of love in THE COLOR PURPLE , or using mythology to craft an alternative black future, each essay reminds us why we turn to books in times of both struggle and relaxation. As she has done with her book club-turned-online community, Edim has created a space where black women's writing, knowledge and life experiences are lifted up, to be shared with all readers who value the power of a story to help us understand the world, and ourselves.Contributors include: Jesmyn Ward, Lynn Nottage, Jacqueline Woodson, Gabourey Sidibe, Morgan Jerkins, Tayari Jones, Rebecca Walker, and Barbara Smith. 'Essential reading for the twenty-first-century reader. This book is smart, powerful, and complete.' - Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko

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