A great collection of essays and stories on reading and books by a fantastic group of some of today's best Black women writers. There's something in here for everyone. I always love hearing about people's favorite books or meaningful reading experiences, as well hearing what people take and learn from different reading experiences, so this collection was right up my alley.

Highly relevant. Very well put together. This book has content that has long been needed for Black women.

A really great anthology of thought-provoking and inspiring essays and works celebrating the intellectual power of young Black women.

5 out of 5 wine glasses.

Not only are the essays poignant and utterly relatable, the book also is an invaluable resource for exposure and suggestions for authors and genres that should appeal to all readers. My favorite contributions:

Her Own Best Thing by Tayari Jones
Gal: A Hard Row to Hoe by Gabourey Sidibe
Witnessing Hope by Stephanie Powell Watts

As a librarian, I love to hear people talk about their experience of books. I built my career on the belief that books help us connect with ourselves and others. So, obviously, I am going to love Well-read Black Girl. It's a compilation of these stories, written by a stunning array of fantastic black, women writers. You can read it for book recommendations, or just to revel in the power books.

Ahem. Yes, I am in fact, over two years late with this review. I can explain. My dog ate…no, wait. I got a flat tire when…oh. Yeah, that doesn’t work.

So now I have to tell the truth, having failed miserably, as I usually do, at lying. Here it is. About a month after I received the galley to this book, courtesy of Net Galley and Random House, national news and social media went into a virtual frenzy discussing cultural appropriation. And I froze. I started examining everything I did through that lens, and I may have gone overboard. I looked at this galley and I thought, I have no right to review this thing. And when I read the introduction anyway, I feel it even more so. Not written with me in mind, was it? Was this the literary equivalent of reading someone else’s mail? And so I did the easy thing, which was to shove it onto the back burner and read something else. Repeatedly.

Several months later, it occurred to me that nobody would even have to know if I were to sneak it out of my files and just read the article by Jesmyn Ward, which was actually why I had originally requested it. Ward is on my read-anything list. I read it, and I liked it, and then I shuffled it back into the file. No harm done.

This spring, as the world tentatively emerges, one hopeful toe at a time, from the isolation imposed on all of us by the horrific pandemic, I realize what I should have known all along: that anybody can read anything, and form an opinion about it; and that since I was granted the galley, I actually owe a review. I straightened my spine, dusted myself off, and sat down to read it. There was no blinding light or thunder from the heavens. Nothing smote me. I read it, and I lived to tell the tale.

Most of the authors here are new to me; in addition to Ward, I also know Jacqueline Woodson’s work a bit, mostly from my years teaching language arts, when I used her YA book. Everyone here included in this compendium is a strong writer, and they are largely preaching to the choir, since the audience are also bibliophiles. But the common thread, the point they drive home—and rightly so—is the importance of finding literature about girls that look like themselves. They speak of it as empowerment and validation.

Back in the stone age, when this reviewer was enrolled in a teacher education program, we were likewise taught the importance of inclusive literature. It seemed so obvious to me, this obligation teachers surely have to make sure all of their students are represented in the books their students read, or have read to them. I figured it was a no-brainer. But when I arrived at my first teaching position in elementary school, (heaven help me and those children both,) I was shown the supply closet and there were the classroom book sets. The main characters were Caucasian boys; Caucasian boys and girls; fluffy woodland animals, mostly male; and more Caucasian boys. I sadly examined my battered Visa card and drove to the bookstore to order better books. And I was further amazed to learn, later, that my colleagues, all of whom were Caucasian, believed that the school’s book collection was terrific. Their students loved those books, and that included the children of color that made up approximately half of the population there, they told me.

Sure they did.

The essays in Well-Read Black Girl are a much-needed reminder that racism isn’t always overt; sometimes racism is exclusionary, unintentionally so. And what silences young voices, and what teaches children that books, and life in general, are not about them, worse than discovering that they are not important enough to be included in books?

When I moved to secondary education, where I belonged, I visited the book room there, and I found a set of books about African-American boys, but the message inherent was that they are constantly exposed to drugs and gangs, and it will be hard as heck not to be drawn in. And once again, I scratched my head. These Black kids, most of them were from middle class homes, or loving, well supervised working class homes. Drugs? Not so much. And what did these books teach their Caucasian classmates about Black people? I sighed and got back in the car, already apologizing silently to my Visa once more.

This collection of essays is important, not because of any particular brilliance in composition; they are well written, but not memorable for the writing itself. Instead, they are the key to understanding, from primary sources, why Black girls need books that depict Black girls and women in a positive light.

I’ve assigned four stars to this book for general audiences, but for teachers in training, it is five stars. Every teacher training program should include these essays as required reading. We have to read it until we get it right.

This title is so important for all readers, but especially for Black readers who often don’t see themselves reflected in literature. The benefit of essay collections is that skipping one or two that aren’t working for you doesn’t diminish your experience of the book as a whole. It was refreshing to read about other Black women’s experience with books.

An amazing collection of essays! Each stays with you for long afterwards as you digest them. I highly recommend adding this book to your collection. It might even introduce you to writers you hadn’t heard of before.

There's a quote in this book from James Baldwin that says "You think your pain and your heartbreak is unprecedented in the history of the world, and then you read." It gets to the heart of why this book is so important-- it's a collection of Black women writing on the stories, the characters, the book, the authors who showed them they weren't alone in their experiences, that their pain or their heartbreak or their circumstances weren't unprecedented. Every essay is beautiful and powerful, each one illuminating to me again and again the power of words to connect us, to convict us, to heal us, to help us.

My to-be-read list grew a LOT while reading of the books these women recommended, and I look forward to continuing my exploration of books by Black authors.

I'll say this until my dying day-- PLEASE read books by authors who don't look like you, who aren't from where you're from, who don't believe what you believe, who have lived different lives than you have. It's important. It's imperative. We need to grow in empathy and compassion, in kindness and respect, in appreciation for diversity and all of our complexity.

Grateful for the stories shared in this anthology, and will be keeping it on my shelf to refer back to often.

This essay collection is a compilation of discussions of when Black women writers first saw themselves in books. It makes you think because most children's books from when these women were young featured mainly white characters. Also included are lists of recommendations on books from Black writers.

As an English teacher and an avid reader, I particularly enjoyed reading this collection of essays, written by acclaimed African-American female authors, speaking about books and authors that influenced their perspective and writing. I also liked the inclusion of suggested readings after each section of the book.

I really enjoyed this book of essays and read this completely over 2 days. Some of the essays gave me chills, but I found all of them enjoyable and useful. It was especially fun to see essays by people whose writing I have loved, and some who had essays included before their breakout hits. Great for book lovers and those interested in the black reading and writing experience.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book knowing that I clearly wasn't the target audience. But some of my favorite authors were mentioned, so I figured I'd give it a go. While I didn't identify much with the stories and the struggles of the writers in the book, I did enjoy reading what they had to say. I felt like it was a good look into how they got their start, what sort of things influenced them, and what sort of difficulties they faced. Very good with a lot of good book recommendations also.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I love the premise of this anthology of essays. Black women authors talking about the Black authors that turned them into avid readers and writers. I love seeing the characters recognize themselves in Black authors after childhoods filled with nothing but white authors. I love that so many writers of different genres were included, showing the vast array of Black literature. I think sometimes we, as white readers, don't take into account that Black authors (and particularly Black women, who are often portrayed by stereotypes) are as varied as their white counterparts. Shocking! They are just as human as we are. My favorite part is the list of books to read at the end. I have read many of them, but will add many more to my TBR list!

This was a story that I really appreciated, and found very timely. It was well written and I learned a lot. I will definitely recommend this one, as well as pass it along to my daughter when she is old enough in a couple years.

What a great resources for women of every color and those who loves reading! I enjoy exploring these essay and a window into the Black experience.

Well Read Black Girl is such a beautiful beautiful collection! Each essay is written from one inspiring woman to the next, and I felt each one was just as uplifting as the one before, no matter your race or identity.

This anthology uses many powerful voices, using those of Black writers today, to mentor and play an insightful role. I just finished reading The Color Purple for the first time a few days ago, and that book touched me so much and I can’t stop thinking about it, and I loved seeing it featured as one of the great titles in literature and included in this collection, because it truly inspires.

I also loved getting a glimpse into what inspired the authors to write their own stories and Glory Edim has truly created something special in this.

*many thanks to Randomhouse and Netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own

Nice collection of essays, but I was hoping to hear from more new voices. This will definitely go on my supplemental reading list.

So happy to have an E copy of Well Read Black Girl! Absolutely powerful book and so many “yes moments” as a Black woman and little girl!!

When I first saw Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves I knew this was one I had to read. The reader in me immediately felt the call because of my own love of reading and books. I have read a small few of the authors featured in this collection (Jesamyn Ward, Rebecca Walker, and Nicole Dennis-Benn), with books by several others on my TBR shelf. Only a couple of them were completely new to me.

In Gloria Edim’s introduction she talks about her mother reading her Eloise Greenfield’s poetry, of recognizing herself on the page, and just how significant that was for her as a black girl—and woman. She goes on to write about the influence reading had on her life. I can relate to the connection a reader makes with the characters in books and how their stories can sometimes influence our own life stories. As a white reader, I do not have far to look for stories in which I can see myself. For a young Black girl and even Black women, it is much harder to find a reflection of oneself within the pages of a book. I will never know just how powerful a connection like that can be as a result.

Gloria Edim has long been an advocate for promoting black voices in literature, celebrating their stories, and bringing them to the forefront. The collection of essays she shares with us in Well-Read Black Girl is beautiful. In each of these essays their authors share a a bit of themselves and their connections to literature, what inspired them, moved them, and helped shape who they would become. If you are looking for some great book recommendations, you will get that here. You will also get a glimpse into the minds and hearts of these brillant African American authors who have inspired others with their own writing and work.

One particular essay that I especially loved is written by Jesamyn Ward, who is a beautiful writer. It shows in her books as well as in her essay “Magic Mirrors” in which she shares a couple of childhood experiences of finding her own reflection in the books she read—how rare it was and how precious when it did happen—and yet also how disappointing it could be. Ward writes, “I read to escape, to molt my skin. Something inside of me recoiled from Cassie’s world at the close of the book.” She could relate to Cassie’s character in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, finding it both beautiful and painful. She also talked about her love for Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, which swept her off her feet and carried her along—until the end. A magic mirror should do more than just reflect our own image back to us, but rather, in Ward’s case, she wanted that reflection of herself to transform her into something more.

I have a long list of quotes I highlighted throughout this amazing collection. Here are just a small few of my favorites:

This is, of course, what great writers do. They make you feel as if they are spies; as if they have somehow crept into your room at night and stolen your dreams or your nightmares. ~ excerpt from "Why I Keep Coming Back to Jamaica" by Veronica Chambers.
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[...] the glory in literature is that it asks you to do more than just see. ~ excerpt from "Her Own Best Thing" by Tayari Jones
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I still and will always believe that representation of all kinds is essential. ~ excerpt from "Legacy: A Conversation with Rebecca Walker"
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Reading for me was a vehicle for self-exploration when real life wasn't safe. But without seeing that path in the power story, I didn't know that it was one that existed for me. ~ excerpt from "The Need for Kisses" by Dhonielle Clayon
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I hope that by writing some of the stories I know, people will hear some of their own voices in my characters. ~ excerpt from "Witnessing Hope" by Stephanie Powell
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I felt she was talking to me, telling me over and over again as a young black girl that I am my own best thing. ~ excerpt from "Dear Beloved" by Nicole Dennis-Benn about reading Beloved by Toni Morrison
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Myths tell us what those like us have done, can do, should do. Without myths to lead the way, we hesitate to leap forward. Listen to the wrong myths and we might even go back a few steps. ~ excerpt from "Dreaming Awake" by N.K. Jemisin
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So here is why I write what I do: We all have futures. We all have pasts. We all have stories. And we all, every single of us us, no matter who we are and no matter what's been taken from us or what poison we've internalized or how hard we've had to work to expel it---
--we all get to dream. ~ excerpt from "Dreaming Awake" by N.K. Jemisin
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In the story of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye was the first time I ever saw myself. Black girls go missing all the time. And missing doesn't always mean disappeared, never to be seen again. It can slso signal the loss of one's self. ~ excerpt from "Complex Citizen" by Mahogany L. Browne
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The folly of youth is believing that the road to success is a straight one. It is believing that self-improvement functions as holding a version of yourself forever just out of arm's reach, presuming her to be better, prettier, freer.

The truth is that I needed those misteps, sharp turns, the quiet moments of self-doubt that led to my own pep talks in the kitchen. I wasn't Grace; not really, not in the way I originally wanted to be. Nor was I supposed to be. Eventually I realized, and continue to realize anew, that I, Carla, am quite enough. I'm damn amazing. ~ excerpt from "Amazing Grace" by Carla Bruce-Eddings
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So my advice to other young writers: Read widely. Study other writers. Be thoughtful. Then go out and do the work of changing the form, finding your own voice, and saying what you need to say. Be fearless. And care. ~ excerpt from "Continue to Rise" by Jacqueline Woodson

Go read this book. Whether you want to read the perspective of these amazing Black women and the way literature has touched their lives, get a long list of books to try, or just enjoy books about people talking about reading, you cannot go wrong with this one.