This book is a series of essays by African-American women in various art fields - authors, actresses, journalists, playwrights - sharing the book that had the biggest impact on them. Often it was the first book where they saw themselves reflected back. They shared what the book (or play or poems) taught them about themselves, the world, and life.

I love books and have been impacted by many. I enjoyed hearing from other writers and hearing which books affected them. I especially enjoyed the perspective of these women because I have never struggled to find books containing white heroines and hadn't thought much about how important it is for young readers to feel represented and be able to see themselves in these story worlds.

wonderfully curated collection of essays, stories, and poems. As an avid reader, the recommendations made in this book are an essential introduction, of transformative works running the gamut of diverse ideas and creativity. This collection helmed by Glory Edim resonated with me from the first page to the last. This is a definite must read for lovers of words, whoever they are.

The combination book lists and personal essays is exactly what I needed. The selected authors (Glory Edim. Jacqueline Woodson , Gabourey Sidibe and more) wrote about which books resonated with them as children. Some wrote about finding their identity, others wrote about expanding their horizons. Needless to say, while Black women might identify most with this book, it's accessible (and valuable!) for everyone.

On top of the diverse collection of experiences, Well-Read Black Girl provides one of the most comprehensive lists of Black literature I've ever seen. Whether you're a fan of poetry, sci-fi or feminist discourse, there is a recommendation for you. I've borrowed, read and owned quite a few titles in the book and before starting Well-Read Black Girl I thought I'd made pretty good headway into the field of Black literature. After finishing, I realized I've barely read a drop in the pond.

I'm giving this collection 4.5 stars because while the essays were good, they weren't altogether unexpected.
Thank you Ballantine Books (an imprint of @randomhouse, the same company that published #HowToLoveAJamaican, which I reviewed a few months ago) and @netgalley for the ARC!

I never understood what it felt like to have representation in books until I read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. Glory Edim's collection of essays by black women writers is truly inspiring. This analogy gives POC a mirror of reflection and it tells us how important storytelling could be. Be prepared to expand your TBR List. Thank you net galley for this darc in exchange for an honest review.

Edim brings together 21 writers and seven glorious bibliographies that address Blackness and representation in literature. If you're paying for the book, the bibliographies are worth the price. They include Well-Read Black Girl (website) recommendations from the last few years, Black girlhood, SF and fantasy, plays, poetry, and then a final listing of all the books referenced in the book.

Oh, and yeah, the all-star contributors! Many are people I've featured in this reading log, including Veronica Chambers, Dhonielle Clayton, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Kaitlyn Greenidge, Tayari Jones, Gabourey Sidibe, Rebecca Walker, Renee Watson, and ♥Jacqueline Woodson♥.

In her intro, Edim lauds the joy of, not reading, but being a reader

Being a reader is an incredible gift, providing me with a lens to interpret the world. Most importantly, it has invigorated my imagination and allowed me to choose which narratives I want to center and hold close.
With the power to choose, I center and hold close narratives by women, non-binary, and trans people, with a special interest in fiction and memoirs by women of color. I share that not to position myself as a good, if passive ally, for two reasons: I want to resist the default white, male, christian, straight, etc., and I want to infuse my understanding of the world with the stories of people from other backgrounds and because they're really good. I'm a total hedonist as a reader, so I don't waste my time with books I don't enjoy.

Barbara Smith gets intersectional when she recounts attending James Baldwin's funeral. She observes,

...not once during a service that lasted more than two hours did any of the famous Black writers who eulogized him mention that Baldwin was gay. At his funeral, homophobia erased an essential part of who Baldwin was.
If you want to read her piece on Baldiwn's funeral, it's "We Must Always Bury Our Dead Twice" from Gay Community News. You can find it in The Truth That Never Hurts: Writings on Race, Gender, and Freedom. That's the whole thing, right? At the time Baldwin died, homosexuality wasn't discussed in polite company. The unpolite company conversation is what a default decentering reader is looking for.

Morgan Jenkins interviews Claudia Rankine who, changes the code-switching narrative by saying that when she has to go out in the world,

...it's the that the world interrupts her.
That's recentering! Rankine is the heart of her own narrative.

Jacqueline Woodson advises young writers to be fearless.

And care.
That's so beautiful to me. Care is love and activism combined, I think.

Glory Edim of Well-Read Black Girl curates this collection of essays from Black writers, poets, and playwrights. They are mostly centered on the first and formative books for each of these women, the ones that first depicted relatable characters for her to look up to. The Black authors that came first and showed that Black characters can have depth and meaning and be something for a young Black Girl to aspire to, these are v the formative stories. Be prepared for your TBR list to explode with titles!

This book was great. I loved the stories and all of the book recommendations from the authors. I also love the different stories from all of the guest authors as well and them talking about their books and those that inspired them. I could never imagine putting myself out there like so and having people talk about me. These women are such an inspiration and they have given more to want to read. I actually pre-ordered a copy of this book so that I can add it to my personal library and can use it to teach my nieces the awesomeness of Black Girl Power!


I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking to discover great African American novelists and learn from the perspective of others. This is a way to immerse your self into another person's culture. I highly recommend it. It is a fantastic read and the book lists are great as well. There are some new, older, and classics that will be pleasant to everyone. There are some that I'd never heard of and some on my Audible Wish List that makes me want to go buy them right now.

Editor Glory Edim shares authors' brief reflections on their literary influences, primarily in terms of books or their authors. These stories are broken up by short bibliographies of black-women-authored books fitting specific categories. The author's essays include white and black authors, both male and female. I wish Edim's lists included mysteries written by black authors, but it did not. A closing bibliography includes the titles mentioned throughout the book. Since the book is written primarily for "girls," the focus is somewhat feminist. I have read some of the titles. While not all the remaining ones appeal to me, I would like to read several of the classic novels, books about girlhood/friendship, and a few more poetry volumes. I received an advance uncorrected proof by the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

Title: Well Read Black Girl Finding Our Series, Discovering Ourselves
Author: Glory Edim
Publisher: Ballantine books
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"Well Read Black Girl Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves" by Glory Edim

My Thoughts...

If you love reading as I do you will find this read a very interesting one and if you are black it will even mean so much more. I loved all that this author brought out in this 'inspiring collection of essays by black women writers, curated by the founder of the popular book club Well Read Black Girl.' These are anthologies of essays by some black amazing women writers featuring: "Jesmyn Ward (Sing, Unburied, Sing); Tayari Jones (An American Marriage); Lynn Nottage (Sweat); Jacqueline Woodson (Another Brooklyn); Gabourey Sidibe (This Is Just My Face); Morgan Jerkins (This Will Be My Undoing); Rebecca Walker (Black, White and Jewish); and Barbara Smith (Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology)." These stories were right there where it will capture your heart being such touching inspirational reads that really made me feel like I was coming home. I wasn't able to pick out my favorite because I seemed to enjoy them all. With books being so important we also can see why the storytelling and representation are so very important too in its delivery where we are given the 'diversity of voices its organization of essays along with its strong message making it all so very memorable and powerful. This is definitely one read that I would recommend to all girls and women alike [especially of color] where one can possible find a little bit of themselves in these stories.

I received an advanced review copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review.

I loved the different authors and how they wrote about their different experiences. This book helped to solidify the fact that as minorities we need to be seen in literature as well. Reading has the ability to take us to different places outside of our circumstances. I will be purchasing this book as gifts for others. It was a great ready and insightful at the same time. Especially since I typically am not drawn towards books that have multiple authors writing essays.

Great read! This collection of authors and poets giving their thoughts on how, when, and sometimes why they developed a relationship with books; was profound and sometimes, touching. I found that my own experiences with books are not too terribly different from some of the contributors to this collection. I also enjoyed the suggested titles at the ens of each chapter. I found that I had already read many of the titles offered, but there were some that caught my eye. I think that anyone reading this collection will find their own connection to it. A very enjoyable read.

Excellent essays that will be a great addition to collections serving both teens and adults. I highlighted a lot of great reminders about the importance and impact of recognizing oneself in the books you read, and will carry this with me in my collection development and readers advisory habits. There are several excellently curated book lists within as well that I'll be referring back to.

A beautiful homage to beautiful black female authors from beautiful readers. A true love letters of what it means to look into the mirror of the written words and see yourself reflected between the pages. I enjoyed so much how each reader took me through their personal library and express all the joys and saving grace books had meant for them growing up. Especially showing how representation or lack of in literature affects not our culture but also the richness that make stories so magical and divine. I also appreciated all the book recommendations there so many I had never even heard about, but looking forward to reading.

If you are anything like me you understand the crazy love one can have for reading. I have read, devoured, books for as long as I can remember (literally as my mum taught me to read when I was only a few years old). I spent my elementary school years pretending I was George in The Famous Five, or Harriet the Spy. Later on I was Cathy yearning after Heathcliff and then Jacqueline in Gone To Soldiers. I always had a pool of heroines I could relate to and who I wanted to be. Growing up it never dawned on me that the while I may not have had a typical childhood or upbringing, I still had no issues finding characters in books I related to. Actually, that never actually crossed my mind. Most of the characters I read about were white. And I had parents who made sure I read diversely and widely. It was only when I discovered Toni Morrison and Alice Walker thanks to our curriculum in a French high school that I discovered that my reading up until then was in no shape or form as diverse as I thought it was.

Well-Read Black Girl started as a book club to center and celebrate Black literature and has expanded into a huge, and growing, online community and literary festival. In this book, the founder of Well-Read Black Girl, Glory Edim, has curated a wonderful selection of essays by Black women writers, activists, and readers. You can read stories by writers such as Jesmyn Ward, Tayari Jones, Rebecca Walker, and Gabourey Sidibe, as well as many others.

Well-Read Black Girl is an eye-opening read. Can you imagine having to actually research books with characters who look like you? I can’t. They were and still are readily available. Reading through some of the brilliant essays in this book made it all the more clearer to me how much harder we need to work collectively, and on a personal level too, to not only make sure everyone feels represented in literature but to also read, promote, and focus on work those who are underrepresented, and most of all Black women. By making a more conscious effort to do so this year I have discovered so much wonderful work, and it’s ridiculous that there are so many talented women out there who we may never get to read because they aren’t being published. I also discovered so many more books that I need to read throughout this collection too. I loved that after every essay or so there was a list of recommended books and/or authors.

I particularly loved reading Jamia Wilson’s haunting words, as well as Rebecca Walker’s essay, but every single one of them is an excellent read. I do love how the theme of representation is central to the anthology but how each woman’s experience is unique. I love to read and I love to write, and I love reading about those who love to read and write.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

I absolutely loved this book. I’d read works by many of the contributors before, and really enjoyed getting their personal takes on the topic of black women writers and representation of black characters, specifically girls and women, in literature. Other contributors I had never heard of and am thrilled to have now learned about. A few of the things I specifically loved about this book:

The way many of the essays covered various elements of intersectionality: Pretty much essay covered some element of race and gender, but many of them also addressed topics of sex, sexuality, body politics, religion, economic status, nationality, and much more, and the ways in which many of these topics converge and influence each other.

The reading lists, and the way they were categorized: I have a reading list that’s several miles long after reading this book. I really appreciated the different lists of suggested reading and the way they were arranged by topic and placed side by side with essays relevant to each topic.

The broad appeal: This book is not just for black women. As a white woman who wants to be an effective ally and be able to amplify black voices as well as the voices of all people of color, I found this book incredibly useful and insightful. I learned from it, I was touched by it, it made me think of things I hadn’t thought of before. Everyone should read this book.

The engaging voices: Beyond everything else, it was just a plain good book. I enjoyed reading it. It was compelling - it caught me early and drew me in. I flew through it and was sad it was over. I hope Glory Edim/WRBG put together further such anthologies in the future.

Love these essays by some of the literary world's greatest writers. Talk about a book that will inspire you to write and read.

Well-Read Black Girl is one of the most comprehensive books on our time, particularly during the #blackgirlmagic era. This collection of stories not only serves as counter-narratives but also offers depth and nuance to what it means to be a black girl reading. In addition to providing powerful narratives, this book offers suggestions for additional readings by Black women. I can't wait to share this book with others.

A lovely reflection on what reading and writing has meant to so many black girls and women as they grew up and grew into themselves whether they were reflected in the literature they read in their youth or not, they were affected by that lack of representation OR had people that sought the representation THEN became the women who wrote the books that had the representation for future generations.

And it's an homage to reading in general.

And I loved that a local woman who I've met several times, Barbara Smith, was featured. I exclaimed when I saw it- "I know her!"

This book is a much needed anthology of stories from prominent black women writers. Never before have I thought to ask myself when, how or why I fell in love with books, or when I first saw myself within the pages of a story or novel. This collection dives head first into these questions, with each essayist writing about the works and people that have influenced them the most in both their lives and their careers. I guarantee you will walk away from this book with an intimidating (in a good way) amount of new books added to your "to-read" list. I recommend this book for aspiring writers, book lovers, women of color, and everyone in between.

A wonderful anthology of essays by black women detailing their first time really seeing themselves represented in literature. As a black woman, this book really resonated with me and I found myself nodding along as I read. This book tackles this issue of representation in literature in a thoughtful way and I highly recommend it to everyone.