Five Books Every Black Girl Who Reads Should Read

Every black girl should read... Books hold so much information, insight, and introspection... Many black girls are products of their environments, circumstances and situations but books are a respite from the wars outside... It seems in America there is always some kind of war being fought. We are currently fighting a war on drugs, a war on poor people poverty, a war on the recession, a war on BP's incompetence the oil spill, a war in Iraq, and one in Afghanistan. With all these wars going on, it's hard to find peace... or peace of mind... especially when everyone wants a piece of your mind... #ImJustSaying...

Anyway, this list is by no means exhaustive but should be a good starting point for any [black female] reader attempting to escape circumstance.

Top Ten Five Books for Black Girls: (in no particular order) (cause y'all won't read ten anyway)

1. Letter to My Daughter- Maya Angelou

I chose this book because it's Maya, Dr. Maya to you. One of thee most prolific African-American female writers of any century. After you finish this book, go ahead and pick up her six volume autobiography, which begins with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." You can get the books one by one or you can buy the collected edition for around $40 at Barnes and Noble


2. Sula- Toni Morrison

This book is just one of Morrison's many important texts. It explores the relationship of childhood girlfriends, Sula and Nel. Each woman has to come to terms with who she is and who she represents in America. I selected this as a beginning text for any Morrison reader. Toni is complicated but necessary. At some point in your life, someone will ask you what you think about Ms. Toni and you had better have an answer. 


3. Mama Day- Gloria Naylor


I will not say much because I am devoting an entire post to this text very soon. The background of the text is a small island located near South Carolina and Georgia and the people who inhabit the island. All my life I have wanted an island, and if I were to have one, it would be like the one in the text; full of life, culture, and love. This is a text for the escapist reader. The songwriter says, "birds fly over the rainbow, why oh why, can't I?" Through this text, I did. 


4. For Colored Girls- Ntozake Shange


Any chereopoem that says, 


One thing I don't need,
Is any more apologies.
I got sorry greetin me at my front door.
You can keep yours.
I don't know what to do with em.
They don't open doors,
Or bring the sun back.
They don't make me happy,
Or get a mornin paper.
Didn't nobody stop usin my tears to wash cars
'Cause of sorry.

has got to be on any list of important books. Through colored women who are only identified by colors; red, yellow, brown, which brings back memories of an inner-city schoolyard, Shange looks at black female womanhood, disappointments, and triumphs. I was introduced to this text in middle school and it remains as important now as it was then.

5. Their Eyes Were Watching God- Zora Neale Hurston


Thee pinnacle of achievement. Thee text supreme. The bra burners' instruction manual. Women's liberation at its finest. The text has no equal. As your grandma would say, "Zora put her foot in this book." Zora wrote this book in SIX days. While getting over a man... Now if that ain't inspiration, I don't know what is. Men will do it to you every time. Every single time. If you have read this book before, READ IT AGAIN. If you read this book for a class, then you definitely need to read it again. The language might slow you down a bit at first but it's how most black women speak anyway. Thank goodness most of us we don't speak like that anymore. 


As I aforementioned, this list is by NO means exhaustive. I could do lists like this one every single day. Matter of fact, I might do lists with different focuses every month. "Best Books for Broke Black Girls," "Best Blacks for Non-Reading Black Girls," and "Best Books for Single Black Girls" coming soon.