Women's History Month Reading List 2023

Check out our reading list for Women’s History Month 2023 featuring all Black women authors from our community and beyond! Find your next good read here!

1. Grace Finds Peace by Adrienne Prather

“This book is about a little girl named Grace who desperately misses being with her dad and spending time with him, due to situations beyond her control. So, after talking and opening up to her mother, Grace begins to express her feelings and find some sense of peace.”

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2. Sad, Black, and Fat by Tangela Williams-Spann

“This book delves into the experiences of a young woman trying to navigate life’s twists and turns. She often finds herself standing on the corner between one identity and the other trying to decide which road to take. This collection of poems and essays are a reflection of the joys and sorrows of traversing through the intersections of life.”

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3. Picking Up Breadcrumbs by Ursula Hughes

“All her life, Darby Coleman-Shields has felt like an outsider in her family. Her parents have often sided with her two older sisters, especially the erratic Maxine. Now Darby has her own family-Quentin, her attentive, devoted husband, and Robbie, her sweet, sensitive eight-year-old son. But when Robbie makes the stunning revelation that Papa George, Darby's own father, has molested him, her world is forever shattered.”

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4. Working Twice as Hard by Quinisha Jackson-Wright

“Author Quinisha Jackson-Wright reveals the harsh truths about entrepreneurship, like shaky income, loneliness, and nightmare clients.

Working Twice as Hard is a no-holds-barred guide for Black women who want to know the good, bad, and ugly of entrepreneurship. You’ll read stories from other Black women business owners about: healing from the wounds of a toxic work culture, the task of building a solid support system, ongoing pressure to be a ‘Strong Black Woman,’ & setting your own pace in the fast-moving digital era”

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5. Concentrate by Courtney Faye Taylor

“In her virtuosic debut, Courtney Faye Taylor explores the under-told history of the murder of Latasha Harlins―a fifteen-year-old Black girl killed by a Korean shop owner, Soon Ja Du, after being falsely accused of shoplifting a bottle of orange juice. Harlins’s murder and the following trial, which resulted in no prison time for Du, were inciting incidents of the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, and came to exemplify the long-fraught relationship between Black and Asian American communities in the United States. Through a collage-like approach to collective history and storytelling, Taylor’s poems present a profound look into the insidious points at which violence originates against―and between―women of color.”

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6. Black Women, Black Love by Dianne M. Stewart

“Prodigiously researched and deeply felt, Black Women, Black Love reveals how white supremacy has systematically broken the heart of Black America, and it proposes strategies for dismantling the structural forces that have plagued Black love and marriage for centuries.”

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7. No Sweet Without Brine by Cynthia Manick

“Cynthia Manick’s latest is a playlist of everyday life, introverted thoughts, familial bonds, and social commentary. In piercing language, she traces the circle of life for a narrator who dares to exist between youthful remembrances and adulthood realities. Each poem in No Sweet Without Brine is a reminder that a hint of sorrow makes the celebration and recognition of the glory of Blackness in all ways, and through all people, that much sweeter.”

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8. The Build Up by Tati Richardson

“Though neither of them is looking for love, once their creative juices get flowing, Ari and Porter’s connection is obvious. But when their shared goal has always been winning at work, building a solid foundation for a relationship might end up costing them everything…”

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9. Kick Cramp’s Ass by Brittany Walker

“To all our women out there, who else is tired of the shit that menstruation puts us through?! Excruciating cramps, heavy bleeding, uterine health conditions, and PMS symptoms present themselves throughout our lives. Month after month of no symptoms with jaunty days would be too much like perfect or an unattainable dream. Manifest thoroughly enough and you shall receive! We are here to serve you with a formula that may decrease or eliminate your menstrual cramps if followed precisely. Let New Nation Goddess demonstrate how to Kick Cramp’s Ass!”

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10. Soul PWR by Kamaria Delaney

“A unique collection of poems written by Kamaria Delaney, better known as KĀMA, the Poet. “

"Soul PWR gave me everything I wanted and never knew I needed! Talk about empowerment  and affirmation! Soul PWR fed my mind, body and most definitely my Soul! I Am is one of my favorite poems. A natural pick me up! Everyday, especially the bad days I turn to I Am and I read it aloud for reassurance and manifestation purposes.”

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11. Stethoscope Dreams: How I Was Formed by Dr. Wendy Goodall McDonald illustrated by Nai Saechao

“Stethoscope Dreams: How I Was Formed, is an introduction to human anatomy. Journie loves to teach her little brother about all of their parts, from skin and hair to the digestive system and even the reproductive organs. All organ systems are introduced without leaving any secrets. Children who learn about their bodies at a young age develop confidence and understanding that can help them want to keep their bodies healthy and want to learn more about health sciences.”

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12. Black Women Will Save the World by April Ryan

“In this long-overdue celebration of Black women’s resilience and unheralded strength, the revered, trailblazing White House correspondent reflects on “The Year That Changed Everything”—2020—and African-American women’s unprecedented role in upholding democracy.”

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13. Vivid by Jana Jones

“A call from a Baltimore reporter catapults a mother down memory lane in an unconventional coming-of-age story that poses the question: Who are you when your back is against the wall?

Inspired by actual events, Vivid is a story that spans time and space while illustrating how interconnected our journeys are and how it is never too late to become your own champion.”

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14. Departure Story by Rowana M. Abbensetts - Dobson

“Love knows no borders and comes in the most unexpected packages. Celestine Samuels is making the biggest trip of her life, from Guyana to the United States for college. At first, she is relieved to get away from her primadonna sister, neglectful mother, and troublemaker brother and eager to embrace the new freedoms of the United States like Starbucks, bagels, and wild college parties. Reality sets in when she gets the news that her aunt and Uncle in Guyana have been shot in an act of political violence. Unable to go home, Celestine decides to find justice by championing the cause of an African Dance group on her small midwestern campus.

Meanwhile, matters of the heart couldn't be more confusing. She finds herself entangled in a situationship with classmate and photographer, Richard Wirth, while she can't help her curiosity about the obnoxiously cocky football star Don Bradford who also happens to be her fellow student council representative. No matter how far she travels, ‘Home’ keeps haunting her dreams, leading her to question unforgivable family secrets, and search for answers she may not want to know.”

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