Author: Erica Ezeifedi

What a life! Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little in 1925, went from being the son of a preacher to a petty criminal to being a civil rights icon. Les Payne started writing this biography in the ’90s with the intention of painting an accurate picture of X that dispelled all the myths that seem to attach themselves to Black American leaders. The result is this tome, which follows X from his birth to his assassination in 1965. It shows how he was a bookish kid, set up a meeting with the KKK, and even how his death might have been connected to the CIA and FBI.

Book Club Bonus: Discuss what shocked you about Malcolm X’s life? How different is what you learned in this book from what you previously knew about him?

The Combahee River Collective was a group of Black feminist socialists that met in Boston in the mid ’70s. Their primary focus was to advocate for the rights of Black women (especially queer Black women), whose needs were not being met by the Civil Rights movement or the feminist movement because of what would later be called “intersectionality,” or the amplifying of marginalizing factors that work against the individual. This book has the organization’s major text, The Combahee River Collective Statement, interviews with founding members as well as more contemporary Black activist leaders. The focus of the book is the state of Black activism and Black feminism/womanism today compared to how it was when the Collective was first started, as well as capitalism’s role in all of this

Book Club Bonus: Discuss how do the white patriarchy and capitalism complement each other. Is it possible to have one and not the other? Specifically, is it possible to still have capitalism after having done away with sexism, racism, and classism?

Ever wondered where the women were during slave revolts? Rebecca Hall did, too. Here, she shows just how involved Black women were in rebelling against enslavement, often participating in and even leading revolts. Through research, Hall fleshes out the stories of these warrior women alongside her own story of fighting the system as a tenant rights attorney. The beautiful black and white illustrations really strengthen the text.

Book Club Bonus: There are two revolts led by women that took place in New York City that are shown here. Discuss misconceptions this graphic novel does away with concerning how the South vs. the North are perceived in terms of each region’s handling of slavery and the overall treatment of Black people.

It’ll be a little while before this one is out, but I thought it was too perfect not to include now as something to look forward to. Wong mentions how the title of the book and its release came as a result of “deliberate manifestation” and “big cat energy.” In it, Wong, the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project, shares a collection of everything from essays to graphics and art commissioned by disabled Asian American artists to show what her life has been like as a disability advocate. With humor and insight, she explores pop culture, her Asian American identity, and the various consequences of ableism.

This novella is the second in the The Singing Hills series that started with The Empress of Salt and Fortune (one of my favorites of 2020). We find ourselves back with cleric Chih and their companion in the fantasictal world Vo has created that has elements of Asian mythology. The monk and the young lady are at the mercy of a trio of shapeshifting tiger sisters, and must tell them the legendary story of a tiger and her scholar lover. Correctly, lest they be eaten. It’s a love story within a story and features a majority of female characters who take lovers and live as fiercely as they please.

TW: s*exual assault

This may seem like it doesn’t fit, but I think it perfectly embodies the spirit of fierceness, bravery, and exorcising demons that the year of the tiger symbolizes. It’s the memoir of the woman that was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner on Stanford’s campus. Her victim impact statement went viral, and was viewed by over 11 million people within a matter of days and read on the Congress floor. Despite never shying away from the label of being a victim, she also doesn’t let it define her, instead offering a nuanced way of viewing victimhood and assault. She’s the epitome of bravery and resilience, in other words.

Journalist Kian Andrews hadn’t heard from his wealthy ex Hudson Rivers for months when he suddenly hit Kian up, pressing him to meet up at a café. Kian thought Hudson was trying to slide back in, but turns out, he just wants a dinner date for his parents showing up in town. Kian agrees, but that agreement turns into him going to the wedding of the season in Georgia. Now, being able to hobnob with wedding guests will certainly boost Kian’s fledgling career, but he and Hudson are going to need to reevaluate somethings. I haven’t read this one yet, but it promises to be a fun and sweet rom-com, and I’m always down for more M/M romances!

Book Riot’s very own Jessica P. Pryde just released this wonderful collection of essays (🎉!) that explore this aspect of Black life that has not yet gotten its due in the media. The last 400 years of Black history as it relates to romantic love are explored, with many of the writers enhancing said history with personal accounts. This combination of the personal with the academic makes this collection such a wonderfully complex and fully realized examination of a topic that has been so central to a lot of human experiences since our existance, but that Black people have largely not been presented within the context of: love.

Cherisse has sworn off men on account of her f-boi cheating musician boyfriend. Now, she’s channeling her energy into running her pastry chef business. Minding my business has always worked for me, but Cherisse’s mom isn’t having it as far as her daughter is concerned, and insists on trying to match her up with someone. And, unfortunately, Cherisse’s little sister getting married isn’t providing the distraction for her mom she thought it would. Then she starts coming into contact with the always aggravating Keiran King, who’s best friends with the man her sister is marrying. Keiran and Charisse have never seen it for each other, but things are different now. This has the added benefit of taking place in Trinidad, and features a sensitive male lead. We stan a sensitive (Keiran) King!

*whispers* also, the steamy scenes are A++ *ahem*

Y’all. I did not know I’d love this series as much as I do. It’s about Chloe, a computer whiz who suffers from chronic pain and has become determined to start experiencing life for real once she almost kinda dies. She moves out of her parents’ house and is trying to cross things off her get-a-life list when she comes into contact with her building’s super, Redford, who she doesn’t really vibe with at first. As they come to be around each other more, she learns more about why he isn’t as active in the art world any more, and he learns about the issues she’s had with relationships— both platonic and romantic— in the past. The lady who plays Lady Danbury in Bridgerton, Adjoa Andoh, narrates the audiobook. And with some of the scenes here being so… zesty… let’s just say that I’ll be reminded of things every time Lady Danbury speaks on season two of Bridgerton.

Okay, so I’m already cheating, as this isn’t quite a memoir. It’s technically listed as a cookbook and features Gullah Geechee recipes. The Gullah people are the descendants of enslaved Africans brought to America, and hail from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Their language is a West African-based creole called “Geechee.”

Raiford inherited his grandmother’s Georgia farm in 2010. The farm had been passed down the family line starting in 1874 when his formerly enslaved great-great-great grandfather bought the land. Raiford decided to return to this farm and tend to it, thereby reconnecting with his ancestral home. I’ve included this cookbook in a list about memoirs be because Raiford tells the tale of his family, and the Gullah people, connecting them all to the more than 100 recipes within. There are 100 photos of recipes as well as important Raiford family pictures that really serve to anchor the food to history and the Black American experience.

Book Club Bonus: I think it’d be cool to make a recipe from the book and bring it to a bookclub meet-up (or have it handy for virtual discussions). Discuss if you think many see Black American cuisine as quintessentially American and how food has reflected Black American history, making sure to discuss both bondage and African roots.

This is a dual memoir by Black chef Bailey from Queens and white investor Morisano from Staten Island who opened a restaurant in Savannah, GA. The restaurant, The Grey, was converted from a formerly segregated Greyhound bus station and is highly acclaimed. This memoir shows how their partnership (they didn’t really know each other initially) and the restaurant came to be. There is humor, honesty, and insight throughout as it tackles topics like business, bias, food, and racism.

Book Club Bonus: Discuss what you think of the authors’ decision on whether to keep the “Colored Waiting Room” sign. What do you think that decision added to or took away from the overall experience?

Hamilton didn’t start off wanting to open a restaurant. She had gotten an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Michigan, even. But, the twenty years of self-discovery that had found her learning about hospitality from people all over the world, learning her lesson from crimes committed in her youth, and trying to escape a broken family led her to eventually opening a successful restaurant that has grossed $2 million within a year. Anthony Bourdain once called this the best chef memoir ever.

Book Club Bonus: Hamilton talks about how she finds a new family in the one she gains through marriage. She also mentioned how food and hosting parties were mostly pleasant experiences growing up, but thought of having a career in food to mean having a career without meaning. Discuss the role food and hospitality played in her upbringing, and subsequently how she viewed it as an adult.

Ok, so we’ve all heard of the whole African prince scam by now. I have certain feelings about it as it seemed to me that it was yet another negative thing westerners latched onto concerning Africans, but that’s another conversation. Here, Naledi Smith is an “all my life I had to fight” type of girl, having grown up in foster care, so she doesn’t believe emails saying she’s meant to marry an African prince. When Prince Thabiso finds his betrothed, Naledi doesn’t immediately clock him as royalty, and the Prince sees this as an opportunity to live life like a regular. You already know romance ensues! It’s definitely a fun ride.

Book Club Bonus: I like when different facets of Black life are shown, so I appreciate African royalty being represented in books. But, there is still apart of me that wonders how good royalty in any land is truly beneficial for the majority of people there. Usually, royalty has meant some kind of absolute rule. Discuss both sides of this.

Anne Glenconner was a close friend and lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret. She befriended Queen Elizabeth II when she was young, and was born into a titled family herself— her father was the 5th Earl of Leicester— but could not inherit a title as she was the wrong gender. Let me tell y’all how much drama was in her life. Phew! She dealt with the backstabbing nature of the royal court, a 54-year old marriage to an abusive, cheating man (who left his fortune to a servant when he died. Again, I say Whew!), and two of her adult sons passing away. Through all of this, she was privy to intimate moments of the royal family. I do have to side eye her for “… developing the Caribbean island of Mustique as a safe harbor for the rich and famous-hosting Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Raquel Welch, and many other politicians, aristocrats, and celebrities.” On first read, that detail is giving gentrification, but maybe that’s just me. Nonetheless, Glenconner offers the most personal look into royal life without being a part of the British royal family herself.

Book Club Bonus: Anne Glenconner’s life had many great moments, but many tragic ones as well. How do you think her proximity to the royal family ultimately influenced this?

And then there are the people who would rather leave the royal family all together. Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand are reporters that cover the royal family, and here they have built a case for why Meghan and Harry decided to leave royalty behind. The book promises to dispel untrue rumors and give a fair look. Prince Harry is supposed to have a memoir coming out later this year. We’ll see what other tea is spilled there.

Book Club Bonus: This obviously flies in the face of the idea that royalty is the end all, be all. Do you think they should have kept the power and influence that came with the royal titles? Or, are they not really losing anything since they have power and influence from their fame alone?