My Favorite Books

1. Mama Day by Gloria Naylor - My mom gave me this book, and it connects me to her family, since I didn't have the pleasure of meeting her mom.  She died the year before I was born.

2. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by Tolkien - Dishon and I read this aloud to one another on our date nights.  All 1,000+ pages. 

3. The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling - Dishon and I also read the series aloud to one another on our date nights. She was obviously heavily influenced by Tolkien, and is a fantastic writer. 

4. The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth - I am intrigued by dystopian books, and I like watching the main character navigate the factions of her society, even though she displays an aptitude for more than one, and the fact that there's something happening behind the scenes that we discover with Tris. 

5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - some folks told me that they didn't like the book or movie because they felt it supported stereotypes.  I didn't feel that way at all.  I LOVED this book, and I don't know if it was more because I experienced it as an audiobook, and the readers were amazing, but I truly, truly enjoyed this story.  Maybe it reminds me of the cross-cultural connections I made an an undergrad after growing up in a predominantly Black section of Brooklyn.  Everyone has a story, and the interweaving of those stories is powerful.  I love the bravery of the women who told their stories, and Skeeter's courage as she aligned herself with the side of truth and humanity in a society where that perspective was violently discouraged.  Powerful stuff. 

6. Before the Mayflower by Lerone Bennett, Jr. - this was the text of my African American History class in 10th grade, and I learned quite a bit about the contributions of Africans and African Americans - all the things you don't find in traditional texts. 

7. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander - I learned quite a bit about the injustices of our criminal justice system, which really shapes the work I'm doing at Discovering Justice. 

8. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith - I LOVE Mma. Ramotswe and Mma. Makutsi's adventures.  I love learning about Botswana, and I wish that HBO would've continued with the series featuring Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose.  It was wonderful. 

9. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen - this also shapes the work I do with Discovering Justice.  It's so important to teach kids the truth about history so they can really be empowered to be change agents. 

10. Whatever it Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America by Paul Tough - when I think about my work in education, and even the education of our own children, I enjoy hearing about how communities have been holistically transformed.  My parents grew up in Harlem as well, so it's special to me. 

11. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley - my parents knew Alex Haley, and we have pictures with and autographs by him.  Although I am disappointed about the plagiarized section of Roots, I loved learning about Malcolm X.

12. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - I loved the connection the main character had with African American women.  Similar to my enjoyment of The Help. 

13. The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer - so many people hate on this series and the movies, but I really enjoyed both, and was definitely on team Jacob.  I did find Bella to be a bit too brooding, but I liked the story, and I like how the author included some elements of Native American culture, which is very underrepresented, and nearly invisible in most mainstream literature. 

14. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - I'm not really sure why I was so intrigued by this book. I enjoyed it before the movie came out.  Intrigue, drama, history, exploring how a woman works to establish agency in a male-dominated society - all very interesting. 

15. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd - I loved this historical fiction novel which tells the story from the perspective of an enslaved, yet empowered, African-American woman named Handful (I can SO relate to that nickname!) who was connected with Denmark Vesey, and Sarah Grimke, a southern abolitionist who I definitely want to learn more about.