Reading is FUNdamental. It is informative, feeds imagination, sparks curiosity, transports to different worlds and realities, teaches how to think, and provides a retreat. I’ve always loved to read, probably because my mom started reading to me when I was a baby. It has always been a part of my life. I view learning to read and access to books a human right. Everyone benefits from reading. Good reads came from my bookcase this year and I plan to read much more in 2025. I turned the pages of the works below:
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot – Mikki Kendall, 2020
I started Hood Feminism in 2023 but finished in January, so it counts for this year. I plan to read this again, probably next year, especially as Black Women focus on ourselves and take well deserved, delayed rest. Mainstream feminism has blind spots that leave out a host of issues and realities that affect Black, Brown, and other women of color. Gun violence, hunger, pretty politics, access to education, housing, and more are all feminist issues. They affect the lives of women and femmes and must be addressed to ensure our safety and inclusion in society.
Steal Like An Artist – Austin Kleon, 2012
This was one of the 2023 Christmas gift for my artist. She can always use assistance and encouragement. Ryan Coogler mentioned this book on a podcast and I had to get it. It relieved a lot of undue pressure I put on myself. Nothing is completely unique and it is okay, maybe even necessary to have others to look to and reference. Creative works can’t be created in isolation, creation is a collaborative effort.
I’ve identified my masters, as they are called in the book. These are the people whose work I admire, I can study them and see how they view the world. That will help me to inform and shape my view. I may find new places to visit, books to read, exercises to practice, or dare myself to try something brand new. All of it in service to coming back and putting pen to paper or hand to 45mm chrome pole.
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles – Steven Pressfield, 2002
Another artist Christmas gift and perhaps my favorite. The way Steven Pressfield characterizes procrastination and fear is brilliant. I have a list of 42 book pages with notes from my first reading. A few stand out: sitting down to work is the hardest part and ignoring your calling could kill you. Find the smallest thing you can do to change your life and follow through. Fundamentalism leads to a Dark Age. Don’t take it personal. Only the work matters. Before starting any creative project, acknowledge the higher creative power. Book 3, the sections are called ‘books’, was a spiritual feast. Another re-read for 2025.
Thicker Than Water: A Memoir – Kerry Washington, 2023
I love memoirs and autobiographies. Especially of artists. It’s easy and common to flatten people to one memory, film, show, or meme. Nothing better than telling your own full, colorful story. Kerry Washington’s life story is relatable in painful ways, inspiring in artistry, and fulfilling when she finds her freest self. Her search for truth and ease in herself is familiar. I loved Kerry’s memoir; it completely engrossed me. A rich, review of her life up until now makes me wonder how or what I would remember and write about for my own life. Maybe one day I’ll find out.
I Finally Bought Some Jordans: Essays – Michael Arceneaux, 2024
Third book from one of my favorite writers. I’ve decided this is a series, not sure if Michael intended it to be but I enjoy his work as such. Pretty sure I was introduced via The Read, The Friend Zone, or Jade & X.D. (it was the latter) regarding “I Can’t Date Jesus”. I’ve been enamored ever since. Michael is witty, smart, devastatingly funny, and graciously open. Progress has been made but there’s still much road to travel and doors to walk through, jimmy, kick, or leave untouched. There is grief to meet and be transformed by. Shoes to buy that are more than a style statement or culmination of a long-held desire. The latest in a rich offering of insight and social commentary.
Yellowface – R.F. Kuang, 2023
“Haunt her ass!” A note from my phone. Picked up Yellowface at Target to read on vacation. I wanted something that piqued my interest from the description. White woman steals the manuscript of another woman, her well-known, wildly successful, respected Chinese college “friend”. The nerve. I’ve never had such fun rooting against a main character. I had to know what came next. Read on the plane, on the ride to an excursion, and finished on the beach, under a palm tree on my last day in Jamaica. Character development is not lacking, if that development is positive or not for the protagonist, I’ll let you find out.
Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World – Zahra Hankir (Editor), Christiane Amanpour (Foreword), 2019
19 Arab and Middle Eastern women journalists, sahafiyat, share the truth of their lives, homes, countries, and experiences. Truth, honesty, layers, I wasn’t surprised by that. It was simply revitalizing to have it. Growing up in the United States, anti-Middle East propaganda abounds. I knew better and appreciated a full, balanced picture. Editing this work and selecting essays had to be arduous. I love women who push boundaries, who follow their hearts and intuition, who live with feeling. I feel lucky to read their words.
Parable of the Sower – Octavia E. Butler, 1993
I bought this book in the summer to prepare for a potentially fearsome future. Many have shared this novel like a boogie man, it opens in 2024. While there are definitely terrifying moments, I took a break one evening, the 2024 of the book and that of the present are a bit different. The United States has not completely collapsed but it is posed to start. I thought we could buy time with a different election result, but it seems the empire will collapse at an accelerated pace. Despite the truly bleak reality in the novel, I still came away with hope. Like-minded people with a common goal can protect themselves. It is not easy, but it is possible for those who believe that life should be good and viable for everyone and are willing to share the workload.
Parable of the Talents – Octavia E. Butler, 1998
The second novel in the unfinished trilogy is the one that scared me. This is where the “M*ke Am*rica Gr*at Ag*in” candidate shows up. A violent evangelical with sadistic followers who steal from, enslave, and assault anyone on the margins of their Christian America. Parable of the Talents begins in the 2030s and extends beyond. With the rise of tradwife content, pseudointellectual religious pivots, and so much beige, some people may fall in with ultrareligious conservatives. I understand people want progress, improvement, and safety but forced homogeneity is not the answer.
Earthseed has teeth. The only constant in life is change, we must be open to and flow with it. Listen to and learn about demonized people and cultures. I guarantee that they’re not the problem, rigidity and a narrow lens are the impediment. Literacy and education are vital, top targets in every “conflict”. I plan to dedicate myself to promoting literacy and helping children with it in any way I can. Ever small work counts, do you have one?
A post about the books I enjoyed this year ends with a plea for the importance of literacy. Reading continually expands my world view and reminds me that I am a small part of an enormous picture. It also lets me know that it is my duty to contribute however possible. I want to do so in engaging and delightful ways. Hopefully this recap motivated you to pick up the book you put down days, weeks, or months ago. To keep filling your shelves or to read at least one of the seven books you bought before bringing home nine more. No judgement, I do it too.
