Top 8 Books for #BlackLivesMatter

I belong to the youngest millennials. Born in 1996, I remember floppy disk, dial up, and massive desktop computers in my childhood. I was in a generation that learned the Dewey Decimal system but also the art of internet searching. Quickly, libraries and books faded out and Wikipedia gained immense popularity. I have used Wikipedia for everything from homework assignments to winning meaningless arguments.
​
The internet has become a space for intense social activism especially in the black community and communities abroad. With hashtags gaining national and political attention like #blacklivesmatter and #oscarsowhite small movements online can result in massive social movements. In this age some millennials rely on the Wikipedia or Buzzfeed as a security blanket for fast information about topics surrounding popular culture.

My warning to you is don’t forget the literature that inspired all the social movements before ours. Before 1996. Before our generation. We are not isolated in history as a single anomaly but we reference our predecessors. To understand who we are in relationship to #blacklivesmatter let's go back, sit, close our laptops, and read again. Below are my recommendations for readings that are pivotal to developing a black cultural and political identity that spans topics of race, politics, culture, gender, sexuality, and class. ​​

1. W.E.B DuBois: Souls of Black Folks

Read, reread, and read again. This relatively short non fiction book by W.E.B DuBois is where he introduces the concept of “double consciousness” of Black people. He describes it as seeing oneself through the lens of the other and through the lens of self. ​

2. Frantz Fanon: Black Skin White Mask ​

What ties Malcolm X, Huey P. Newton, Chinua Achebe, and Toni Morrison together? Frantz Fanon, his ideas on black identity and nationalism are influential to many intellectuals in the 1960s. He maps out a complex relationship between colonist and colonial subjects. While this book can be dense, upsetting, and candid it is a must read. ​

3. Toni Morrison: Beloved ​

Remade into a movie starring Oprah Winfrey, Thandie Newton, and Kimberly Ellis this book is a classic in terms of black fiction. It’s about a freed slave coping with the lose of her baby, whom she killed in order to save the baby from slavery. This book is chilling and deals effortlessly with the topics of memory and side effects of slavery on the black community. ​

4. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Thing Around Your Neck ​

Blackness isn't a category that exists just within the US and Adiche tackles issues of nationality, ethnicity, tribalism, gender, and race beautifully in her collection of short stories. You may know Adichie's voice she was the woman speaking on the intro of  Beyonce’s  song Flawless. Adichie is renowned for her round characters that explore African identities, specifically Nigerian.

5. Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart ​

Another book from an Nigerian author chronicles the life of Okonkwo  a prominent member of his Nigerian tribe. The book discusses heavy topics of colonialism in Africa and its subsequent effect on African culture. ​

6. Ian Haney Lopez: Dog Whistle Politics

Lopez’s insightful book discusses the racialization of terms commonly used in politics to reinvigorate racial attitudes that leads to more votes and more racism. This book is especially timely in the wake of the 2016 presidential election. After reading, you’ll see just how raced politics really is. ​

7. Eduardo Bonilla Silva: Racism Without Racist ​

Silvia’s work is slightly different from the bunch his discussions comes from actual data and surveys take across the US. It illustrates that racism has morphed from more covert means in the 21st century. He breaks these down into different frames of racism.

8. .bell hooks: Feminist Theory ​

This book is not only for women! Hook’s discusses the history of feminist theory and the shortcomings of those thoughts. She points out the importance of intersectionality in this text. ​

These are definitely not the only books that could have been on the list. But, they are my personal favorites and are just gateways into other pathways of knowledge. If you’ve read any of these novels, or don't agree with some of the choices say why in the comments below! ​

---

Written By: Micheala Sharp