June 2020 Reads

My reading time has been a little scattered over the last week because I decided to binge season 3 of The Handmaid's Tale (apparently I am a complete glutton for punishment ) but here's what I read in June. My focus was on Black women writers; these writers are extraordinary...support their work! And I would love to hear what you're reading and loving!❤️ .

1️⃣ For a window into what the pursuit of the American Dream looks like for people of color, read "Behold The Dreamers" by Imbolo Mbue. I thought of my immigrant parents pretty much constantly as I read this book.

2️⃣ Whoo boy, there's so much packed into "Red at the Bone" by Jacqueline Woodson...race, sexual identity, class, loss, love.

3️⃣ I immediately sought out Jesmyn Ward's "Salvage the Bones" after reading her tweet about how hard she and her agent had to fight for her advance (even as a National Book Award winner). This book tells the story of an impoverished family's struggles in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

4️⃣ I'm just finishing Attica Locke's "Bluebird, Bluebird" and I can palpably feel the racial tension as a Black Texas Ranger investigates the murders of a Black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman.