People who know me know that I am an avid reader. Reading is a part of my wellness recipe, as it:
- Inspires me as a writer
- Assigns meaning to experiences I have not assigned language to
- Enables me to experience people, times, places, and events I am unable to visit in the present
- Disassociate from the current state of Black people
- Enables me to form a deeper connection with the culture and history of my predecessors
- Cultivate joy while broadening my perspective
This is especially true when the author of what I am reading shares an identity with me. If you experience books like me, or you want to support your intellectual wellness, or you want to savor Black genius, or support Black writers, here are three novels I read during the month of January that I strongly recommend:
The Life of Herod the Great: A Novel (hyperlinked to a Black-owned bookstore) by Zora Neale Hurston
Happy reading and if you have recommendations that you would like to share, please comment.
Love,
John