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Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering OurselvesNOMINATED FOR AN NAACP IMAGE AWARD An inspiring collection of essays by black women writers, curated by the founder of the popular book club Well Read Black Girl, on the importance of recognizing ourselves in literature. "Yes, Well Read Black Girl is as good as it sounds. . . . Glory Edim] gathers an all star cast of contributors among them Lynn Nottage, Jesmyn Ward, and Gabourey Sidibe." O: The Oprah Magazine Remember that moment when you first
NOMINATED FOR AN NAACP IMAGE AWARD - An inspiring collection of essays by black women writers, curated by the founder of the popular book club Well-Read Black Girl, on the importance of recognizing ourselves in literature."Yes, Well-Read Black Girl is as good as it sounds. . . . Glory Edim] gathers an all-star cast of contributors--among them Lynn Nottage, Jesmyn Ward, and Gabourey Sidibe."--O: The Oprah Magazine
Remember that moment when you first encountered a character who seemed to be written just for you? That feeling of belonging remains with readers the rest of their lives--but not everyone regularly sees themselves in the pages of a book. In this timely anthology, Glory Edim brings together original essays by some of our best black women writers to shine a light on how important it is that we all--regardless of gender, race, religion, or ability--have the opportunity to find ourselves in literature. Contributors include Jesmyn Ward (Sing, Unburied, Sing), Lynn Nottage (Sweat), Jacqueline Woodson (Another Brooklyn), Gabourey Sidibe (This Is Just My Face), Morgan Jerkins (This Will Be My Undoing), Tayari Jones (An American Marriage), Rebecca Walker (Black, White and Jewish), and Barbara Smith (Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology) Whether it's learning about the complexities of femalehood from Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison, finding a new type of love in The Color Purple, or using mythology to craft an alternative black future, the subjects of each essay remind us why we turn to books in times of both struggle and relaxation. As she has done with her book club-turned-online community Well-Read Black Girl, in this anthology Glory Edim has created a space in which black women's writing and knowledge and life experiences are lifted up, to be shared with all readers who value the power of a story to help us understand the world and ourselves.
Praise for Well-Read Black Girl "Each essay can be read as a dispatch from the vast and wonderfully complex location that is black girlhood and womanhood. . . . They present literary encounters that may at times seem private and ordinary--hours spent in the children's section of a public library or in a college classroom--but are no less monumental in their impact."--The Washington Post "A wonderful collection of essays."--Essence
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 10/30/2018
ISBN: 9780525619772
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 7.60h x 5.60w x 0.90d
Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 10/22/2018
Library Journal Prepub Alert 05/01/2018 pg. 48
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2018
Booklist 10/01/2018 pg. 10
Library Journal 10/15/2018 pg. 61
School Library Journal 11/01/2018 pg. 83
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4.2 ★★★★★
Based on 18 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
A Book to Read and Read Again
Format: Hardcover
I finished this book a few days ago and have been obsessing over it in my mind ever since. Hooten Wilson (which is a delightfully fun name) is a brilliant scholar, excellent guide/teacher, and lover of Christ and the written word and all of that shows on every page.
This book is a call to look up from our screens and dive deep into the written word, both Scripture and literature. It is equal parts inspiring and practical. The robust and rich writing of the author is still easily accessible.
As one who grew up in love with books and reading, I moved to almost exclusively non-fiction in my adult years. This book inspired me to return to the beauty of fiction once again and to see the value of the written word as a way to love God, not just to gather and process information.
I will definitely be reading this one again.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2023
★★★★★ 4
Rich Academic Insight
Format: Hardcover
Near the beginning of "Reading for the Love of God," Jessica Hooten Wilson addresses why we should read fiction, responding to arguments in some Christian circles that we should only read the Bible. Other topics that she covers include the difference between using and enjoying books, how reading can help us develop greater virtue, and how we can rightly interpret books through the "trinity" of rightly balancing the text, the author's intent, and our own takeaways, instead of forcing the text to mean whatever we want. She also shares "bookmarks" between chapters about the reading lives of Augustine of Hippo, Julian of Norwich, Frederick Douglass, and Dorothy L. Sayers. These sections are thoughtful and encouraging, and the latter two are my favorite parts of the book.
There is a recommended reading list at the end that offers many wonderful selections, but I want to offer one quick warning. She includes the graphic novel adaptation of Octavia Butler's "Kindred" in her list for school-age readers, and although she mentions that it's more for the 10-12 age range, it is an adult book. The main character is an adult, and the graphic novel includes vivid on-page depictions of racial violence, attempted rape scenes, and a lot of talk about rape. Some older kids can handle that, but it would terrify others and was never intended for that age group.
Reading and the Bible
Hooten Wilson emphasizes that enhancing our reading skills through literature will help us better read, understand, and appreciate the Bible. She makes excellent points about how learning to read different literary genres will help with biblical interpretation, and she makes a convincing case for how practicing our interpretive skills and becoming more fluent with metaphor and other literary devices will enhance our experience with the Bible.
However, I felt that she sometimes went too far, making it sound like Bible-reading is an activity for the well-educated and well-practiced. God intended the Bible for everyone regardless of their socioeconomic class, abilities, or educational level, and even though reading the Bible badly can have negative consequences, this book focuses more on our own literary skills than the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to us, convict us, and comfort us through Scripture. Hooten Wilson provides excellent next steps for people who want to deepen their relationship with the Bible, but I wished that she had articulated additional vital context around this.
Audience
This book is highly academic in content and tone, and even though I enjoyed this book and found it very enriching, it is only for serious readers. Hooten Wilson writes about highly abstract concepts in complex ways, and she often uses specialized vocabulary without explaining what she means. She also makes lots of references to monastic practices and obscure literary works that even highly bookish Christians are unlikely to be familiar with. This book shares rich scholarly perspectives, but it is not for reluctant or casual readers, especially since Hooten Wilson only acknowledges the worth of popular-level books in the special section on Dorothy L. Sayers.
It disappoints me that Christian books about reading are almost always written at such a lofty level that they are inaccessible to the people who need them most. I read hundreds of books every year, including dozens of academic ones, but I still felt that parts of the book were beyond me. If someone wants to begin getting more serious about reading, I would recommend Karen Swallow Prior's "On Reading Well" as a more accessible alternative with similar themes.
My other concern is that Hooten Wilson was always the expert in the anecdotes she shared, never the person learning something new. Only one anecdote bothered me in and of itself, and that is the chapter-opening illustration about a time when she set up an undergrad student for embarrassment to make a point during class. The other anecdotes don't involve power differentials and were perfectly fine, but taken together, they give the impression that the author needs to feel superior. I am sure this was unintentional, but I wish she had given examples of times that she lost an argument and learned something new.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed "Reading for the Love of God," appreciating Hooten Wilson's unique insights and her scholarly perspective on the spiritual importance of reading. This book is deep and thoughtful, and there are a lot of important messages about reading great books to expand your mind, enhance your understanding of Scripture, and become closer to God. However, this book is so dense and academic that it is only for scholarly readers. I wish that this book could be an on-ramp for people who want to get more serious about reading, but it will probably just make them feel judged, lectured at, and so overwhelmed that they give up. This book has great value for people who inhabit the author's literary world or are so well-read that they can make the leap, but I hope that the she will consider ways to effectively reach popular audiences in the future.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2023
★★★★★ 5
Inspiration and affirmation of the richness of a reading life
Format: Hardcover
I listened to Hooten Wilson give a talk about the book and immediately pre-ordered it. It did not disappoint. I haven’t binge read a book like I did this one since last year with Abolition of Man. It was a delight to learn more about some extraordinary and diverse readers such as Julian of Norwich, Frederick Douglas, Dorothy Sayers and others. Hooten Wilson does an excellent job make a case for the ways reading both the Word and literature expands our capacity for living rightly and for reflecting God.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2023
★★★★★ 5
Reading as worship?
Format: Hardcover
Dr. Wilson inspires us to see and appreciate reading with new eyes and hearts. This is a book I’m planning to add to my college literature syllabus and even my book club!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2024
★★★★★ 5
An excellent survey of Christians should read
Format: Kindle
I love how complicated ideas are presented in a very simple way. This deserves to be read alongside Joshua Hren's How to Read like a Catholic
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Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2023
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