Memoirs, Fiction, and Theory, Oh my!
Over the past eight months I have read a total of forty-three books, with the goal of reaching fifty-two by the end of December 2021. In my previous blog post I quoted Stephen King who once stated that one of the keys to being a writer is continuous reading, and that has been my goal this year. In setting a goal of fifty-two new books for the year I was giving myself the grace of about a book per week, knowing that some weeks would be more chaotic than others, some books denser than others, etc. I did not, however, expect to be so far ahead by this time in the year! Of the books that I’ve read so far this year, 25 have been fiction, 10 academic, 8 memoirs/collection of essays and one self-help. The remaining nine will be another mix. Having a mix of genres has helped me to stretch the creative muscle that is my brain, and certainly has helped shaped the way that I am approaching writing my own book.
My book, which is a Black feminist intervention into critical sports studies has elements of critical essay, Black feminism, and autobiography—so reading widely a necessary process of my writing. Every book I have read this year has exposed me to creative ways of thinking, writing, and understanding the nuances of writing as a process. So, here are three that have impacted me deeply and that I recommend highly (also, follow me on Goodreads for a list of all the books I’ve read so far this year and my reviews)!
Fiction: Long Division, Kiese Laymon
“All things considered,” was one of my most favorite lines from this novel which aided in making it among the top three of the 43/52 books I’ve read so far this year. Smart, complex, and gripping, Long Division, takes you on an incredible journey through time unpacking issues of race, gender, sexuality, and relationships. The worlds Kiese creates are magical, his words a masterpiece, his characters hauntingly beautiful in every way. This is a story that will remain legible for generations to come. 10/10 of recommend!
Memoir: Girl, Gurl, Grrrl: On Womanhood and Belonging, Kenya Hunt
As a Black woman who writes about Black women and loves to read about Black women, Girl, Gurl, Grrrl grabbed me from page one! A collection of essays that resonated with life and realness on the meaning of Black womanhood from the perspective of an American abroad, I was captivated with every turn of the page. Kenya Hunt’s stories, as well as those of the other women dispersed throughout touched corners of my soul that hadn’t been tapped since I read Thick and Other Essay’s by Tressie McMillian Cottom the year before. Black womanhood is complex, and this collection of essays takes us through those complexities beautifully. 10/10 recommend.
Theory: Infamous Bodies: Early Black Women’s Celebrity and the Afterlives of Rights, Samantha Pinto
Phillis Wheatley, Sally Hemmings, Sarah Baartman, Mary Seacole, and Sarah Forbes Bonetta are the central figures in Samantha Pinto’s Infamous Bodies, which theorizes early Black women’s celebrity and the afterlives of rights. A thoughtful Black feminist analysis of historical figurations of Black womanhood, Samantha Pinto’s work is thought provoking and deeply engaging. Far from a dry reading of historical texts, Infamous Bodies, draws upon and analysis of media, culture, poetry, prose, legal scholarship and more to engage in a nuanced conversation of consent, race, gender, politics and beyond. Both. Critical and thoughtful, Pinto looks back at the histories of these five Black women as a means of imagining Black feminist futures in a way unlike any I have read before. Truly unique and awe inspiring, 10/10 recommend!
