Re-thinking learning for the 21st Century

Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim – Book Review

Seeing yourself in a book is such a gift. The moment you read a passage and instantly feel validated or less alone is powerful. More than once, I’ve reread sentences, paragraphs, and even whole pages because the author was able to put into words exactly how I felt about something. However, this feeling doesn’t come around with the same frequency for everyone.

Well-Read Black Girl is an essay collection of Black women writers reflecting on how they found themselves in literature, how certain pieces of work guided them through childhood and adolescence, and how the words of others inspired them to write as well. It was born from Glory Edim who created the @wellreadblackgirl community on Instagram.

Well-Read Black Girl is small but mighty. I was introduced to so many authors, playwrights, poets, and titles I’d never heard of before. My formative years were vastly different than the women in this book, so reading this collection for me was eye-opening and reminded me how reading can be a powerful act of empathy to learn about others.

As an educator, I firmly believe that it is important for both children and adults to be able to connect with the texts they are reading, and this essay collection reaffirms that we need to ensure that young readers have a wide-range of books at their fingertips. You never know which book is going to connect with which reader, and it is important for them to read about and reflect upon the experiences of others, as well.

Highly recommend!

Jenn

Disclaimer – I received a complementary copy of this book courtesy of Penguin Random House Canada to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

2 Comments

  1. Justin Medved

    Awesome! @jbairos I just ordered the book. Looks and sounds fantastic. What a great way to set mindset and launch the year.

    • Jennifer Bairos

      Thanks 🙂 I hope you love it! Glory Edim is also coming to the Toronto Public Library later this month as part of a panel on her book if you’re interested. Dani and I already have tickets to go!

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