The Flight: A Monthly Book Sampler (May 2020)

Board member Andrea Humphries’ book review column is back for 2020! Here’s her reflection on May 2020:

May was a very weird month. I was still suffering from pandemic brain and struggling to focus enough to read when George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a (now former) member of the Minneapolis Police Department. The protests that erupted across America filled my social media feeds. I haven’t read more than a couple chapters since then. I’ve been reading threads, posts, and articles, listening, learning, and donating wherever I can. It feels like months since I finished a book. (For the record, I’m Canadian. Racism - systemic and otherwise - is not just an American problem.)

As Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have filled with list after list of recommended books by Black authors, I’ve come to the extremely uncomfortable realization that I do not read Black authors anywhere near often enough. If I include other authors of color, the ratio of books I read compared to those by white authors is a little less embarrassing, but the reality is most of what I read is by white men and women. I’ve done a decent job of following and sharing the work of Black writers, but when it comes to reading more than their posts and newsletters, I’ve failed abysmally. I’ve bought the books and given friends money to buy the books, but I haven’t actually read them myself.

I’m committing to reading at least one book by a Black author each month for the rest of the year. I’m writing this on June 8th, so that’s a minimum of seven books. Ideally, I’d like to read 10-12. I’m going to try and strike a balance between fiction and non-fiction as well.

I’ll be starting with the books I own, but haven’t yet read: 

1. Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison

2. The Very Good Gospel by Lisa Sharon Harper

3. Womanist Midrash by Dr. Wilda Gafney

4. The Dream of You by Jo Saxton 

Then I’ll be buying these books from a Black-owned bookstore*:

1. Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi

2. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

3. Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

4. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

5. The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby

6. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

7. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

8. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Of these 12 books, any that I don’t finish this year, will kick off my 2021 reading list. Going forward, as a way for you to hold me accountable to this commitment, I’ll start The Flight with whichever Black-authored book(s) I’ve read.

Which books by Black authors are you reading? Tell us in the comments.

*You can find a list of Black-owned bookstores across America here.