In 2011, Micheaux-Nelson published the young adult, historical fiction novel, No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller. But she wasn't done there. She wanted to be able to share this story with a younger audience, so in 2015, she published The Book Itch.
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I was excited about this book the moment I heard about it. I don't gravitate to poetry but I like to branch out and plus- this book has Beyonce in the title. It HAS to be good. With all the accolades, I expected this collection to be show stopping. But that wasn't the case for me.
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I got to know her work through her 2015 publication, Bad Feminist. From there I have followed her book tours, writing engagements, and social media. While her writing has always been a reflection of her life, Hunger gets even more personal.
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Words With Wings is a collection of poems as told in a first-person story. It's a pretty cool concept where every page is a poem but progresses the story of Gabby the daydreamer. When she thinks of a word, it has the power to fill her mind with images of her past. According to all the adults in her life, she has trouble focusing. Her daydreaming doesn't get any better once her parents split and she has to adjust to life at a new school. All she has is her daydreaming but has that finally gotten in the way of navigating her reality?
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Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin a joint memoir by Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin. It recounts the night of Trayvon's murder by a local neighborhood watch captain and into the murder trial that follows. The book is separated in sections devoted to each parent's perspective. One at a time, they remember their son and the events that took him away.
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When I think of Hughes, I think of his short form works like "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," standing alone in it's water theme. But, did you know that he has an entire collection of poems dedicated to the love of the water?
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Ntozake Shange is a poet whose name may feel funny in your mouth and who's face you may not recognize. Have no doubt that she is a very influential woman. She is best known for her award-winning choreopoem, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf, which was later turned into a movie of the same name.
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He calls himself "your personal astrophysics" and he is one fly guy. Neil deGrasse Tyson has been in the public eye for a number of years but most recently he was the guy who demoted Pluto. His latest book is Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, and I chose to experience it on audiobook.
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Courage is Contagious: And Other Reasons to be Grateful for Michelle Obama is a collection of essays praising the life and style of the first lady. The contributors are a diverse group of individuals: chefs, actors, activists, designers, writers, comedians, and even school children.
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Divided into five sections, Life Comes From Concrete takes the reader through the recurring themes of Kevin Anglade's life from his childhood to manhood. With raw honesty and passion, he lets the reader in and asks nothing more than an ear to listen.
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I didn’t expect to finish Binti so quickly, especially since my responsibilities are a little more pressing than they use to be. But I just couldn't stop. I wandered around the house with this book in my hand the entire day, moving from room to room when interrupted. Obsession would be an accurate way to put it. I read all 85 pages before the sun had gone down.
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My love of the mundane prompted me to purchase and read Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America by Ayana D. Byrd and Lori L. Tharps written in 2001. In 2014, an updated and revised version was published to include the changing styles of the later 2000s, which is the version I read.
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I almost didn't finish this book. I knew what was on the other side of this finished book and I never felt ready to face it.
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If I had to guess where the character Nandi gets her confidence, I wouldn't have to look any further than her creator, Ama Kuma. Here is how a chance encounter introduced me to Kuma and added Nandi to my reading list.
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Would you be willing to say "Yes" for a whole year?
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Sometimes I read a book and it moves me. This book stopped me in my tracks and gave me an unexpected pause.
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Sumer is gone and Skin is In
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Anyone up for poetry masquerading as a novel?
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For at least a year, Parable of the Sower sat on my (borrowed) shelf and I went on with my life. I was unfamiliar with the life and work of Octavia Butler and so, I did not know how important this book would be.
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