These Book Clubs For Black Women Have Us Updating Our Reading Lists
Reading is by far one of the easiest ways to press pause and escape. Some books are page-turners, keeping you on the edge of your seat with each and every thrill. Other books are filled to the brim with intrigue. Other books are filled with so much heat between their pages, it's a wonder how erotica can almost feel as tantalizing as the real thing. Above all, we can read books for knowledge. It was author Stephen King who said, "Books are a uniquely portable magic." We learn, we love, we fantasize, we feel, and we heal from these portals of hundreds of pages offering food for thought. How could books not be magic?
These days, more and more of us are finding solace through reading and community by way of online book clubs. In the midst of a pandemic shaking our lives as we know it, many Black women found a sense of peace and normalcy in the virtual world of book clubs, a reality that's still going strong. Here are at xoNecole, we are always looking for ways to help like-minded women find community with other Black women in safe spaces. In honor of that, we've compiled a list of book clubs founded by Black women catering to Black women.
So if you're a lit lover, prepare to bookmark this article!
Noname Book Club
It's not just a "Diddy Bop" for rapper Noname, sis is the founder of a popular book club aptly titled, Noname Book Club. What began as a quick photo update on social media of a book she was reading has become an online community that amasses 140K Instagram followers and counting. With the tagline "reading material for the homies," the focus of the club is on mostly literature penned by writers and authors of color. Noname shared with The New York Times, "We read books, but under the umbrella that I am continuously trying to expand different initiatives through book club."
Required Reading:The Autobiography of Malcolm X As told to Alex Haley and Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Well-Read Black Girl Book Club
Created in 2015 as a safe space, the Well-Read Black Girl Book Club is yet another book club in the digital space amplifying the narratives of Black women and non-binary authors. Once just a book club, the movement has since evolved to a literary festival in addition to being a place to inspire healthy discourse amongst Black women. Of the thriving community, founder Glory Edim has shared, "I'm honored to be of service and shine a light on the work of so many amazing authors. I'm grateful for our beautiful, bright community. Together, as a collective mind with a shared purpose, we can reimagine the literary canon."
Required Reading:Seven Days in June by Tia Williams and The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
For Colored Girls Book Club
The Indianapolis-based book club For Colored Girls Book Club found their community online. The founder Gizelle Fletcher had a desire to read and discuss books written by women of color as well as non-binary writers. Through her work with the club, Gizelle has been able to fulfill her purpose of amplifying Black and brown voices and does so on a monthly basis every fourth Tuesday.
Required Reading: Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
Smart Brown Girl
YouTuber Joulzey created the Smart Brown Girl Book Club as an extension from her Smart Brown Girl brand. Her motto? Making reading accessible to all since knowledge is power. The SBG Book Club offers live discussions and syllabi based on the track you're interested in (General Track vs Exploration Track). With a mission to help Black girls in forgotten spaces gain access to a world bigger than us all, the sky's the limit with the knowledge Joulzey seeks to facilitate in her community of readers.
Required Reading: The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris and THICK by Tressie McMillan Cottom
Mocha Girls Read
Mocha Girls Read is an LA-based book club that meets monthly to discuss selected reads amongst a community of like-minded readers. Unlike a lot of the other book clubs mentioned in this article, Mocha Girls Read has a more expansive selection for their reading list. They read fiction, non-fiction, chick lit, self-help books, historical romance, best-sellers, and more and don't limit their selections to gender or race.
Required Reading:Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
For more inspiration, self-care, and healing tips, check out xoNecole's Wellness section here.
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images