Five books by Black women to put on your gift list

By Liz Courquet-Lesaulnier via https://wordinblack.com/

The holiday season is officially here, which means it’s time to make gift lists and start shopping for friends and family. But listen, do folks really need another scented candle, pair of socks, or pricey electronic gadget? Perhaps it’s time to consider a more radical act of giving: books by Black women.

Why Black women specifically? Well, consider all the ways racism and sexism make being a published author more difficult. In the literary world, Black representation among publishing staff and literary agents is notably sparse, especially in roles with decision-making power.

A recent survey by Lee & Low found that publishing as a whole is 76% white, and marketing departments in the industry are, on average, 74% white. That means although Black women authors release plenty of excellent books every year, they may not get the marketing budget their white peers do.

And at a time when book bans are yanking the poetry of Amanda Gorman and novels by Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker out of classrooms and libraries, giving the gift of a book written by a Black woman is akin to gifting revolution.

So have your local Black-owned bookstore wrap up Jesmyn Ward’s latest for mom or dad, hand your siblings a juicy Beverly Jenkins …

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