I like books that stir me. I like books that can make all my senses move from within. Books that make the heart rattle, that rouse the mind, that summon curiosities into a sensation on the skin. I like books that mean something in and outside of their own narratives, impacting my worldview. The stirring can be felt in beautiful writing, or powerful concepts, deep analysis, or emotion that resonates off the page.
Collected here are some of the books that have done that for me, many of which inspired my debut novel, Sky Full of Elephants. These books have meaning and lyricism in equal measure. When my heart and mind need to be moved, this is where I go. I hope they do the same for you.
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Sula / Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
I could honestly list every Toni Morrison book, but these two taught me so much about language and the power of a message. In Bluest Eye, the passage that starts with “They come from Mobile…” inspired some elements of my upcoming book. If you know, you know.
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
A truly remarkable work that captures my own lived experiences with clarity. Claudia is able to capture the state of the country in small moments that resound, and would 50 years ago and 50 years in the future. Reading this book reminds me that I am not alone in my own struggles.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
So much richness and intimacy in this book, one of Baldwin’s most outstanding pieces. This book redefined my notions of romanticism. That beauty, wonder, and delight can be found even when the heart breaks.
Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson
The themes in this essay have resonated with me at times of doubt. The words and proclamations within remind me that I have all the power I need inside of me already. And it’s my responsibility to bring it forth. This essay makes me want to get up and get active to change the world for the better.
The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
Fanon was the first writer who gave me an understanding of history, untold in school, that helped me understand the, at times, inexplicable present. Wretched of the Earth, dissects colonization by clarifying its terrible inhumane and terrible impact on places and people. His writing is so clear, so honest, that it is damning as much today as it was when he wrote it.
Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith
Gorgeous, atmospheric, Pulitzer Prize-winning poems that merge the human experience with the spinning of galaxies. Beautiful poems that tilt towards a melancholy, this book allows me to step back and experience the true scale of living.
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
This novel, which won the National Book Award for Fiction, is set in the Gulf Coast where I grew up. Jesmyn’s words and imagery give me a sense of home, but also the nurturing that comes with her. While the world is breaking in her novel, you feel as though you are in an embrace.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A novel so clear its intention, its visuals, and its meaning that it almost comes alive right in front of you. This is the book I share with my kids, my family, my friends, and anyone who has children. It moves you to want to do better for the ones who come after us.
The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord
Written in 1967, this book of philosophical anecdotes is a knife in the heart of the social media and consumption culture of today. While written long before TikTok, Instagram, and all social media, it still hits hard. I read this when I want to take a step back, and remember where I give my time. I read this when I want to reclaim my identity.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
A Near perfect work fiction. Every choice and detail is so well crafted. It’s no wonder this book won the Pulitzer Prize. A profound piece of literature to which I have a personal connection (my father went to Dozier Reformatory School), I read this to remember that everything is art if you treat it with care.
