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Black Girl IRL: Life Between the Mess and the Magic
by Gail Hamilton AzodoWhatever happened to the regular Black girl? The one who works a 9 to 5 or maybe owns her own business or is completing her master's. Or how about the one who is figuring out how to be a good mom or wife or daughter? Or the one that's doing all of the above? Hi, that's a lot of us. Black women are doing it all, and it's not just the Oprahs and Beyonces. There's an entire group of us that are just, well, regular. We're handling things like figuring out if this is the right time to speak up in that work meeting and risk our opinion now being the "voice" for all Black women at our job or if this is the right night to introduce our silk hair bonnet to our nighttime routine in the relationship that is just getting serious. These experiences range from impactful to trivial life decisions, but they shape who we are. So where is our place for this type of girl-talk and unfiltered sharing? Gail Hamilton Azodo is your thirty-something, corporate-ladder-climber turned entrepreneur, mom, wife, and Black Girl IRL. In her dinners, happy hours, and group texts with Black women they shared everything from motivational quotes to the latest on Black girl advice on how to cut ties with friends who no longer aligned with our purpose. In short, providing each other with a how-to on successfully navigating life as everyday Black women. Gail is here to share these authentic stories of being everyday Black women—with a fair number of frills but mostly regular life.It's going to be long, soul-nourishing evening.
Black Girl In Love (with Herself): A Guide to Self-Love, Healing, and Creating the Life You Truly Deserve
by Trey AnthonySpeaker, writer, and producer Trey Anthony breaks it down, giving black women a relatable voice and personalized "keeping it real" to-do list on how to practice self-love and self-care.Therapy is not just for white women-no matter what your momma told you!After a lifetime of never truly relating to the personal development experts because of the color of her skin, Trey Anthony has written the book she needed to read as a black woman trying to navigate a world filled with unique challenges that often acts like she doesn't exist.On the outside Trey Anthony was the overachieving, reliable, and strong black woman she was raised to be, but on the inside the pressure of sacrificing her own needs to please others was building. When her grandmother and mother raised her strong, they also unknowingly taught her that self-love and expressing emotions were weak, creating an unhealthy dynamic that had Trey facing burnout and rock bottom.In Black Girl in Love (with Herself), Trey breaks down the lessons and tools that she used to heal her life, including how to: • Set clear and healthy boundaries-even with the people who raised you • Quit being the family ATM • Sort out who is a real friend, and who is just there for parties and gossip • Confront microaggressions at work without missing a beat • Forget who black women are "supposed" to beAnd fall in love with yourself!
Black Girls Breathing: Heal from Trauma, Combat Chronic Stress, and Find Your Freedom
by Jasmine MarieHarness the power of breathwork with this compassionate, healing guide for Black women. As a Black woman, Jasmine Marie knows the impact that intergenerational trauma and systemic racism have had—and continue to have—on her community. Those experiences, along with her own journey through chronic stress, are why she created black girls breathing®, a movement dedicated to helping Black women understand the power of the mind‑body connection and its impact on their holistic health, one breath at a time. In Black Girls Breathing, Jasmine Marie offers you the power of breathwork, and the revolutionary nature of slowing down and turning inward. With each intentional breath, you&’ll learn how to sink deeper into your body to begin to undo the trauma that&’s long been stored. Sharing exercises from her unique somatic philosophies proven by data and utilized by tens of thousands of participants to date, Jasmine Marie will also help you: Connect more fully to your body Give yourself permission to rest Heal the chronic stress you carry in your body and nervous system Address emotional pain Rebuild your sense of self and your community This is a long-overdue resource for every Strong Black Woman—the woman ready to break cycles of trauma, heal the internalized beliefs of perfectionism and conditional self‑worth, and follow the wisdom of her inner voice.
Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human
by Cole Arthur RileyA collection of prayer, poetry, and spiritual practice centering the Black interior world, from the New York Times bestselling author of This Here Flesh and creator of Black Liturgies &“A true spiritual balm for our troubled times.&”—Michael Eric Dyson, author of What Truth Sounds LikeFor years, Cole Arthur Riley was desperate for a spirituality she could trust. Amid ongoing national racial violence, the isolation of the pandemic, and a surge of anti-Black rhetoric in many Christian spaces, she began dreaming of a more human, more liberating expression of faith. She went on to create Black Liturgies, a digital project that connects spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black memory, and the Black body.In this book, she brings together hundreds of new prayers, along with letters, poems, meditation questions, breath practices, scriptures, and the writings of Black literary ancestors to offer forty-three liturgies that can be practiced individually or as a community. Inviting readers to reflect on their shared experiences of wonder, rest, rage, and repair, and creating rituals for holidays like Lent and Juneteenth, Arthur Riley writes with a poet&’s touch and a sensitivity that has made her one of the most important spiritual voices at work today.For anyone healing from communities that were more violent than loving; for anyone who has escaped the trauma of white Christian nationalism, religious homophobia, or transphobia; for anyone asking what it means to be human in a world of both beauty and terror, Black Liturgies is a work of healing and empowerment, and a vision for what might be.
Black Liturgies: Prayers, poems and meditations for staying human
by Cole Arthur RileyIn the summer of 2020, Cole Arthur Riley was desperate for a spirituality she could trust. Amidst ongoing national racial violence, the isolation of the pandemic, and a surge of anti-Black rhetoric in many Christian spaces, she began dreaming of a harbour for a more human, more liberating expression of faith. She went on to create Black Liturgies, a digital project that connects spiritual practice with Black emotion, memory, and the Black body.In this book, she deepens the work of that project, bringing together new prayers, letters, poetry, meditation questions, breath practice, and the writings of Black literary ancestors to offer 43 liturgies that can be practised individually or as a community. With a poet's touch and a sensitivity that has made her one of the most important spiritual voices at work today, Riley invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of wonder, rest, rage, and repair, while also including liturgies for holidays like Lent, Advent and Mother's Day.For those healing from spiritual spaces that were more violent than loving; for those who have escaped the trauma of white Christian nationalism, religious homophobia, and transphobia; for anyone asking what it means to be human in a world of both beauty and terror; Black Liturgies is a work of healing and liberation, and a vision for what might be.
Black Liturgies: Prayers, poems and meditations for staying human
by Cole Arthur RileyIn the summer of 2020, Cole Arthur Riley was desperate for a spirituality she could trust. Amidst ongoing national racial violence, the isolation of the pandemic, and a surge of anti-Black rhetoric in many Christian spaces, she began dreaming of a harbour for a more human, more liberating expression of faith. She went on to create Black Liturgies, a digital project that connects spiritual practice with Black emotion, memory, and the Black body.In this book, she deepens the work of that project, bringing together new prayers, letters, poetry, meditation questions, breath practice, and the writings of Black literary ancestors to offer 43 liturgies that can be practised individually or as a community. With a poet's touch and a sensitivity that has made her one of the most important spiritual voices at work today, Riley invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of wonder, rest, rage, and repair, while also including liturgies for holidays like Lent, Advent and Mother's Day.For those healing from spiritual spaces that were more violent than loving; for those who have escaped the trauma of white Christian nationalism, religious homophobia, and transphobia; for anyone asking what it means to be human in a world of both beauty and terror; Black Liturgies is a work of healing and liberation, and a vision for what might be.
Black Men and Depression: Understanding and Overcoming Depression in Black Men
by John HeadA first-of-its-kind exploration of black men and depression from an award-winning journalist The first book to reveal the depths of black men’s buried mental and emotional pain,Standing in the Shadowsweaves the author’s story of his twenty-five-year struggle with depression with a cultural analysis of how the illness is perceived in the black community—and why nobody wants to talk about it. In mainstream society depression and mental illness are still somewhat taboo subjects; in the black community they are topics that are almost completely shrouded in secrecy. As a result, millions of black men are suffering in silence or getting treatment only in the most extreme circumstances—in emergency rooms, homeless shelters, and prisons. The neglect of emotional disorders among men in the black community is nothing less than racial suicide. John Head’s explosive work,Standing in the Shadows,addresses what can be done to help those who need it most. In this groundbreaking book, veteran journalist and award-winning author John Head argues that the problem can be traced back to slavery, when it was believed that blacks were unable to feel inner pain because they had no psyche. This myth has damaged generations of African American men and their families and has created a society that blames black men for being violent and aggressive without considering that depression might be a root cause. The author also explores the roles of the black church, the black family, and the changing nature of black women in American culture as a way to understand how the black community may have unwittingly helped push the emotional disorders of African American men further underground. As daring and powerful as Nathan McCall’sMakes Me Wanna Holler,Standing in the Shadowschallenges both the African American community and the psychiatric community to end the silent suffering of black men by taking responsibility for a problem that’s been ignored for far too long. Additionally,Standing in the Shadowsgives women an understanding of depression that enables them to help black men mend their relationships, their families, and themselves.
Black Pearls for Parents: Meditations, Affirmations, and Inspirations for African-American Parents
by Eric V. CopageMeditations, Affirmations, and Inspirations for African-American ParentsEric. V Copage's Black Pearls became an instant best-seller and was the winner of the Blackboard African-American Bestsellers award for best non-fiction book of 1994. Now he has created a book of inspirational thoughts, practical advice and pearls of wisdom specifically for African-American parents. The 365 quotes that begin each day's entry range from African proverbs to wisdom and insight from Ida B Wells, Martin Luther King, Jr, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, Willie Mays, Marva Collins and Martin Wright Edelman, among hundreds of other diverse and accomplished people of African descentEach day's entry covers a topic that affects parents (and their children) - including Role Models, Friends , Procrastination, Affection, Priorities, Independence, Stress, Faith, and hundreds more. From the daily inspirations and specific actions that will provide guidance, comfort and inspiration to African-American parents as they deal with the pressures and joys of raising children in today's world.Copyright © 1995 by Eric Copage
Black Pearls: Daily Meditations, Affirmations, and Inspirations for African-Americans
by Eric V. CopageEric V. Copage's Black Pearls is an extraordinary book of inspirational thoughts and practical advice for African-Americans. The 365 quotes that begin each day's entry range from African proverbs to wisdom from Oprah Winfrey, Malcolm X, Terry McMillan, Bill Cosby, Rosa Parks, Spike Lee, Marian Wright Edelman, Alice Walker, and Martin Luther King, Jr., among hundreds of other diverse and accomplished people of African descent. And each day's entry covers a new topic: Love, Anger, Pride, Dieting, Stress, Stereotypes, Power, and Success are just a few! From the daily inspirations, author Eric V. Copage suggests meditations and specific actions that will help readers boost their spirits -- and achieve their dreams.
Black People Breathe: A Mindfulness Guide to Racial Healing
by Zee ClarkeA thoughtful, inclusive, and vividly illustrated guide to help Black people—and all people of color—heal from racial trauma using vital tools from an expert in mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork. It is your right to survive. It is your right to thrive. Mindfulness and breathwork will help you do just that. Racism is more than just an interpersonal experience. It is a systemic injustice that affects the lives of Black people, and all people of color, in countless ways. Doctors and psychologists have discovered the wide-ranging—and often devastating—effects of racism on one&’s emotional, physical, and mental health, from high blood pressure and heart problems to anxiety and depression. Yet studies show that mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork can significantly reduce these issues. This is where Zee Clarke comes in. In this powerful book, Clarke draws on her professional expertise and her lived experience as a Black woman to share mindfulness exercises, breathwork practices, and meditative tools centered on healing from and surviving racial trauma. Filled with deeply personal stories highlighting the many systemic challenges that people of color face, this mixture of guide and memoir offers thirty-three practical techniques based on the emotions elicited from these experiences. Whether you are coping with police brutality, racial profiling, microaggressions, or even imposter syndrome, Black People Breathe gives you the tools to process these complex feelings physically, mentally, and emotionally. Though this collection was created to facilitate healing for communities of color, it also offers allies insight into the discrimination and inequity that these communities face, creating a space for deeper empathy and the inspiration to drive change. Beautifully designed with gorgeous, vibrant illustrations, Black People Breathe takes a radically inclusive approach to mindfulness, allowing communities of color the opportunity to embark on a journey towards racial healing.
Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It
by Charlamagne Tha God<P>Charlamagne Tha God—the self-proclaimed “Prince of Pissing People Off,” co-host of Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, and “hip-hop’s Howard Stern”—shares his unlikely success story as well as how embracing one’s truths is a fundamental key to success and happiness. <P>In his new book, Charlamagne Tha God presents his comic, often controversial, and always brutally honest insights on how living an authentic life is the quickest path to success. Beginning with his journey from the small town of Moncks Corner, South Carolina to his headline grabbing interviews with celebrities like Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, and Hillary Clinton, he shares how he turned his troubled early life around by owning his (many) mistakes and refusing to give up on his dreams, even after his controversial opinions got him fired from several on-air jobs. <P>Combining his own story with bold advice and his signature commitment to honesty at all costs, Charlamagne hopes this book will give others the confidence to live their own truths. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Black Rainbow: How Words Healed Me, My Journey Through Depression
by Rachel KellyIn 1997, Oxford graduate, working mother and Times journalist Rachel Kelly went from feeling mildly anxious to being completely unable to function within the space of just three days. Prescribed antidepressants by her doctor, and supported by her husband and her family, Rachel slowly began to get better, but her anxiety levels remained high, and six years later, as a stay-at-home mother, she suffered a second collapse even worse than the first. Throughout both of Rachel's periods of severe depression, the healing power of poetry became an integral part of her recovery. As someone who had always loved poetry, it became something for Rachel to cling on to in times of need - from repeating short mantras to learning and reciting entire poems - these words and verses became a powerful force for change in her life. In Black Rainbow Rachel analyses why poetry can be one answer to depression, and the book contains a selected 40 of the poems that provided Rachel with solace and comfort during her breakdown and recovery. At a time when mental health problems and depression are becoming more common, and the stigma around such issues is finally being lifted, this book offers a lifeline for anyone seeking to understand depression and seek new ways to treat it. Poetry is free, has no side-effects and, as Rachel can attest, 'prescribing words instead of pills' can be an incredibly powerful remedy.
Black Resilience: The Blueprint for Black Triumph in the Face of Racism
by K. Braeden AndersonBlack Resilience provides powerful strategies for success and empowerment, answering a critical question for the Black community: where do we go from here?This once-in-a-generation book embodies stories and experiences shared by the author—Braeden Anderson—a former high-major NCAA athlete who overcame childhood abuse, homelessness, and severe racism to become an attorney at the world&’s largest law firm and a successful entrepreneur.Black Resilience empowers and equips the reader with the strategy to win against any odds and triumph in the face of life&’s greatest challenges.Racism can be as loud and resounding as a gunshot, or as quiet and inconspicuous as being laid off. Whether it&’s hidden or apparent, we will not escape it without taking action. We—Black people—have the power to effect positive change in our lives and our communities. Black Resilience shows us how.Readers will get an honest, empowering roadmap to address concerns ranging from asserting your identity, the dichotomy of inclusion, employing empathy, and transcending learned helplessness, to the challenge and triumph of Black parenthood. They&’ll learn how to deploy what the author calls our &“covert operation of tact,&” and they&’ll see that everyone—Blacks and whites alike—must build one community.Black Resilience represents a tactful and dynamic ideology that belongs in the hands of every reader who is ready to receive the solution for beating racism…for good.
Black Sheep: A Blue-Eyed Negro Speaks of Abandonment, Belonging, Racism, and Redemption
by Ray "BEN" StudeventA captivating memoir of a biracial boy growing up in Washington, D.C., abandoned by his birth parents, and lovingly raised by a woman with deep emotional scars from her upbringing in the segregated South.The unforgettable memoir Black Sheep opens with a middle-aged Ray Studevent returning to Washington, D.C., to his &“momma,&” Lemell Studevent. She didn&’t give birth to him, but she is the woman who raised him. She is the woman who stood by him through thick and thin. She is the woman who saved his life. But now in her late 80s, Lemell is lost to her Alzheimer&’s disease. On most days, she has no idea who she is, no recollection of the remarkable life she has lived. Every once in a while, she remembers small fragments of people, places, and things but she doesn&’t know how all of these pieces fit together. At night, she is often haunted by nightmares of growing up in the segregated South, of evil men with blue eyes peering through slits in their hooded robes. Frightened by Ray, this stranger, this white man with his piercing blue eyes, she threatens to shoot him. Trying not to get swept up in his own buried, decades-old feelings of abandonment, Ray knows he must work to regain her trust as he thinks back to how far they both have come. Ray Studevent grew up between two worlds. Born to a white, heroin-addicted mother and a black, violent, alcoholic father, the odds were stacked against him from day one. When his parents abandoned him at the age of five, after living in a world no child should experience, he was saved from the foster-care system by his father&’s uncle Calvin, who offered him stability and a loving home. When Calvin tragically died two years later, it was up to his widow Lemell to raise Ray. But this was no easy task. Lemell grew up in the brutality of segregated Mississippi, emotionally scarred and justifiably resenting white people. Now, she must confront these demons as she raises a mixed-race child—white on the outside, black on the inside—on the eastern side of the Anacostia River, the blackest part of the blackest city in America. This is a time of heightened racial tension, not long after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the D.C. race riots. There are guidelines if you are black, different rules if you are white, but only mixed messages for mixed-race children who must fight for acceptance as they struggle to find their identity. As Dr. My Haley, the widow of Roots author Alex Haley, wrote in the Foreword for Black Sheep, &“Ray&’s pathway to manhood came not through the people who taught him what to do, but through the woman who taught him how to be, even as she learned for herself how to be.&” At a time when we are all reexamining the complex issues of race, identity, disenfranchisement, and belonging, this compelling true story shows us what is possible when we trust our hearts and follow the path of love.
Black Woman Redefined: Dispelling Myths and Discovering Fulfillment in the Age of Michelle Obama
by Sophia NelsonIt's time for a REDEFINITION among black women in America.In its 2011 hardcover release, Black Woman Redefined was a top-selling book and took home a 2011 Best Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award from the African American Literary Awards. Author Sophia A. Nelson won the 2012 Champions of Diversity Award, given each year by diversity business executives in Fortune 100 companies.Black Woman Redefined was inspired in part by what Nelson calls "open season on accomplished black women": from Don Imus's name-calling of black female basketball players in 2007 and a 2009 Yale University study titled "Marriage Eludes High-Achieving Black Women," to the more recent revelation that First Lady Michelle Obama is concerned about being painted as an "angry, black woman."In Black Woman Redefined, Nelson sets out to change this cultural perception, taking readers on a no-holds-barred journey into the hearts and minds of accomplished black women to reveal truths, tribulations, and insights like never before.This groundbreaking book provides black women of a new generation with essential career and life-coaching advice. Based on never-before-done research on college-educated, career-driven black women, Nelson offers her fellow "sisters"-and those who know, love, and work with them-a feel-good volume for personal and professional success that empowers them without tearing others down.
Black and Great: The Essential Workplace Toolkit
by Rene GermainFeaturing interviews and letters from some of the UK's leading Black voices in their respective fields - including Beverley Knight MBE, Trevor Nelson MBE, Gina Yashere, Christine Ohuruogu MBE, Ronke Lawal, Kayode Ewumi, Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE, JB Gill, Tangy Morgan, Alexandra Burke, Dr Patricia Daley (the first Black woman to be appointed a lecturer at the University of Oxford) and Ashley Walters - Black and Great is essential reading for Black professionals ready to make their mark in the working world and beyond! Black and Great not only highlights the specific challenges Black people face in the working world, but provides readers with honest and practical advice to thrive and carve out the career of their dreams, whilst embracing their Blackness. The book will share the career journeys of over 20 successful Black British professionals and entrepreneurs from TV & film, sport, media, law, medicine and finance through open letters and interviews, providing advice, support and encouragement to Black students and professionals starting out in their working lives. From personal branding to salary negotiation and overcoming Imposter Syndrome, this candid and inspirational book reveals their highs and lows, how they bounced back from failure, plus the best and worst advice they have received over the years.
Black and Great: The Essential Workplace Toolkit
by Rene GermainFeaturing interviews and letters from some of the UK's leading Black voices in their respective fields - including Beverley Knight MBE, Trevor Nelson MBE, Gina Yashere, Christine Ohuruogu MBE, Ronke Lawal, Kayode Ewumi, Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE, JB Gill, Tangy Morgan, Alexandra Burke, Dr Patricia Daley (the first Black woman to be appointed a lecturer at the University of Oxford) and Ashley Walters - Black and Great is essential reading for Black professionals ready to make their mark in the working world and beyond! Black and Great not only highlights the specific challenges Black people face in the working world, but provides readers with honest and practical advice to thrive and carve out the career of their dreams, whilst embracing their Blackness. The book will share the career journeys of over 20 successful Black British professionals and entrepreneurs from TV & film, sport, media, law, medicine and finance through open letters and interviews, providing advice, support and encouragement to Black students and professionals starting out in their working lives. From personal branding to salary negotiation and overcoming Imposter Syndrome, this candid and inspirational book reveals their highs and lows, how they bounced back from failure, plus the best and worst advice they have received over the years.
Black and Great: The Essential Workplace Toolkit "An inspiring read from start to finish."- Selina Flavius
by Rene GermainThe inspirational career guide for young and ambitious Black British professionals.Featuring interviews and letters from some of the UK's leading Black voices in their respective fields - including Academy Award-winning filmmaker Beverley Knight MBE, Trevor Nelson MBE, Gina Yashere, Christine Ohuruogu MBE, Ronke Lawal, Alexandra Burke, Kayode Ewumi, Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE, JB Gill, Tangy Morgan, Dr Patricia Daley (the first Black female to be appointed a lecturer at the University of Oxford), Noel Clarke and Ashley Walters - Black and Great is essential reading for a Black professionals ready to make their mark in the working world and beyond! Black and Great not only highlights the specific challenges Black people face in the working world, but provides readers with honest and practical advice to thrive and carve out the career of their dreams, whilst embracing their Blackness. The book will share the career journeys of over 20 successful Black British professionals and entrepreneurs from TV & film, sport, media, law, medicine and finance through open letters and interviews, providing advice, support and encouragement to Black students and professionals starting out in their working lives. From personal branding to salary negotiation and overcoming Imposter Syndrome, this candid and inspirational book reveals their highs and lows, how they bounced back from failure, plus the best and worst advice they have received over the years.(P) 2021 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Black-and-White Thinking: The Burden of a Binary Brain in a Complex World
by Kevin DuttonA groundbreaking and timely book about how evolutionary biology can explain our black-and-white brains, and a lesson in how we can escape the pitfalls of binary thinking.Several million years ago, natural selection equipped us with binary, black-and-white brains. Though the world was arguably simpler back then, it was in many ways much more dangerous. Not coincidentally, the binary brain was highly adept at detecting risk: the ability to analyze threats and respond to changes in the sensory environment—a drop in temperature, the crack of a branch—was essential to our survival as a species. Since then, the world has evolved—but we, for the most part, haven’t. Confronted with a panoply of shades of gray, our brains have a tendency to “force quit:” to sort the things we see, hear, and experience into manageable but simplistic categories. We stereotype, pigeon-hole, and, above all, draw lines where in reality there are none. In our modern, interconnected world, it might seem like we are ill-equipped to deal with the challenges we face—that living with a binary brain is like trying to navigate a teeming city center with a map that shows only highways. In Black-and-White Thinking, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton pulls back the curtains of the mind to reveal a new way of thinking about a problem as old as humanity itself. While our instinct for categorization often leads us astray, encouraging polarization, rigid thinking, and sometimes outright denialism, it is an essential component of the mental machinery we use to make sense of the world. Simply put, unless we perceived our environment as a chessboard, our brains wouldn’t be able to play the game. Using the latest advances in psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology, Dutton shows how we can optimize our tendency to categorize and fine-tune our minds to avoid the pitfalls of too little, and too much, complexity. He reveals the enduring importance of three “super categories”—fight or flight, us versus them, and right or wrong—and argues that they remain essential to not only convincing others to change their minds but to changing the world for the better. Black-and-White Thinking is a scientifically informed wake-up call for an era of increasing extremism and a thought-provoking, uplifting guide to training our gray matter to see that gray really does matter.
Black. Fat. Femme: Revealing the Power of Visibly Queer Voices in Media and Learning to Love Yourself
by Jonathan P. Higgins Ed.DA celebration of (and how to find your own) queer intersectional identity through the lens of media In Black. Fat. Femme: Revealing the Power of Visibly Queer Voices (in Media) and Learning to Love Yourself, educator and media critic Dr. Jonathan P. Higgins—aka Doctor Jon Paul—delivers an honest and extraordinary new take on how the author, and other Black Fat Femmes like them, have come to find and understand their identity. You'll learn about how standing at the intersection of multiple identities, communities, and causes shapes people and how they see the world. You'll also discover how public figures like Andre Leon Talley and Latrice Royale have helped people learn who they are and what is possible in life. Inside the book: An examination of the importance of real representation in the media for marginalized people Discussions of the pioneers who fought so hard to be authentically who they are, both onscreen and off Explorations of how and why Black Fat Femme people have been left out and erased from LGBTQ+ conversations Perfect for anyone with an interest in unique voices and truly singular perspectives, Black. Fat. Femme. is a one-of-a-kind book that will help you see the world with entirely new eyes.
Blackout Girl: Growing Up and Drying Out in America
by Jennifer StormA riveting memoir of what happens to a teenage girl whose life is awash in alcohol, drugs, and the trauma of rape.Jennifer Storm's Blackout Girl is a can't-tear-yourself-away look at teenage addiction and redemption. At age six, Jennifer Storm was stealing sips of her mother's cocktails. By age 13, she was binge drinking and well on her way to regular cocaine and LSD use. Her young life was awash in alcohol, drugs, and the trauma of rape. She anesthetized herself to many of the harsh realities of her young life--including her own misunderstandings about her sexual orientation--, which made her even more vulnerable to victimization. Blackout Girl is Storm's tender and gritty memoir, revealing the depths of her addiction and her eventual path to a life of accomplishment and joy.
Blackout Girl: Tracing My Scars from Addiction and Sexual Assault, With New and Updated Content for the #MeToo Era
by Jennifer StormThe coronavirus pandemic has made vulnerable people more vulnerable, and brought trauma into many lives that were already unsteady. A powerful testament to personal survival, this story of sexual violence and its effects on mental health, abuse, and addiction also offers insight into how the recovery and mental health treatment communities can change to address these issues more effectively.In this brutally honest and compelling memoir, Jennifer Storm revisits the trauma of her childhood rape and ensuing addiction and how she channeled her pain into a healing life of advocacy. Sexual assault, addiction, and other traumatic experiences can leave both physical and emotional scars. For Jennifer Storm, these scars serve as a reminder--both of the darkness and suffering she once experienced, and of how far she has come. When she was first assaulted at age twelve, Jennifer turned to alcohol to dull the emotional pain. After a string of childhood traumas, she fell into crack use and self-harm. Once Jennifer finally found treatment after surviving the last of multiple suicide attempts, she discovered that it was possible to heal her shame. She could start to recover by uncovering the secrets she had kept hidden for years. Blackout Girl is the heartbreaking, enlightening, and inspiring story of Jennifer&’s narrow escape from her own self-destructive instincts when all of the odds, and systems, were stacked against her. Since Blackout Girl was first published in 2008, Jennifer has seen the #MeToo and Times Up movements empower countless brave survivors to reveal the truth of their experiences. Yet, our society is only just beginning to truly understand and support victims and recognize the importance of trauma-informed care. Now more relevant than ever, Jennifer&’s story and professional insights expose the societal failures these victims have endured, and how we can all help each other heal. If you are still experiencing or recovering from victimization, Jennifer&’s story shows you are not alone. For those struggling to understand a loved one&’s experience of addiction and trauma, Jennifer&’s recovery provides hope. This new edition of Blackout Girl includes additional chapters with more details of Jennifer&’s story, new insights on the societal changes of the past decade, and a powerful foreword by survivor advocate and founder of the End Rape Statute of Limitations movement, Caroline Heldman, PhD. Blackout Girl is a must-read both for those looking to learn about the personal effects of widespread sexual assault and addiction and for those who already hold these issues dear.
Blackout to Blessing: How the Perfect Love of Jesus Saved Me from the Highway to Hell
by Melissa HurayThe story of one woman's journey out of darkness. Beyond the lights and the camera, Melissa Huray spent her nights in darkness. Between seedy bars, lost time, and a painful quest for love, marriage, and a long-term relationship, she was spiraling—and no one ever knew. What started as an escape from her oppressive childhood had become an addiction that plagued and defined her. For fifteen years, she had hidden her dark, shameful secret, and when the cameras started rolling, she was always there, ready to deliver the news. But all along, she knew something was missing, a truth she once knew was calling her back. She had first felt it as a teenager, when she felt invisible and forgotten in the cycle of addiction and superficiality that ruled her household. Melissa was lost in the shuffle of a distracted mother, alcoholic father, and spotless brother. Soon, panic attacks became all-consuming. The only way to feel better was to feel nothing at all, and remember even less. But after fifteen years, the relief was fleeting, and she couldn't stop. After one staggering night, she was faced with the horrifying reality that her time was ticking. She knew something had to change, and fast. But how? Melissa then realized it wasn't "what" could save her, but "Who."
Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget
by Sarah Hepola*A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* For Sarah Hepola, alcohol was "the gasoline of all adventure." She spent her evenings at cocktail parties and dark bars where she proudly stayed till last call. Drinking felt like freedom, part of her birthright as a strong, enlightened twenty-first-century woman. But there was a price. She often blacked out, waking up with a blank space where four hours should be. Mornings became detective work on her own life. What did I say last night? How did I meet that guy? She apologized for things she couldn't remember doing, as though she were cleaning up after an evil twin. Publicly, she covered her shame with self-deprecating jokes, and her career flourished, but as the blackouts accumulated, she could no longer avoid a sinking truth. The fuel she thought she needed was draining her spirit instead. A memoir of unblinking honesty and poignant, laugh-out-loud humor, BLACKOUT is the story of a woman stumbling into a new kind of adventure--the sober life she never wanted. Shining a light into her blackouts, she discovers the person she buried, as well as the confidence, intimacy, and creativity she once believed came only from a bottle. Her tale will resonate with anyone who has been forced to reinvent or struggled in the face of necessary change. It's about giving up the thing you cherish most--but getting yourself back in return.
Blackout: Remembering the things I drank to forget
by Sarah Hepola'Extraordinary... Writing with warmth and wit' Independent'It's such a savage thing to lose your memory, but the crazy thing is, it doesn't hurt one bit. A blackout doesn't sting, or stab, or leave a scar when it robs you. Close your eyes and open them again. That's what a blackout feels like.'For Sarah Hepola, alcohol was 'the gasoline of all adventure'. She spent her evenings at cocktail parties and dark bars where she proudly stayed till last call. Drinking felt like freedom, part of her birthright as an enlightened twenty-first-century woman.But there was a price. She often blacked out, waking up with a blank space where four hours should be. Mornings became detective work on her own life. What did I say last night? How did I meet that guy?Publicly, she covered her shame with self-deprecating jokes, and her career flourished, but as the blackouts accumulated, she could no longer avoid a sinking truth. The fuel she thought she needed was draining her spirit instead.THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLERA memoir of unblinking honesty and poignant, laugh-out-loud humour, BLACKOUT is the story of a woman stumbling into a new adventure-the sober life she never wanted. Shining a light into her blackouts, she discovers the person she buried, as well as the confidence, intimacy, and creativity she once believed came only from a bottle. Her tale will resonate with anyone who has been forced to reinvent themselves or struggled in the face of necessary change. It's about giving up the thing you cherish most-but getting yourself back in return.A raw, vivid and ultimately uplifting memoir of addiction and recovery for anyone who is looking to find their way.