I couldn't love this book more if I tried. The stories were honest, real, inspiring and captivating. Reading about how books played a pertinent role in each writer's life was everything to me and I connected with these writers possibly more than I've ever connected with a writer before. I felt like I was getting a deep dig into their life-and I'm so grateful for that. Oh and the book list at the end-this literally made me day. Excellent book-all the stars!

A wonderful collection that every library should own (I already bought it for mine). The essays are diverse and inspiring.

I have heard so much about Well-Read Black Girl, as well as Glory Edim, founder of Well-Read Black Girl Book Club, I knew I had to read it. The collection of essays are incredible and inspiring. Some of my favorites includes Tayari Jones, Rebecca Walker and Barbara Smith.

Edim is an incredible person whom I've never met, but hope to one day. I also want to attend her literary festival in the near future. I am indeed a Well-Read Black Girl and people like Edim are needed to encourage Black girls everywhere to be culturally fed and celebrate their creativity.

A book about books. A book about women talking about books. A book about diverse women and feminists talking about books and how they influenced their lives. It's not gonna get much better than this.
Editor and founder of @wellreadblackgirl Glory Edim @guidetoglo says that the book started with a very simple question: "When did you first see yourself in literature?" WRBG features essays by twenty one Black women - many of them authors themselves - talking about just that. I've read books by quite a few of the women in the book, but reading essays about their personal literary journeys, about seeing themselves in books for the first time and what it meant to them...it is a whole new level of respect and understanding of these women and their writing.

Yes, the book is called Well-Read Black Girl, yes, the essays are written by Black women, and yes, many of the books discussed are written by Black authors, but I hope it is obvious that this book is and should be for everyone. Min Jin Lee's quote on the cover sums it right up: "This is a brilliant collection of essential American reading..."

Powerful read. A book to be revisited and highlighted and shared. Loved the pieces by Ward, Jemisin and Greenrdge especially. It expanded by TBR list in a wonderful way.

Looking for a great book of black women authors and genres . Look no further this is the book for you. What a great read, this book made me go out and purchase even more women of color books to read. Thank Glory Edim you have expanded my reading game.

Well-Read Black Girl is a series of essays by well-known black female writers that describes the first time they remember being represented in books. It's divided into sections that provide book suggestions as well. I really enjoyed that it steered away from providing cliched book suggestions (read as: Maya Angelous). Of course, she deserves (and received) her props in Well-Read Black girl. However, this book also featured lesser known stories. As a millennial black woman, I found this collection to be profound insight into how important it is that WE are represented in books. This book pulled together those moments from writers from all walks of life. One of my favorites was Gabourey Sidibe's piece because I felt as though I related to the age bracket she was in. However, there was something to take away from each essay, be it about love, wealth, or overcoming adversity.

This was a phenomenal essay collection - the range of voices included a complex discussion about the importance of representation in literature. The collection was also as a celebration of the talent and legacy of black women writers, and the passion within each essay really brought this collection to life. I also loved the suggested reading lists included throughout the book!

This is an incredible collection from an unbelievable list of contributors. Jacqueline Woodson, Jesmyn Ward, Tayari Jones, Gabourey Sidibe... and the list just keeps going! I was blown away by the essays in this book. I'm not the target audience for this, but the powerful message about identity in fiction and diversity in publishing is so important for readers and reviewers. Glory Edim has curated a readable and touching collection with so much heart.

This book, filled with essays by prominent African-American authors and other figures, presents many different voices speaking about reading and writing black women in books. Although, as a white person, I don’t have personal experience with this issue, I found many of these essays very interesting, and I expanded my TBR list with even more diverse books (something I’m always trying to do). Representation matters, and the essays in this book show just how much a novel about someone who looks like you can affect your life for the better.

This collection is one I wished I had as a young reader. Each essay by a black woman writer discusses the importance of reading, and the importance of another writer on their personal and literary development. This is a book that belongs in the hands of so many young women of color looking for a sense of inspiration; looking to how how their stories are represented outside of the "traditional" cannon. With this book and with the community of Well-Read Black Girl, Glory Edim has created a community of safe space to foster the next generation of literary leaders and readers.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from the book. I saw the cover image on Twitter and I was intrigued. I received the book and I was still unsure. Nonfiction typically isn't my thing, I enjoy the escapism of fiction... but then I started reading the stories. Some authors I knew and others were new to me and it felt like a conversation. I enjoyed hearing authors talk about their experiences, love and dislikes. This book is a treat. Like a decadent chocolate mousse, it stays on your tongue long after you swallow the last spoonful.

I love reading about the books, essays, authors, etc. that have inspired some of my favorite authors. As an avid reader who understands what a book can give us, it is moving to hear stories of how similar works have affected others. This is an important book for and about a group of people that did not have many works written with characters that were strong, black, and female. The author's different perspectives were eye opening and fascinating. I also walked away with an exciting list of books to read. While I had read some of the books mentioned, I definitely have not read them all and I want to.

I can not wait to get my students' hands on this book. They will find characters to connect and relate to and will feel empowered and loved.

I had been highly anticipating this book since I first heard about it. I’ve been following Well Read Black Girl (WRBG) on Instagram and I love the diverse, multicultural books that they promote for their online book club. I commend Glory Edim for creating a space to spotlight black women’s literature and sharing on such a huge platform

This book is a wonderful collection of essays by black women (actresses, authors, poets) expressing their love for literature and reading. I loved how personal each essay was and how the collection focuses on recognizing yourself in literature.

No two essays are the same and each one feel so raw. It was interesting to read their experiences of how they developed a love for reading and which books impacted them the most in their lives. I found that a lot their favorite books were mine too and I liked how the explored the significance of the themes and characters in literature.

Another great addition to the book is that it not only compiles the reads from WRBG backlist, but it also shares curated lists of Sci-Fi, Poetry, Literary Fiction by black women. I learned about a lot of new reads from reading this book and now I have many additions to add to my ever-growing tbr list.

Definitely a recommended read!

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Well-Read Black Girl is for anyone (regardless of ethnicity or gender) who loves great books that will lead you to more great books. In it a star-studded crew of readers share books, plays, writings of every kind that are important to them--contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Tayari Jones, Marita Golden, Gabourey Sidibe, Stephanie Powell Watts, N. K. Jemisin, Zinzi Clemmons, and Kaitlyn Greenridge. It’s a fabulous collection!

Reading this necessary anthology made me think of my own book journey. I've always been a reader, but like most children of color, schools only gave us mostly white male authors. So I was exposed to Dickens, Poe and Chaucer at an early age. But thanks to my mother, I was also exposed to Baldwin, Angelou and other famous Black authors. Glory Edim's book gives readers insight into the books writers we know now made them finally feel seen and put them on the path to other writers of color. Most also found their own calling to write stories and characters that looked like them, giving young readers today more and more access to diversity and representation in the books they read. Each essay is a looking-glass into how representation does matter and how seeing yourself in a story can change everything.

I really enjoyed this collection! I thought it might feel repetitive, but it doesn't. I particularly loved the way it was arranged so that a few of the essays found back to back shared a very specific reference or thread.

I love reading books about reading. I especially enjoyed this one as it brought together stories from Some of our best black authors. It shines a light on the importance of hearing these voices regardeless of race, age or gender. The essays were creative and original. It was a treat to read some of my favorite authors like Tayari Jones, some I had not read in awhile such as Rebecca Walker and a few new names I’ll be sure and pick up!

Great collection, I learned a lot about African American literature. Looking forward to reading more form several authors included in this collection. Thanks for the review copy.