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.

Well Read Black Girl is a collection of essays from various Black women in the arts who describe what representation in literature did for them. After every essay is a list of recommendations from Black women authors clustered around the genre of the essayist or the genre they spoke about in their essay. I though that Well Read Black Girl was a decent read. I thought that the women picked were a decent mix of well known people and some women that I was surprised by. The real bread and butter though, is the recommendations provided. I know that I’ve been an avid reader my entire life, but a lot of that reading was centered on the dominant culture, white culture, so to have an easy reference to some of the seminal works by Black women is a treasure trove and my “want to read” list is thankful that I got this book. If you’re a minority women or looking to add some diversity to your reading, this book will get you started down the right path. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

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.

Ahhhhh. I have found my people. I have also made a significant number of additions to my TBR list. If you’ve ever been confused about the saying, “Representation Matters”, Read Well-Read Black Girl because it is basically the definition of it. Being the only little brown girl at my private school growing up, I thought pouring through the pages of books to find myself was a unique experience born out of necessity. This collection proves otherwise. I am glad to have had the opportunity to read this courtesy of NetGalley because it gave me such a sense of community.

I really loved it!
I hope a movie list is in the works too, but just amazing how the information was compiled and it feels like one of you good friends is telling you about things that they have read, and it pulls you in to read things you might not have even tried to read.

A highly anticipated title that did not disappoint!  I loved the care the contributors put into their essays and the construction of the theme by the editor.  Sharing with all my fellow well read Black girls.