ONYX Reads: How we persevere – books that move us forward

HOW WE PERSEVERE

BOOKS THAT MOVE US FORWARD

BY PATRICIA BROWN DENIS

MOVING FORWARD: A STORY OF HARD WORK AND THE PROMISE OF AMERICA

BY KARINE JEAN PIERRE

This book sheds some light on the hard workers behind the scenes of political campaigns and the personal choices that drive an individual to work in this type of field. Pierre raises the one question many of us have had to consider as we labor through our day, “I wondered: Are you a star if no one sees you shine?” It is an excellent question that Pierre answers in a mantra she has used for years. As a runner, the answer she gives is always “Yes.” This book might be just the persuasive peek behind the curtain we all need to keep striving for our next big win.

THE ORIGINAL BLACK ELITE: DANIEL MURRAY AND THE STORY OF A FORGOTTEN ERA

BY ELIZABETH DOWLING TAYLOR

We are introduced to Daniel Murray through a careful chronology of his family heritage and associations, including a who’s who of the African American establishment—from the founders of the African Methodist Episcopal church to the founder of Howard University. The author states, “they were living proof that African Americans did not lack the ability to become useful contributors to mainstream society.” His details include an excellent resource of well-researched memorabilia.

MEN WE REAPED—A MEMOIR

BY JESMYN WARD

This memoir is a patchwork of stories that are connected by tragedy and history. The author paints an incredible picture of a world many of us have never had to consider. “I wonder why silence is the sound of our subsumed rage, our accumulated grief,” she says. It is hard to tell a story of an African American family forming in the south, in the late sixties, in America without the Klan, church bombings, the war in Vietnam, and suffering. To tell their story is to return to the place and time just before their death. Ward shares her raw pain in the pages of her memoir.

OUR TIME IS NOW

BY STACEY ABRAMS

Abrams had more than the will to win, she had the force of generations behind her and tells us just how to make the most of our power as people. She says, “I use this story as a warning of the fear that even the most stalwart can feel about exercising the power of the vote.” Abrams shares her insight and the sting of realizing that so many people have been convinced to see the “obstacle course to forfeit the race without even starting to run.” But because she is Stacey Abrams, she believes that “winning doesn’t always mean you get the prize, sometimes you get progress.” The more you read the more you see who Abrams really is as a person and not just a politician.

PINNED

BY SHARON G. FLAKE

This coming-of-age story takes girl power to the next level in the antics of the main character, Autumn. She not only has girl power, but a healthy amount of Black girl magic as a formidable female wrestler on a boys wrestling team. On top of her non-traditional sport, she has a crush on a not so willing and unusual young man named Adonis. Adonis is in a wheelchair, but he has not let that keep him from feeling athletic as the wrestling team’s manager. Sparks fly between these two in more than the usual, straight-forward, romantic way. Adonis has a difficult time admitting any feelings for Autumn. The banter between them keeps you wondering if there is to be relationship between them at all.