A list of resources created to celebrate the 11th Annual Black Women's Wellness Day on September 21, 2019.
Interested in this topic? You can receive more book recommendations by signing up for the African American Culture Insider newsletter. Sign me up!
Nourish Your Mind & Soul: Spiritual and Self-help
- The Big Book of Soul: The Ultimate Guide to the African American Spirit: Legend & Lore, Music & Mysticism, Recipes & Rituals by Stephanie Rose Bird
- Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors by Carolyn Finney
- Black Girls Rock!: Owning Our Magic. Rocking Our Truth by Beverly Bond
- The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-term Effects of Childhood Adversity by Nadine Burke Harris
- Ferocious Warrior by Cora Jakes-Coleman
- Get Unstuck, Be Unstoppable by Valorie Burton
- I'm Telling the Truth, But I'm Lying: Essays by Bassey Ikpi
- Jezebel Unhinged: Loosing the Black Female Body in Religion and Culture by Tamura A. Lomax
- Love Big: The Power of Revolutionary Relationships to Heal the World by Rozella Haydee White
- Love Your Life: O's Handbook For Your Best Today-- And Tomorrow by Oprah Winfrey
- More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) by Elaine Welteroth
- More Than Pretty: Doing the Soul Work That Uncovers Your True Beauty by Erica Campbell
- My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
- The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose by Oprah Winfrey
- Peace From Broken Pieces: How To Get Through What You're Going Through by Iyanla Vanzant
- Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery by Sarah Elizabeth Lewis
- Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-recovery by Bell Hooks
- Too Heavy a Yoke: Black Women and the Burden of Strength by Chanequa Walker-Barnes
- Wake up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life by Michael Strahan and Veronica Chambers
- Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
- You Deserve the Truth: Change the Stories that Shaped Your World and Build a World-changing Life by Erica Williams Simon
Self Care: Health and Beauty
Health
- Before I Forget: Love, Hope, Help, and Acceptance in Our Fight Against Alzheimer's by B. Smith and Dan Gasby
- Black, Pregnant, and Loving It: The Comprehensive Pregnancy Guide for Today’s Woman of Color by Yvette Allen-Campbell
- The Black Woman's Breast Cancer Survival Guide: Understanding and Healing in the Face of a Nationwide Crisis by Cheryl D. Holloway
- The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor
- Clean & Lean: 30 Days, 30 Foods, a New You! by Ian Smith
- Dr. Eno's A-to-Z Guide to Thriving with Type 2 Diabetes by Eno A. Nsima-Obot
- Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get on the Mat, Love Your Body by Jessamyn Stanley
- Health First! The Black Women’s Wellness Guide by Eleanor Hinton and Hilary Beard
- Prime Time: The African American Woman’s Guide to Midlife Health and Wellness by Marilyn Gaston
- Reclaiming Our Health: A Guide to African American Wellness by Michelle A. Gourdine
- A Woman's Guide To Living With Heart Disease by Carolyn Thomas and Martha Gulati
Beauty and Haircare
- Beauty of Color: The Ultimate Beauty Guide for Skin of Color by Iman with Tina Williams
- Better Than Good Hair: The Curly Girl Guide to Healthy, Gorgeous Natural Hair! by Nikki Walton
- Black Beauty & Hair (Magazine)
- Curly Like Me: How to Grow Your Hair Healthy, Long, and Strong by Teri LaFlesh
- Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl's Love Letter to the Power of Fashion by Tanisha C. Ford
- Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America by Ayana D Byrd and Lori L Tharps
- Hairlooms: The Untangled Truth About Loving Your Natural Hair and Beauty by Michele Tapp Roseman
- If You Love It, It Will Grow!: A Guide to Healthy, Beautiful Natural Hair by Phoenyx Austin
- Kwame Brathwaite: Black is Beautiful by Kwame Brathwaite, Tanisha C Ford, and Deborah Willis
- Love, Lashes, and Lipstick: My Secrets For a Gorgeous, Happy Life by Mally Roncal
- Milady Standard Natural Hair Care & Braiding by Diane Carol Bailey
- The Natural Hair Bible: The 10 Commandments of Black Hair Care by Breanna Rutter
- Queens: Portraits of Black Women and Their Fabulous Hair by Michael Cunningham
- The Science of Black Hair: A Comprehensive Guide to Textured Hair Care by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy
- Woman of Color by Latonya Yvette
At Work & At Home: In Business and Family/Relationships
In Business
- Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less by Tiffany Dufu and Gloria Steinem
- Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward by Valerie Jarrett
- Let Them See You: The Guide for Leveraging Your Diversity at Work by Porter Braswell
- The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table by Minda Harts
- Minority Leader: How To Lead From the Outside and Make Real Change by Stacey Abrams
- Our Black Year: One Family's Quest to Buy Black in America's Racially Divided Economy by Maggie Anderson
- Real Money Answers for Every Woman: How To Win the Money Game With or Without a Man by Patrice C. Washington
- Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life by Daymond John
Family and Relationships
- Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry
- Brown, White, Black: An American Family at the Intersection of Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Religion by Nishta Mehra.
- Do I look like an ATM?: A Parents' Guide to Raising Financially Responsible African American Children by Sabrina Lamb
- Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys into Race, Motherhood, and History by Camille T. Dungy
- How Did I Get So Busy?: The 28-day Plan to Free Your Time, Reclaim Your Schedule, and Reconnect with What Matters Most by Valorie Burton
- How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid For Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims
- Infamous Mothers: Women Who’ve Gone Through the Belly of Hell... and Brought Something Good Back by Sagashus T. Levingston
- Make It Work: 22 Time-tested, Real-life Lessons for Sustaining a Healthy, Happy Relationship by Tony A Gaskins
- Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou
- Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America by Nefertiti Austin
- Settlin': Stories of Madison's Early African American Families by Muriel Simms
- Sing a Rhythm, Dance a Blues: Education for the Liberation of Black and Brown Girls by Monique W. Morris
- We Live for the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood by Dani McClain
- Womanish: A Grown Black Woman Speaks on Life and Love by Kim McLarin
Food and Nutrition
- Black Girl Baking: Wholesome Recipes Inspired by a Soulful Upbringing by Jerrelle Guy
- Cooking with Miss Quad: Live, Laugh, Love and Eat by Quad Webb
- Food for Life: Delicious & Healthy Comfort Food from My Table to Yours! by Laila Ali
- Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories by Jocelyn Delk Adams
- In Pursuit of Flavor by Edna Lewis
- A Lighter Way to Bake by Lorraine Pascale
- Princess Pamela’s Soul Food Cookbook by Pamela Stroebel
- Real Southern Cook in Her Savannah Kitchen by Dora Charles
- Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family by Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams
- Sweet Home Cafe Cookbook: A Celebration of African American Cooking by Albert Lukas
- Sweet Potato Soul: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul by Jenne Claiborne
- Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life by Robin Quivers
Inspiring Black Women: Memoirs, Essays, and Biographies
- Around the Way Girl: A Memoir by Taraji P. Henson
- Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism by Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley
- Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother's Time, My Mother's Time, and Mine by Emily Bernard
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittany C. Cooper
- For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics by Donna Brazile, Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry, Minyon Moore, and Veronica Chambers
- Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
- How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance by Akiba Solomon and Kenrya Rankin.
- I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
- The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
- Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae
- My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King
- Negroland: A Memoir by Margo Jefferson
- The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love With Me by Keah Brown
- Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists are Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets by Feminista Jones
- Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock
- This is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare by Gabourey Sidibe
- Tigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus Story by Wyomia Tyus
- We're Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True by Gabrielle Union
- We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist by Franchesca Ramsey
- When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele
- The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers by Bridgett M Davis
- You Can’t Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson
Stories: Selected Fiction and Poetry by Black Women
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
- The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah
- The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow
- A Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and Laughter by Nikki Giovanni (poetry)
- Heads of the Colored People: Stories by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
- Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers (graphic novel)
- I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillan
- Kindred by Octavia Butler
- Magical Negro: Poems by Morgan Parker (poetry)
- The Mothers by Brit Bennett
- No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts
- Push: A Novel by Sapphire
- Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
- There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé by Morgan Parker (poetry)
- Training School for Negro Girls by Camille Acker
- The Turner House by Angela Flournoy
- The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
- Who’s Loving You by Mary B. Morrison
For younger readers
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
- Dark Girls by Bill Duke
- Fannie Lou Hamer, Voice of Freedom: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales by Virginia Hamilton
- Honey Baby Sugar Child by Alice Faye Duncan
- I Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison
- Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell
- Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
- Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe
- Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
Online Resources
- Black Women’s Health Imperative
- The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness
- Office on Women’s Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- MedlinePlus
- Fact Sheet: The State of African American Women in the United States
- Brown Girl Green Money
- Don’t Date Him, Girl
- Journey to Wellness
- Well Read Black Girl
rev 8/19