Books to Care for Self & Community
curated by kelly hubbell-hinton
“i have to honor my mind and my body
if i want to sustain this journey
-life”
(rupi kaur)
The poem above from rupi kaur’s home body is the mood for this issue’s bookshelf recommendations. The following titles are ones that have inspired me/us to connect with our individual beings in all their glory and shadows. As we are encouraging our IGG community to look inward and check-in with yourselves, these authors might spark something new and special. And because we know that we are forever committed to our People, there are some recommendations for reading that look into organizing and movement building that accounts for the past and offers framing for what it could look like in the future.
Enjoy and let us know what you think. As always, the writers on this digital bookshelf identify as Black, Indigenous, or as People of Color (BIPOC) and we try to amplify the voices of womxn, femmes, non-binary, and 2 spirit authors. also, If you are reading something juicy, insightful, or inspiring then let us know at indigenousgoddessgang@gmail.com.
home body
by rupi kaur
Rupi Kaur constantly embraces growth, and in home body, she walks readers through a reflective and intimate journey visiting the past, the present, and the potential of the self. home body is a collection of raw, honest conversations with oneself – reminding readers to fill up on love, acceptance, community, family, and embrace change. Illustrated by the author, themes of nature and nurture, light and dark, rest here."
From rupikaur.com
The Body Is Not an Apology
by Sonya Renee Taylor
The Body Is Not an Apology offers radical self-love as the balm to heal the wounds inflicted by these violent systems. World-renowned activist and poet Sonya Renee Taylor invites us to reconnect with the radical origins of our minds and bodies and celebrate our collective, enduring strength. As we awaken to our own indoctrinated body shame, we feel inspired to awaken others and to interrupt the systems that perpetuate body shame and oppression against all bodies. When we act from this truth on a global scale, we usher in the transformative opportunity of radical self-love, which is the opportunity for a more just, equitable, and compassionate world–for us all.
Sexographies
By Gabriela Wiener
In fierce and sumptuous first-person accounts, renowned Peruvian journalist Gabriela Wiener records infiltrating the most dangerous Peruvian prison, participating in sexual exchanges in swingers clubs, traveling the dark paths of the Bois de Boulogne in Paris in the company of sex workers, undergoing a complicated process of egg donation, and participating in a ritual of ayahuasca ingestion in the Amazon jungle—all while taking us on inward journeys that explore immigration, maternity, fear of death, ugliness, and threesomes. Fortunately, our eagle-eyed voyeur emerges from her narrative forays unscathed and ready to take on the kinks, obsessions, and messiness of our lives. Sexographies is an eye-opening, kamikaze journey across the contours of the human body and mind.
From restlessbooks.org
Hood Feminism
Notes From the Women that a Movement Forgot
By Mikki Kendall
In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement, arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux. An unforgettable debut, Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed.
we will not cancel us
By adrienne maree brown
Cancel culture addresses real harm...and sometimes causes more. It’s time to think this through…In We Will Not Cancel Us, movement mediator adrienne maree brown reframes the discussion for us, in a way that points to possible paths beyond this impasse. Most critiques of cancel culture come from outside the milieus that produce it, sometimes even from from its targets. However, brown explores the question from a Black, queer, and feminist viewpoint that gently asks, how well does this practice serve us? Does it prefigure the sort of world we want to live in? And, if it doesn’t, how do we seek accountability and redress for harm in ways that reflect our values?
From goodreads.com
Read more at adriennemareebrown.net
Love and Rage
The Path of Liberation through Anger
By Lama Rod Owens
In a time when the politics of anger—who gets to be angry, how, when and at whom—infuse every institutional and cultural sphere, Lama Rod Owens offers a radical re-envisioning of a deeply timely topic in his new book, Love and Rage The Path of Liberation Through Anger. Love and Rage will resonate with anyone who wants to metabolize or harness their anger for transformation and change.
From lamarod.com
BIPOC Bookclubs
if you are interested in reading and learning in community then here are some interesting virtual books that center the bipoc experience.
Well Read Native: The Well-Read Native Indigenous Book Club is a community of readers from all over Indian Country and the globe. They represent 800+ members, over 95 tribes and 4 countries. Well-Read Native's goal is to build a community of readers throughout Indian Country and the globe who believe in the impact of books – and friendship! Find them @wellreadnative.
No Name Bookclub: An online/irl community dedicated to uplifting POC voices. They do this by highlighting two books each month written by authors of color. In addition to building community with folks across the country they also send our monthly book picks to incarcerated comrades through our Prison Program. Learn more @nonamereads.
Indigenous Book Club: A group of Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people that have come together with the educational goal of reading more Indigenous authored and Indigenous topic books. They have nearly 300 members and part of their mission is to be able to share books free of charge so that it is accessible to as many people as possible. They have been able to find free digital versions for most/all of the books and readings. Learn more @indigbookclub