All results / Stories / Terri Schlichenmeyer
“Remembrance” by Mary Monroe
For weeks, you’ve been scouring the stores. You have a lot to give. Most of it is wrapped up colorfully, beribboned and bowed. Some gifts are in bags with shiny trim, while others are tucked away in closets. You have a lot to give this holiday season, but in the new novel, “Remembrance” by Mary Monroe, when you give of yourself, you also get.
“Aging Thoughtfully: Conversations about Retirement, Romance, Wrinkles, & Regret” by Martha C. Nussbaum & Saul Levmore
Kicking and screaming. That’s how you’ll go into your twilight years: the calendar might say one thing but you’re not going to pay it any mind. There’s still a lot of pep in your step so shouldn’t, as in the new book “Aging Thoughtfully” by Martha C. Nussbaum & Saul Levmore, how you spend your golden years be your decision?
“How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir” by Saeed Jones
You can’t pretend forever. Eventually, the ruse gets tired, holding up pretenses becomes a burden, and keeping the game going is harder than telling the truth. You eventually have to break it down and let people know what you’re about. But as in the new book “How We Fight for Our Lives” by Saeed Jones, take care before telling everybody.
“Unforgivable Love” by Sophfronia Scott
You know how to use a hammer. It’s not that hard: just grab the end and swing. Easy enough; in fact, there are probably lots of tools you know how to use, although, as in the new novel “Unforgivable Love” by Sophfronia Scott, do you know how to use people?
Books about Black Women's Body Image by various authors
The last two apps you downloaded were for diets. Ugh. Friends say that you're perfect but you'd like to lose your flabby arms, your thick thighs, and a few inches from your belly. You imagine what you'd be like if you were a size 6. You wonder if you could wear skinny boots again. But before you download another app, read these books about Black women's health and body image...
“Putting Your Employees First” by Michael Bergdahl
Your office looks like Grand Central Station at rush hour. Like that iconic location, you see many people who are older and have been around the block enough times to know the work-score. You also have younger, less-experienced people whose career journeys are just beginning. So how do you best manage a diverse group of employees like that? Read “Putting Your Employees First” by Michael Bergdahl and find out.
"Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe" by Aomawa Shields, PhD
Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight... And the second and third and you'll just keep wishing until you run out of desires. You'll never run out of stars, though, so you can spend all night wishing and do it again tomorrow. Wish hard enough, work even harder and, as in the new book "Life on Other Planets" by Aomawa Shields, PhD, you may see your hopes come true.
Juneteenth Books for Kids
You weren't born knowing everything. People had to tell you what you needed to know, and that's how you learn. You can guess sometimes, or figure other things out on your own but mostly, you've been told and then you know. So why not read these books about a fact that was unknown for years...
"Never Caught” by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
Some days, it feels like that’s all you do. Run the kids to school, dash to work, rush with errands, and run yourself ragged before bed. You’re always on the go, always moving, and in the new book “Never Caught” by Erica Armstrong Dunbar, your breath isn’t the only thing to catch.
“A Craftsman’s Legacy” by Eric Gorges
Necessity is not the mother of invention. Childhood. There you are: that’s the mother of invention. When you were a kid, if you didn’t have something and you didn’t have the funds to buy it, you cobbled it together from whatever you could find – and it worked. But have you lost that initiative, the imagination, the joy in creating? As in “A Craftsman’s Legacy” by Eric Gorges, do you need to return to working with your hands?
“Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America” by Michael Eric Dyson
I know what you’re thinking. You’ve said that before, to a furrowed brow, a mischievous smile, a child who’s about to do something sneaky. You can see it in the eyes, the body language, the tone of voice, and you know just what they’re thinking. But until you’ve read “Tears We Cannot Stop” by Michael Eric Dyson, you might not really have a clue.
"It's Not All Downhill from Here" by Terry McMillan
Getting old ain't for sissies. Aging is not for the weak, whiners, or wimps, not for 'fraidycats or those with no confidence, and aging is absolutely not for the inflexible. But then again, as in the new novel by Terry McMillan, "It's Not All Downhill from Here," either.
“Delivered by Midwives: African American Midwifery in the Twentieth-Century South” by Jenny M. Luke c.2018, University Press of Mississippi $30.00 / higher in Canada 193 pages
The mailman’s come and gone for today. He never brings you much anymore anyhow, just a few bills and a card sometimes; now and then, you might get a box of something you purchased and that’s always fun. You know, though, that the mailman doesn’t always bring you what you ordered. As in “Delivered by Midwives” by Jenny M. Luke, someone else brings a different kind of package.
"She Raised Her Voice! 50 Black Women Who Sang Their Way into Music History" by Jordannah Elizabeth, illustrated by Briana Dengoue
Tap, tap, tap, tap. That's often the start of some good music. The sound of sticks hitting cymbals. The pat of a hand on a stomach or thigh, just keeping the beat. It's what your toes do when you're about to break out into a dance because the tunes are just so good. Tap, clap, tap, and read "She Raised Her Voice! by Jordannah Elizabeth, illustrated by Briana Dengoue.
“Mabel and Sam at Home” by Linda Urban, illustrated by Hadley Hooper
That’s what it said on the side of the box. Don’t shake it, don’t bump it, and whatever you do, don’t drop it. What’s inside there is important enough for careful lifting but, as you’ll see in the new book, “Mabel and Sam at Home” by Linda Urban, illustrated by Hadley Hooper, the box itself isn’t just a box.
“I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons” by Kevin Hart
You can pretend all you want. Hide your head in the sand and say it ain’t so. Cover your ears and yell “LaLaLaLaLa” until everyone thinks you’re five years old. You can deny, deny, deny, but listen up: some things are factual, so read “I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons” by Kevin Hart, and you may learn something.
“Flying Lessons & Other Stories,” Edited by Ellen Oh
So, have you heard the one about…? Of course you have. You’re all over social media. You know what’s going on; sometimes it feels like you’ve heard it all, and maybe you have. Now in “Flying Lessons & Other Stories,” edited by Ellen Oh, you’ll hear it from a different side.
“Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, A Monumental American Man” by Tonya Bolden
You’re not backing down. There’s a line in the sand and nobody’s crossing it on your watch. When something isn’t right and you can fix it, you’re going to defend it, too, even if it costs you. As you’ll see in “Facing Frederick” by Tonya Bolden, if you lived in the mid-1800s, you’d be in good company.
Best Books of 2020
You've got a little extra time this month, and you don't want to waste it. You want to read something good, the possibilities are endless, and the best place to begin is with these Best Books of 2020 titles...
"Do the Work! An Antiracist Activity Book" by W. Kamau Bell & Kate Schatz
You're almost out. Out of energy, ideas, motivation, totally depleted from all you've been doing lately. Seeing racism, acting against inequality, speaking out against it, fighting for your friends and family, it all takes a toll and when you're just plain tired, you need something to help you focus. You need "Do the Work!" by W. Kamau Bell & Kate Schatz to energize you.
