All results / Stories / Terri Schlichenmeyer
“Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America” by W. Caleb McDaniel
Home Sweet Home. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like it. It’s where your family is, where you hang your coat, where you keep your stuff. Even the word “home” equals safety and comfort, and in the new book “Sweet Taste of Liberty” by W. Caleb McDaniel, getting home could mean payback, too.
“Black is the Body: Stories From My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine” by Emily Bernard
Your mother dealt with things you can’t imagine. It was a different time when she was your age, with societal issues you’d never tolerate and rules you wouldn’t abide. Same with your grandma: scrapbooks, history books and museums are the only places you’ll see what she lived. So what will your children know?
“Inventing Victoria” by Tonya Bolden
You can be anything you want to be! That’s what you were told, growing up: you could do anything, try everything, and be anybody you wanted to be, if you tried. Set your sights on something, and it was yours – so in the new novel “Inventing Victoria” by Tonya Bolden, a young girl wants a better life.
“Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America’s Most Powerful Mobster” by Stephen L. Carter
Here I am! You raise your hand higher so you don’t go unnoticed. You speak up, so you aren’t overlooked. It’s a natural human need: pay attention, here I am, look this way, see me. For some, it’s easy to get recognition; for others – as in the new book “Invisible” by Stephen L. Carter – years later, it still doesn’t arrive.
“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?
“Dear Martin: A Novel” by Nic Stone
What if your entire future was mapped out for you? All you’d have to do is show up, keep your nose clean and your mouth shut. But what if you couldn’t? What if the color of your skin had some bearing on it, and your outrage and need for understanding made you speak up? As in the new novel, “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone, WWMLKD?
“Encyclopedia of Black Comics” by Sheena C. Howard, foreword by Henry louis Gates, Jr., afterword by Christopher Priest
“Draw, Sheriff.” Oh, how you loved to do that. It started with spider-legged people and crooked houses. As you got better, you replicated and created worlds, invented characters, and expanded your tool use. Even today, with sharp pencil or fine pen, you can still make a respectable doodle; in the new book “Encyclopedia of Black Comics” by Sheena C. Howard, you’ll see how you’re right in ‘toon.
“Keep Your Airspeed Up: The Story of a Tuskegee Airman” by Harold H. Brown with Marsha S. Bordner
In things of great importance, you stand on the shoulders of giants. Those who came before you gave you a boost to get you where you are. They cleared your path and knocked aside obstacles. You stand on the shoulders of those giants even if, as in the new book “Keep Your Airspeed Up” by Harold H. Brown (with Marsha S. Bordner), the giant was once kinda scrawny.
"Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life and Win the 1960 Election" by Stephen Kendrick and Paul Kendrick
Always look for the helpers. No doubt, you've heard those words before: whenever you're in trouble – lost, scared, unsure, in danger – look around. Somewhere nearby, there's someone who'll help. As in the new book "Nine Days" by Stephen Kendrick and Paul Kendrick, though, it might not be quick. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. had been in jail before.
"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.
"Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away" by Annie Duke c.2022, Penguin Portfolio $27.00 336 pages
It's over. The last page is read, the credits are rolling, your plate is clean, you've said your good-byes for tonight, for this weekend, for this month, forever. It's time to turn your back and walk away – or is it? In "Quit" by Annie Duke, learn when to say alright and when to say adieu.
"Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home" by Kate Mangino
c.2022, St. Martin's Press $29.99 344 pages
Plates on one end, bowls on the other, glasses on top. It's your turn to load the dishwasher tonight, but if you plead ignorance on how it's done properly, maybe you could worm your way out of it. Somebody else'll do it, so go sit down. Take a rest and read "Equal Partners" by Kate Mangino, then ask yourself if you could've assumed another chore tonight.
"Buyer Aware: Harnessing Our Consumer Power for a Safe, Fair, and Transparent Marketplace" by Marta L. Tellado
Don't look now, but you're being shadowed. It sure seems like it sometimes. Play around on social media and a few minutes later, ads start showing up for the discussions you just posted. Search a topic, click on a link, peek at an ad, and hey, are you being followed?
"House of Cotton" by Monica Brashears
The role is yours, if you want it. You can play the part on a stage or in a film, but there are a few requirements: you have to be able to sing and dance and speak with an accent. Can you convince an audience that you're someone you're not? As in the new book, "House of Cotton" by Monica Brashears, can you play dead?
"House of Cotton" by Monica Brashears
The role is yours, if you want it. You can play the part on a stage or in a film, but there are a few requirements: you have to be able to sing and dance and speak with an accent. Can you convince an audience that you're someone you're not? As in the new book, "House of Cotton" by Monica Brashears, can you play dead?
"The Last Resort: Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach" by Sarah Stodola
Your bags are packed. Yep, you're headed for five days of sun, sea, and sand. Early-morning dips in the ocean, flip-flops, and little grains of beach in the sheets every night. But you won't care, you'll be on V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. Might want to check first, though: read "The Last Resort" by Sarah Stodola to be sure your venue's going to be there.
"Rich White Men: What It Takes to Uproot the Old Boys' Club and Transform America" by Garrett Neiman, foreword by Robin DiAngelo, introduction by Allen Kwabena Frimpong
One step ahead, three steps behind. That's how your life feels sometimes. You make movement forward and something comes along to push you back to where you were two weeks ago. Progress is made, and just as quickly taken away. You get to where you need to be, and you're clawed back. Welcome to the real world and, as in the new book "Rich White Men" by Garrett Neiman, come meet the culprit.
"I Am Debra Lee: A Memoir" by Debra Lee
Everybody's looking at you. They're wondering what you're going to do next, because you often surprise them. They don't know what you're about to say because you're never predictable. So stand up, throw your shoulders back, let them watch and learn a thing or two. As in the new memoir, "I Am Debra Lee" by Debra Lee, represent.
"Black Widow" by Leslie Gray Streeter
You find yourself spinning, spinning, spinning. When you lose someone, that's how it feels: like you're spinning in place, you can't think or understand, and there's a time limit, as if you're in one of those game show Cash Machines and you can't catch a thing. You can barely fathom that, as in the new book "Black Widow" by Leslie Gray Streeter, it will get better.
"The First, The Few, The Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America" by Deepa Purushothaman
There's no one like you. For most of your life, you've been told how unique you are, how wonderful, how important, all true. You're one of a kind, singular, you're like no one else on Earth. And in the new book, "The First, The Few, The Only" by Deepa Purushothaman, that probably goes at work, too.

