Widely recognized as the season of giving, the holiday season is also a prime time to rest, refuel and reset before a new year begins. As many of us enjoy much-needed downtime over the coming weeks, books are an ideal companion (and gift!), supporting reflection and healing as we get organized, determine new goals and release old baggage — plus, they’re portable, making them perfect for holiday travel. If you or someone on your list could benefit from a boost this season, theGrio is here to help with recommendations for some of the year’s most inspiring narratives.
I Hope You Fail: Ten Hater Statements Holding You Back from Getting Everything You Want – Pinky Cole
“I Hope You Fail,” says Pinky Cole — because she wants you to win. That’s why the founder of the enormously successful Slutty Vegan restaurant chain penned this motivational guide, sharing the life and business lessons learned while overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges. Told in Cole’s down-to-earth, often irreverent style, this empowering and deeply relatable chronicle of leaps made from losses will inspire anyone who needs to be reminded that endings can often present incredible opportunities.
The Gospel According to James Baldwin: What America’s Great Prophet Can Teach Us about Life, Love, and Identity – Greg Garrett
James Baldwin is one of the most profound thinkers of his age or any other; a sage and truth-teller whose messages about race, equality, and the nuances of humanity continue to resonate. While Baldwin is well-known for his work in the literary world and the realm of civil rights, he is less recognized for his contributions to Black theology, an omission writer and professor Greg Garrett corrects in “The Gospel According to James Baldwin: What America’s Great Prophet Can Teach Us about Life, Love, and Identity.” Retracing Baldwin’s physical path from his native Harlem to the American South to Europe, Garrett reveals the writer’s indelible and inspirational influence on the contemporary struggle for social justice.
Sacred Self-Care: Daily Practices for Nurturing Our Whole Selves – Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes
There is nothing more sacred than the relationships we cultivate with ourselves — and all thriving relationships require care. Recognizing that the commodification of self-care has, in many ways, prioritized our physical beings over our inner health, clinical psychologist, pastor, and activist Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes reminds us that self-care is “both a divine right and a sacred obligation” in “Sacred Self-Care.” Perfect for those who do too much yet little for themselves, this seven-week guide is designed to encourage lifelong habits cultivating growth, self-awareness — and, yes, profound care for ourselves, inside and out.
Manifesto: On Never Giving Up – Bernadine Evaristo
Lists touting the “30 Under 30” may position youth as the pinnacle of progress, but sometimes it truly is greater later. Author and academic Bernardine Evaristo was 60 years old when she became the first Black woman and first Black British person to win the coveted Booker Prize in 2019 for her acclaimed novel “Girl, Woman, Other,” the result of a lifelong dedication to telling stories centering Black life. In her nonfiction debut, Evaristo recounts a creative life lived largely in rebellion, defying systems that told her our stories don’t matter. For anyone wondering if their voice truly matters, “Manifesto: On Never Giving Up” is a timely reminder that it does.
The Invisible Ache: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power – Courtney B. Vance and Dr. Robin L. Smith
The mental health of Black men gets the comprehensive and careful treatment it deserves in this collaboration between acclaimed actor Courtney B. Vance and famed psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Robin L. Smith. Centering an often overlooked demographic in the mainstream discussion of mental health, “The Invisible Ache” leads with empathy, reaching beyond stereotypes about “toxic masculinity” to recognize the unique and often outsized challenges Black men face in maintaining mental wellness, in hopes of changing the narrative and improving the outcomes.
Your Journey to Financial Freedom: A Step-By-Step Guide to Achieving Wealth and Happiness – Jamila Souffrant
Healing isn’t only about our bodies and psyches; many of us could use some support in healing our relationship with money and in building financial frameworks in which we and our families can strive. Enter podcaster Jamila Souffrant and “Your Journey to Financial Freedom: A Step-By-Step Guide to Achieving Wealth and Happiness.” Using innovative advice for responsible saving and spending while giving ample grace for joy-inspiring splurges, Souffrant, a mother of three and first-generation Jamaican immigrant, is a warm and relatable guide to financial freedom.
Disruptive Thinking: A Daring Strategy to Change How We Live, Lead, and Love – T.D. Jakes
Bishop T.D. Jakes’ latest bestseller urges us to think differently to achieve the breakthroughs we, our relationships, and our communities need and deserve. “Disruptive Thinking: A Daring Strategy to Change How We Live, Lead, and Love” reminds us that “breakthroughs, by definition, run against the grain and almost always encounter skepticism and opposition.” Combining practical, experiential and spiritual insight with examples of disruptive thinkers in his midst, Jakes’ book “for leaders, thinkers, doers and creators” dares us to believe in our capacity to create meaningful change. A companion study guide is also available for purchase.
Adversity for Sale: Ya Gotta Believe – Jay “Jeezy” Jenkins
Hip-hop lyrics are often rife with grandiose wordplay and hyperbole, but the real-life story of Jay Jenkins — best known as “Jeezy” — was no fairytale. From a childhood spent as a military brat and then in poverty in the American South, Jenkins learned to hustle early, getting into the street game to make his fortune, before finding a way out of the trap through music. Not to be dismissed as a “street memoir,” the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller “Adversity for Sale” is a gritty chronicle of making something out of nothing — and an empire out of raw ambition.
The Black Joy Project – Kleaver Cruz
It won’t hit bookshelves until Dec. 19, but you can preorder the gift of Black joy this season, and it will still arrive in time for Christmas or Kwanzaa. A companion piece to the initiative of the same name, educator and activist Kleaver Cruz’s “The Black Joy Project” is “a literary and visual love letter to the role of joy in Black life around the globe,” featuring eight essays and 117 full-color images celebrating how we continue to thrive in the face of systemic oppression, and how joy remains an essential act of resistance and source of resilience. “Black Joy is present in every place that Black people exist,” the book reminds us — a cogent reminder during the holiday season.
Looking for more Black books to gift this holiday season? Check out theGrio’s Ultimate Holiday Book Guide on the “Writing Black” podcast!
Maiysha Kai is theGrio’s lifestyle editor, covering all things Black and beautiful. Her work is informed by two decades of experience in fashion and entertainment, great books, and the brilliance of Black culture. She is also the editor-author of Body: Words of Change series and the host of ‘Writing Black‘ with Maiysha Kai.
Never miss a beat: Get our daily stories straight to your inbox with theGrio’s newsletter.