Books That Inspire
Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig on the books that have impacted her life.
Books That Inspire
Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig on the books that have impacted her life.
I was not one of those kids who was always in a corner with a book. We went to the library a lot, but my love of reading developed out of a hunger to learn about things I was not being taught in school. As I sat down to create this list, I thought not necessarily about my favorite books, but about those that were important to me at formative stages of my life. Some are books of such novelty and power that I wish I had written them myself. Others were on my mind this year because so many people have lost loved ones. In many ways, these books are about people striving for a better and more just world, but they are also about the people behind that striving—the stories of the hurt and the trauma and the laughter—and the humanity that we all share. I hope you enjoy them, and find inspiration in them, as I have.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
One of my all-time favorite teachers introduced me to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Ms. Halmicek provided an excellent example of how to push students to confront their own racism through education. As a girl who was frequently the only Black kid in my honors classes (because the honors system seemed only to racially segregate my schools), I took note of how she questioned my classmates about their assumptions and comments.
Illusions
Richard Bach
A good friend recommended Illusions, by Richard Bach, to me in high school. Now that I am older and understand the role that structures and institutions play in determining a person’s life outcomes, I can offer criticisms of the book’s individualist approach. At that point of my life, however, believing in my nearly complete ability to shape my own outcomes was key.
Kindred
Octavia Butler
A work of genius that you will not be able to put down, Octavia Butler’s Kindred tells the story of a Black woman who finds herself uncontrollably (at least for a while) traveling back and forth between the 1970s and the antebellum period, where she is enslaved by one of her white ancestors.
The House on Mango Street
Sandra Cisneros
I read The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, in college, and it spoke to me like none other. In a collection of vignettes, it tells the story of Esperanza, a smart girl from a low-income, immigrant family who moves from rental to rental but dreams of having her own house, as she grows up in a culture where girls are not always encouraged to use their voices.
Citizen
Claudia Rankine
Citizen by Claudia Rankine is poetry but not poetry, vignettes and not quite vignettes. It uses unnamed protagonists to relay the pain and trauma of every-day microaggressions. It is incredibly effective.
Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
I have been working on a Yale Law Journal book review essay of Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow, by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., with University of Miami Law Professor Anthony Alfieri. A study of stereotypes of Black people that have persisted since slavery, the book inspired us to explore how these tropes have lived on in the US civil and criminal systems and how lawyers rearticulate them in the kinds of arguments they make.
The Light of the World: A Memoir
Elizabeth Alexander
Elizabeth Alexander’s The Light of the World: A Memoir is a beautiful book about the unexpected loss of her husband. In the midst of this pandemic, when so many have lost loved ones, readers will find solace in this book.
The Fire Next Time
James Baldwin
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin is a beautifully written and, sadly, timeless book. It consists of three letters that Baldwin wrote to his nephew about race in the US, with insights gained from the lives of Baldwin and the boy’s father, Baldwin’s brother.
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
Beverly Daniel Tatum
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum is one of the best, most accessible explanations of race and racism around. It is a must-read and full of great examples.
The Prophets
Robert Jones, Jr.
Finally, I am a sucker for love stories, even when they are tragic. The Prophets, by Robert Jones, Jr., was published in January, and I am very much looking forward to reading it. It tells the story of two enslaved Black men who are in love with each other.
