While books continue to be pulled from library shelves around the country, there is much that can be learned about leadership from the courageous storytelling and accounts of others. Leaderology celebrates noteworthy, yet banned, literature by Black authors you may want to add to your collection.
#morethanamonth
James Baldwin's second novel, Giovanni’s Room is set in 1950s Paris and narrated by David during "the night which is leading me to the most terrible morning of my life," when Giovanni will be executed.
Published in 1956, Baldwin’s stunning book was originally banned for its candid exploration of gender identity and sexuality.
“Nobody ever died of love.”
“You didn't just find a self out there waiting. You had to make one. You had to create who you wanted to be.”
Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.
“A long time ago, some people thought that Black people and White people should not be friends.”
In actuality, it wasn't all that long ago: today Ruby Bridges is just 68 years old.
Told through the eyes of a child and for the education of children, Ruby Goes to School: My True Story is Ruby's first-hand account of what it not only took to walk through those fateful school doors, but what took place once she was inside.
“We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited.”
Born A Crime is the heartbreaking yet hilarious childhood account of writer and comedian, Trevor Noah. The autobiography follows a mischievous young boy growing up under South African Apartheid and his attempts to make sense of a world in which he wasn't intended to exist. It also is a love letter to the #fearlesslyauthentic woman who raised him. This one may best be 'read' as an audiobook, which we hear is an exceptional experience.
