In an interview with Kukuwa Ashan of Electric Lit, Kaitlyn Greenidge discusses her recently released novel, Libertie––one of JARO’s most anticipated reads of 2021. A gripping story about the meaning of freedom, Libertie follows free-born Libertie Simpson and her life in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn. Her mother, a physician, yearned for Libertie to follow in her footsteps. […]
Inspired by the Little Free Libraries around the globe, Amplify Library is a new progressive concept which centers on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) authors. If you aren’t aware of Little Free Libraries, these tiny libraries are placed in various communities, parks, and even unassuming places. There’s two in my neighborhood alone, and […]
**This thinkpiece contains spoilers from Brit Bennett’s “The Vanishing Half.” In Brit Bennett’s compelling best-seller The Vanishing Half, two fair-skinned African American twins choose drastically different paths for themselves: One secretly decides to pass as white, while the other embodies her Black identity. Released in June of 2020, the novel has received widespread acclaim while […]
Akwaeke Emezi’s upcoming 2022 romance novel You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is set to be adapted as a film. Amazon Studios won the highly competitive bidding battle, and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society will develop. This marks the first major film property acquisition for Jordan. Emezi credits the title of the […]
In the early days of spring, I decided to partake in one of my favorite activities: thrifting for books. Typically, I come across gold in unexpected places, and this particular afternoon was no different. Slightly hidden within the arbitrary shelves of Goodwill, I discovered a pristine copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora […]
A new graphic novel and memoir titled Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Dr. Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez uncovers the true story of what occurred as women fought back during slavery. With extensive research and stunning black-and-white illustrations, Wake recounts Hall’s journey of discovering the truth about these women warriors who, […]
Janicza Bravo (Zola, Lemon) is set to direct and executive produce the FX adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s celebrated 1979 science fiction novel Kindred, Deadline reports. Newcomer Mallori Johnson has been cast as the main character, Dana, for the television series. Kindred follows Dana’s journey as an aspiring writer who leaves her constricted familial life […]
If there is a “resilience continuum” measuring from low-to-high a person’s ability to recover quickly after a setback, former National Football League player Reggie Williams would be off the scale. In his award-winning memoir, Resilient by Nature: Reflections from a Life of Winning On and Off the Football Field (Post Hill Press), the Flint, Michigan […]
Another novel by science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler is receiving an adaptation. Butler’s New York Times bestseller Parable of the Sower has been picked up by A24, with Garrett Bradley directing. This is the fourth Butler project to be developed by a major Hollywood studio, following Kindred, Wild Seed, and Dawn. Each project is […]
On September 8th, Democratic lawmaker, voting rights activist, and author Stacey Abrams shared the official cover art via Twitter for her upcoming children’s book Stacey’s Extraordinary Words. Published by HarperCollins, the book will be released on December 28th and is now available to pre-order. Illustrated by Kitt Thomas, Stacey’s Extraordinary Words will be based on […]