A thing about myself that I’ve never been ashamed of—I’m a book worm.
My collection of books is only rivaled by your nearby library. And, even then, it better be the big one, not those little local branches.
One of my earliest dreams, when my first born started recognizing letters and sounds, was to have a library for her. She could always entertain herself by pulling a book off my shelf, curling up on a couch or in my bed, and diving head first into a good piece of history or a great story. And, though she’s quite the teenager now, I’ve kept my word.
Reading has been a huge part of my weight loss journey, too. Understanding food, what it is, what it was, what it has become over time and why has helped empower me to make better choices for not only myself, but my family, and do it with conviction. Fancy marketing with pretty colors and big promises can’t sway you if you know that what’s reflected on that nutrition label is nothing but trouble.
I’m often asked to outline what I’ve read, keep people abreast of what I’m reading currently, and what’s on my docket next. I used to run a “book of the month” section on my newsletter (that’s currently on hiatus, but will be back soon, so subscribe!) with great feedback, so I’ve decided to continue the spirit of that, here.
Meet: The A Black Girl’s Guide to Weight Loss Syllabus—required reading for anyone interested in learning about living a healthier life in the 21st century. I have tons of books that I read and reference frequently on various topics, from nutrition to fitness to the food industry to culture to politics and more, and if you want to keep up with what’s happening in our world, the best place to begin is a book.
Here is a list of every book I’ve ever recommended to the #bgg2wlarmy, and some of them are real staples. I read The End of Overeating annually, I frequently revisit Case Against Sugar, and when I feel like I need a reminder of what it means to have a very complex food system, I take another look at American Way of Eating. These are books that are very close to my heart, and I’m happy to share them with you.
I also must mention that these links to buy these books are affiliate links—if you choose to purchase any of these books and use my links to do so, Amazon will throw literally a few pennies in my direction. Those pennies help, though, because big ol’ websites like this ain’t cheap to run.
I’ll be creating a table of contents with different lists, organized by subject, to help make it easier to sort. This one is about food; another will be about Soul Food, and others will cover more in-depth topics related to the policies that contributed to our communities lacking the fresh produce and quality offerings necessary to live healthily.
I hope these books are as helpful to you as they’ve been to me!