Celebrating and Empowering Black Lives and Black Authors

The Story Behind an Unsung Event in the Civil Rights Movement

“Over eight days, eight students sparked change that defined their lives, changed an institution and fueled a movement that continues today.” ─Alberto Ibargüen, President and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and former publisher of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald

#1 New Release in 1960s History of the U.S. and 2020 Finalist Sarton Women's Literary Award for Nonfiction with Special Recognition

Fighting injustice and racism. This narrative tells the story of seven women and one man at the heart of a black power sit-in protesting decreased enrollment and hiring of African Americans at Swarthmore College, and demanding an African American Studies curriculum. The book, written by the former students themselves, includes autobiographical chapters providing a view into the lives of young people during the Civil Rights era.

Correcting media representation. For years the media and some in the school community portrayed the peaceful protest in a negative light―this collective narrative provides a very necessary and overdue retelling of the revolution that took place at Swarthmore College in 1969. The group of eight student protestors only recently have begun to receive credit for the school’s greater inclusiveness, as well as the influence their actions had on universities around the country.

The incredible true civil rights movement story in Seven Sisters and a Brother teaches us key lessons:

• Old established institutions can change and will continue to change
• The struggle to give Black history, Black experiences, and Black lives a well earned place in our culture is winnable
• Truth can prevail when we unite with others and refuse to accept surrender

If you’ve read Warriors Don’t Cry, Between the World and Me, Pulse of Perseverance, Barack Obama’s A Promised Land, or Cicely Tyson’s Just as I Am; then you’ll love Seven Sisters and a Brother.

Poetry to Confront Depression, Anxiety, Grief, and Loss

Are the usual anxiety books helping you find a path to healing? No? Try this collection of poetry specially crafted for those dealing with mental health and the people closest to them.

Poetry meets mental health. Paloma is faking it. On the outside, she’s A-Okay. She’s electrified at work, there is a cadence in her step as she walks her dog, she posts memes on Facebook, and she keeps up with most relationships. Looks can be deceiving, however. Inside, Paloma is just going through the motions, and she feels like things are spiraling out of control. But when things are at their darkest, dawn arrives with clarity and focus, and with it, healing. Paloma learns to value small glimmering moments of joy rather than searching for constant happiness, thus building hope for her future.

A manifesto for life. An electric roadmap to healing and a manifesto for wholeness, Happy, Okay?: Poems about Anxiety, Depression, Hope, and Survival, is written in a contemporary style reminiscent of Rupi Kaur and Pierre Alex Jeanty. But this poetry book is not simply a narrative spun in verse. It is an invitation to readers to shake off the stigma and silence of mental health and find strength in the only voice that matters: your own. Whether exploring self-care, social anxiety, or anxiety in relationship, in this inspiring and heartwarming book, you will:

• Understand how to make happiness a decision, even when you don’t feel it in your bones
• Find out how to exercise patience and self-acceptance
• Attract hope and purpose back into your life

If you enjoy poem books or books like Her, Black Girl Magic, Pillow Thoughts, Milk and Honey, or The Sun and Her Flowers, then you will love Happy, Okay? by M.J. Fievre.

Loss of Mother, Bereavement, and Moving On

“I wish I had read this before I lost my mom a few years ago and a dear friend soon after…" –Nina Lesowitz, author of Living Life as a Thank You

#1 Best Seller in Grief & Bereavement, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Self-Esteem

The grieving process. Ty Alexander of Gorgeous in Grey is one of the top bloggers today with a wonderful personal connection with her readers. This is never more apparent than when she speaks about her mother. The pain of loss for mourners is universal. Yet, we all grieve differently. For Alexander, the grieving process is one that she lives with day-to-day. Learning from her pain, she connects with her readers on a deeply emotional level in her book, Things I Wish I Knew Before My Mom Died: Coping with Loss Every Day. From grief counseling to sharing insightful true stories, Alexander offers comfort, reassurance, and hope in the face of sorrow.

Coping with loss. In her early 20’s reality smacked Ty in the face. She was ill equipped to deal with the emotional and intellectual rollercoaster of dealing with her mom’s illness. Through her own trial and error, she found a way to be a caregiver, patient advocate, researcher, and a grieving daughter. She wrote Things I Wish I Knew Before My Mom Died to help others find the “best” way to cope and move on, however one personally decides what that means.

Mourning and remembrance. In the chapters of this soul-touching book, mourners find meaning and wisdom in grieving and the love that always remains.

Inside this comforting and insightful book find:

• Help with the pain of losing a loved one
• Assistance in understanding the grieving process
• Comfort and support while learning how to move on
  

If you have read grief and bereavement books such as Notes on Grief, Grief Day by Day, or Finding Meaning, you will want to read Things I Wish I Knew Before My Mom Died.

Black Business Woman, Claim Your Power!

“Learn from one of the most powerful women in the USA, who has been blazing trails and creating sustainable million-dollar wealth from Washington DC to the sands of Abu Dhabi.” ―Natascha Faye Saunders, associate director at Harvard University

Winner NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Instructional Literary Work

If you’re a Black business woman and feeling stuck or trapped by other people’s expectations of what you can achieve, it’s time to stop playing small and start redefining what success means for you. It’s time to get that upgrade.

Channel your black girl magic.  Karen Arrington―author of Your Next Level Life, founder of the Miss Black USA Pageant, creator of the Next Level Women’s Summit, and mentor to thousands of confident, successful young black women―is your guide to getting to your next level life.

Build a legacy of black excellence. How big do you want to live? With the seven simple rules in Your Next Level Life, you’ll learn how to bring your career, income, and lifestyle to that next level. Don’t settle for a life of invisibility and mediocrity. Set ambitious goals, reach for bigger opportunities, and know that you are brave enough to get what you deserve.

Give the gift of confidence. Looking for inspirational black gifts for aspiring black women in business? Your Next Level Life is unlike other self-help books for women. It’s a guide to opportunity that recognizes and celebrates the true magic of ambitious black women.

Adopt the 7 rules of power, confidence, and opportunity and you can find success:

• Create all the money you need
• Position yourself like a star
• Connect with other powerful women

Give a gift of confidence. If you have read books such as Pussy Prayers, Be Unapologetically You, Lead from the Outside, or The Little Black Book of Success, you’ll love Your Next Level Life.

#1 New Release in Caribbean & West Indies History — Discover the True Story Behind One of the Black Passengers on the Titanic

An Incredible Tragedy: Joseph Laroche was an anomaly among the passengers of the Titanic. He was exceptionally well-educated in a time when few black men had access to an education―and when even fewer were able to travel on a luxurious ship in first or second class.

Who was Joseph Laroche? Where was he going, and what was his story?

Rediscovered History: This biography recounts the life of Joseph Laroche, his part in the history of Haiti, and how he, as a 24-year-old father of two (soon to be three) children, ended up on the last ship of that era of glamourous travel. He was a direct descendant of the father of Haitian independence and related to two Haitian presidents. As an engineer, Laroche contributed to the construction of the Parisian railway and had a promising future ahead of him.

A Brilliant Biography: Ivorian-French writer Serge Bilé is the author of this fresh perspective on the tragedy that still fascinates millions and has inspired dozens of history books. With thorough research in Haiti and France, Bilé unearths the story of the intriguing figure of Joseph Laroche. This is a story of multi-cultural black history and of the political and natural forces that converged on one man.

Readers who were fascinated by the true stories behind Hidden Figures and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks will love this engaging tale.

Silence the Voice of Self Doubt

“Banish Your Inner Critic provides knowledge, insight, tools and practice for getting unstuck and expressing full creative potential." ―Rebecca Stockley, Co-Founder of BATS Improv in San Francisco CA

Are you ready to boost your personal productivity—minus the fear and loathing? Are you ready to Banish Your Inner Critic and unleash the creative ideas and personal productivity within you? Help is on the way!

Blocked creative ideas. Everybody has one, an inner critic that tells you that others have more talent, you’re just faking it, and that you’ll never have those great creative ideas that seem just out of reach. This inner critic is a subconscious deterrent that stands between the seeds of great creative ideas and the fruits of achievement. It afflicts us with a mental block as deadlines approach, makes us so afraid of being judged that we hold ourselves back and don’t share our expertise, forces us to question our ability to learn ideas and technologies quickly; and makes us doubt, discount, and kill our ideas before they see the light of day.

Find a world of creative ideas. Denise Jacobs is a speaker, author and creativity evangelist who speaks at web conferences and consults with tech companies worldwide. As the Founder and Chief Creativity Evangelist of "The Creative Dose", she teaches techniques to make the creative process more fluid, how to make work environments more conducive to personal productivity, and practices for sparking innovation. Now, in Banish Your Inner Critic, Denise Jacobs shows you how to defeat barriers that are holding you back and achieve success through a positive mental attitude.

Banish Your Inner Critic and:

• Identify and quiet the voice of self-doubt
• Master three powerful practices to transform how you relate to yourself and your creativity
• Generate more creative ideas than ever before

If you’re a fan of books such as The Artist’s Way or The War of Art, you should read Banish Your Inner Critic.

Approach Crisis with Self-Love, Assertiveness and Courage

You are not alone: Since the start of the recession, 8.8 million jobs have been lost, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bridgitte Jackson-Buckley was one of those 8.8 million people who lost their jobs. Between 2007 and 2014, she was also one of 7.3 million homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure. Some affected by job loss and foreclosure, due to the economic downturn, were able to bounce back relatively emotionally unscathed. Many, however, internalized the outer events as a negative reflection of their personal capacities without taking a deeper look at the crisis as a potential underlying catalyst. In The Gift of Crisis, Bridgitte shows you how to explore crisis as a tool for courageous change, regaining your self-esteem with self-love and self-compassion.

Regain control with assertiveness: Although a personal economic crisis can be viewed as an externally-influenced event that is somehow both beyond your control and within your control, it can also be an opportunity to examine the conscious and sub-conscious conditions that brought the experience into your life. It was through experiences of prolonged financial crisis that Bridgitte realized she subconsciously co-created experiences that felt so bad until the only place she could go was within—exactly where she needed to go. In The Gift of Crisis, you will discover how helpful going within and retaking control can be for you, too.

Find space for spiritual growth: The Gift of Crisis will show how repeated crises can serve as a catalyst to reveal the underlying purpose, and how questions posed during a meditative state can reveal answers in the direction of a higher purpose. For women and men who are sincerely interested in spiritual growth, yet find it difficult to make “mental room” to dedicate to such growth due to personal distractions, this inspirational book will demonstrate the practical manner in which meditation and prayer can assist during any type of crisis as a means of reaching for a calmer, clearer, more courageous and purposeful life.

The Gift of Crisis interposes personal stories and prescriptive ideas amidst ongoing financial destitution to raise your self-esteem, self-compassion and self-love. In reading this book, you will learn how to:

• Deepen your trust in a Higher Intelligence and in your higher purpose
• Welcome change and embrace change with courage
• Focus your attention on the emergence of new possibilities as a result of the crisis

If you liked Brené Brown’s inspirational book The Gifts of Imperfection, you’ll love The Gift of Crisis.