BOOKS
Kindred Stories Shares Top Picks for National Book Month
In need of a new read? This Black-owned bookstore has got you covered.
Kindred Stories is bringing Black literature to Houston's Third Ward neighborhood.
Image: Jessie Almanza
Last month, Kindred Stories, a Black-woman-owned bookstore in Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood, opened its brick-and-mortar. Founded by New York native, Terri Hamm in an effort to amplify Black literary voices in the community, the shop has made a significant impact on locals with author talks by Clint Smith, Gabrielle Union, Jason Wilson and America’s auntie Tabitha Brown and many more.
In honor of National Book Month, we stopped by to browse their recommendations for new and old reads.
Image: TRA Publishing
Sweet People Are Everywhere (Children, Illustrated)
by Alice Walker
Conceived by formidable writer and activist Alice Walker and illustrated by Quim Torres, this heartwarming picture book is a celebration of the goodness in people all around the world. This selection will be released on Nov. 2.
Image: Vintage
Homegoing (Fiction)
by Yaa Gyasi
Ghanaian-American novelist Yaa Gyasi paints a vivid picture of slavery’s troubled legacy with this story about two half-sisters, one captured and sold into slavery, the other married off to an Englishman. It weaves a tale about the lives of their descendants over the course of 300 years.
Image: Counterpoint
Old in Art School (Memoir)
by Nell Painter
In this memoir, historian and educator Nell Painter recounts her journey starting from scratch as she transitioned from tenured professor to art school student. It’s a vulnerable and tender story about how she navigated pursuing a new passion in visual art.
Image: One World
The Beautiful Ones (Autobiography)
by Prince
This posthumous memoir is an intimate depiction of Prince’s musical genius and features never-before-seen portraits, handwritten letters, lyrics and more. There’s also a special, purple surprise under the book jacket.
Image: Vintage
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration (Non-Fiction, Essays)
by Isabel Wilkerson
This New York Times bestseller chronicles the untold stories of the mass movement of Black people across the United States in the early 20th century. It’s a narrative-driven, honest exploration of the social and political motivations behind the Great Migration.
Image: Penguin Workshop
Lux: The New Girl (Fiction, Young Adult)
by Ashley Woodfolk
The first installment of Ashley Woodfolk’s series Flyy Girls centers on the misadventures of four Harlem high school juniors. Written at a fifth-grade level and perfect for all ages, this book follows the girls and their journeys through love, friendship and community.
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them (Fiction, Young Adult)
by Junauda Petrus
This book is a beautifully crafted romance novel told in the distinct voices of two 16-year-old girls, Audre from Trinidad and Mabel from Minneapolis. Petrus conjures a story that is equal parts heartbreaking and healing as the girls navigate young adulthood, terminal illness and the prison industrial complex.
For more information on Kindred Stories, visit here.
