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Black Box Thinking
by Matthew SyedNobody wants to fail. But in highly complex organizations, success can happen only when we confront our mistakes, learn from our own version of a black box, and create a climate where it's safe to fail. We all have to endure failure from time to time, whether it's underperforming at a job interview, flunking an exam, or losing a pickup basketball game. But for people working in safety-critical industries, getting it wrong can have deadly consequences. Consider the shocking fact that preventable medical error is the third-biggest killer in the United States, causing more than 400,000 deaths every year. More people die from mistakes made by doctors and hospitals than from traffic accidents. And most of those mistakes are never made public, because of malpractice settlements with nondisclosure clauses.For a dramatically different approach to failure, look at aviation. Every passenger aircraft in the world is equipped with an almost indestructible black box. Whenever there's any sort of mishap, major or minor, the box is opened, the data is analyzed, and experts figure out exactly what went wrong. Then the facts are published and procedures are changed, so that the same mistakes won't happen again. By applying this method in recent decades, the industry has created an astonishingly good safety record. Few of us put lives at risk in our daily work as surgeons and pilots do, but we all have a strong interest in avoiding predictable and preventable errors. So why don't we all embrace the aviation approach to failure rather than the health-care approach? As Matthew Syed shows in this eye-opening book, the answer is rooted in human psychology and organizational culture. Syed argues that the most important determinant of success in any field is an acknowledgment of failure and a willingness to engage with it. Yet most of us are stuck in a relationship with failure that impedes progress, halts innovation, and damages our careers and personal lives. We rarely acknowledge or learn from failure--even though we often claim the opposite. We think we have 20/20 hindsight, but our vision is usually fuzzy.Syed draws on a wide range of sources--from anthropology and psychology to history and complexity theory--to explore the subtle but predictable patterns of human error and our defensive responses to error. He also shares fascinating stories of individuals and organizations that have successfully embraced a black box approach to improvement, such as David Beckham, the Mercedes F1 team, and Dropbox.From the Hardcover edition.
Black Boy Smile: A Memoir in Moments
by D. WatkinsA New York Times bestselling and award-winning author presents a complex story about his coming-of-age journey as a Black boy, from the societal roots of trauma to finding joy. "If I had two wishes, it would be that D. Watkins spend an entire book writing through the terrifying wonder of Black boyness in America, and for every human to read and share this book. I am shaken. Black Boy Smile changed my relationship to writing and me."―Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy and winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal At nine years old, D. Watkins has three concerns in life: picking his dad&’s Lotto numbers, keeping his Nikes free of creases, and being a man. Directly in his periphery is east Baltimore, a poverty-stricken city battling the height of the crack epidemic just hours from the nation&’s capital. Watkins, like many boys around him, is thrust out of childhood and into a world where manhood means surviving by slinging crack on street corners and finding oneself on the right side of pistols. For thirty years, Watkins is forced to safeguard every moment of joy he experiences or risk losing himself entirely. Now, for the first time, Watkins harnesses these moments to tell the story of how he matured into the D. Watkins we know today—beloved author, college professor, editor-at-large of Salon.com, and devoted husband and father.Black Boy Smile lays bare Watkins&’s relationship with his father and his brotherhood with the boys around him. He shares candid recollections of early assaults on his body and mind and reveals how he coped using stoic silence disguised as manhood. His harrowing pursuit of redemption, written in his signature street style, pinpoints how generational hardship, left raw and unnurtured, breeds toxic masculinity. Watkins discovers a love for books, is admitted to two graduate programs, meets with his future wife, an attorney—and finds true freedom in fatherhood. Equally moving and liberating, Black Boy Smile is D. Watkins&’s love letter to Black boys in concrete cities, a daring testimony that brings to life the contradictions, fears, and hopes of boys hurdling headfirst into adulthood. Black Boy Smile is a story proving that when we acknowledge the fallacies of our past, we can uncover the path toward self-discovery. Black Boy Smile is the story of a Black boy who healed.
Black Faces in High Places: 10 Strategic Actions for Black Professionals to Reach the Top and Stay There
by Randal D. Pinkett Jeffrey A. RobinsonGOLD MEMBER WINNER — LIVING NOW BOOK AWARD: SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP and eLIT BOOK AWARD: BUSINESS AUDIOBOOKA timely resource for Black professionals on how to rise to the top of their organizations or industries and, just as importantly, to stay there.Black Faces in High Places is the essential guide for Black professionals who are moving up through their organizations or industries but need a roadmap for how to get to the top and stay there. Based on the authors' considerable experiences in business, in the public eye, and as a minority, the book shows how African-American professionals can (and must) think and act both entrepreneurially and "intrapreneurially".In this book, you will: Expand yourself beyond your comfort zone Recognize and demonstrate the four facets of excellenceBuild beneficial relationships and powerful networksIdentify different mentors and learn from others' experiencesDiscover ways of working with others to facilitate collective action Black Faces in High?Places highlights the experiences of other Black faces in high places who were able to navigate various crossroads, reach the top, and stay there, including insights from President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Cathy Hughes, Angela Glover Blackwell, Ken Chenault, Senator Cory Booker, Geoffrey Canada, and others.
Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness
by Philana Patterson Randal D. Pinkett Jeffrey A. RobinsonDiscover how African-American professionals can combine their personal strengths with the wisdom of others to plant the seeds of a positive, lasting legacy in the workplace.Randal Pinkett was the first African-American winner on The Apprentice. When he won, he also became the only contestant to be asked to share his victory with a white woman.For generations, African-Americans have been told that they need to work twice as hard as everyone else to succeed. However, as millions of black Americans were reminded by Pinkett's experience, sometimes hard work is not enough.Black Faces in White Places is about "the game", the competitive world in which we all live and work. The book offers 10 revolutionary strategies for playing, mastering, and changing the game for the current generation, while undertaking a wholesale redefinition of the rules for those who will follow.In this book, you will:Expand yourself beyond your comfort zoneRecognize and demonstrate the four facets of excellenceBuild beneficial relationships and powerful networksIdentify different mentors and learn from others' experiencesDiscover ways of working with others to facilitate collective actionBased on the authors' considerable experiences in business, in the public eye, and in the minority, the book shows how African-American professionals can (and must) think and act both entrepreneurially and "intrapreneurially".Black Faces in White Places not only explains shattering the old "glass ceiling&” and changing the concept of success, but also examines the four dimensions of the contemporary black experience: identity, society, meritocracy, and opportunity.
Black Girl Finance
by Selina FlaviusSTART FINANCIALLY THRIVING WITH BLACK GIRL FINANCE Personal finance is a neglected area of personal development and it shouldn't be. We handle money every single day and, for women negatively impacted by the intersection of the gender and ethnicity pay gaps, we can't afford to NOT talk about money. Selina Flavius set up Black Girl Finance to provide a safe space for a community of unapologetic, money-minded women to get real about their financial goals. It's the platform she wishes she had access to when she was growing up and heading out into the workplace, so she could have felt empowered in her financial decisions andavoided countless bad money habits.Selina uses these hard-won insights to help you improve your money management skills - from challenging your money mindset to learning key financial skills, such as how to set up an emergency fund and where to start with budgeting, investing and saving. Black Girl Finance is the guide every woman needs to start their financial journey. Packed with tips, tricks and tools, as well as statistics, personal stories, goal-setting exercises and straight-talking advice, this will be your go-to helping hand when it comes to making your financial goals a reality. So, let's get excited about our financial futures and start having money conversations today.(P)2021 Quercus Editions Limited
Black Girl Finance: Let's Talk Money
by Selina Flavius'This accessible and non-preachy guide [...] is the finance guide you'll keep passing around your friends' COSMOPOLITAN'Reading Black Girl Finance has given me a thorough reminder of what I need to do to get my finances in tip top shape for 2021. It's a guide I keep close to me' - BOLA SOL'A quick, easy read with practical advice and tips' - ELIZABETH OGABI, founder of For Working LadiesSTART FINANCIALLY THRIVING WITH BLACK GIRL FINANCEWe don't like getting real about money, do we? We think maths, we think spreadsheets, we think boring. But Selina Flavius, founder of Black Girl Finance, wants to show that there can be another, better way. A way to start making our hard-earned money work even harder for us.Selina Flavius created Black Girl Finance to address the unique difficulties Black women face due to the gender and ethnicity pay gaps. Since we literally can't afford to wait for change, we need to start changing things up for ourselves. From challenging money mindsets to teaching key skills, such as how to set up an emergency fund and where to start with budgeting, investing and saving, Black Girl Finance provides a safe space for a community of unapologetic, ambitious, money-minded women to get real about their finances.Kick-start your financial journey with Black Girl Finance - the first financial guide of its kind. Packed with tips, tricks and tools, as well as statistics, personal stories, goal-setting exercises and straight-talking advice, this will be your go-to helping hand when it comes to making your financial goals a reality.
Black Girl IRL: Life Between the Mess and the Magic
by Gail Hamilton AzodoWhatever happened to the regular Black girl? The one who works a 9 to 5 or maybe owns her own business or is completing her master's. Or how about the one who is figuring out how to be a good mom or wife or daughter? Or the one that's doing all of the above? Hi, that's a lot of us. Black women are doing it all, and it's not just the Oprahs and Beyonces. There's an entire group of us that are just, well, regular. We're handling things like figuring out if this is the right time to speak up in that work meeting and risk our opinion now being the "voice" for all Black women at our job or if this is the right night to introduce our silk hair bonnet to our nighttime routine in the relationship that is just getting serious. These experiences range from impactful to trivial life decisions, but they shape who we are. So where is our place for this type of girl-talk and unfiltered sharing? Gail Hamilton Azodo is your thirty-something, corporate-ladder-climber turned entrepreneur, mom, wife, and Black Girl IRL. In her dinners, happy hours, and group texts with Black women they shared everything from motivational quotes to the latest on Black girl advice on how to cut ties with friends who no longer aligned with our purpose. In short, providing each other with a how-to on successfully navigating life as everyday Black women. Gail is here to share these authentic stories of being everyday Black women—with a fair number of frills but mostly regular life.It's going to be long, soul-nourishing evening.
Black Girl In Love (with Herself): A Guide to Self-Love, Healing, and Creating the Life You Truly Deserve
by Trey AnthonySpeaker, writer, and producer Trey Anthony breaks it down, giving black women a relatable voice and personalized "keeping it real" to-do list on how to practice self-love and self-care.Therapy is not just for white women-no matter what your momma told you!After a lifetime of never truly relating to the personal development experts because of the color of her skin, Trey Anthony has written the book she needed to read as a black woman trying to navigate a world filled with unique challenges that often acts like she doesn't exist.On the outside Trey Anthony was the overachieving, reliable, and strong black woman she was raised to be, but on the inside the pressure of sacrificing her own needs to please others was building. When her grandmother and mother raised her strong, they also unknowingly taught her that self-love and expressing emotions were weak, creating an unhealthy dynamic that had Trey facing burnout and rock bottom.In Black Girl in Love (with Herself), Trey breaks down the lessons and tools that she used to heal her life, including how to: • Set clear and healthy boundaries-even with the people who raised you • Quit being the family ATM • Sort out who is a real friend, and who is just there for parties and gossip • Confront microaggressions at work without missing a beat • Forget who black women are "supposed" to beAnd fall in love with yourself!
Black Girls Breathing: Heal from Trauma, Combat Chronic Stress, and Find Your Freedom
by Jasmine MarieHarness the power of breathwork with this compassionate, healing guide for Black women. As a Black woman, Jasmine Marie knows the impact that intergenerational trauma and systemic racism have had—and continue to have—on her community. Those experiences, along with her own journey through chronic stress, are why she created black girls breathing®, a movement dedicated to helping Black women understand the power of the mind‑body connection and its impact on their holistic health, one breath at a time. In Black Girls Breathing, Jasmine Marie offers you the power of breathwork, and the revolutionary nature of slowing down and turning inward. With each intentional breath, you&’ll learn how to sink deeper into your body to begin to undo the trauma that&’s long been stored. Sharing exercises from her unique somatic philosophies proven by data and utilized by tens of thousands of participants to date, Jasmine Marie will also help you: Connect more fully to your body Give yourself permission to rest Heal the chronic stress you carry in your body and nervous system Address emotional pain Rebuild your sense of self and your community This is a long-overdue resource for every Strong Black Woman—the woman ready to break cycles of trauma, heal the internalized beliefs of perfectionism and conditional self‑worth, and follow the wisdom of her inner voice.
Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human
by Cole Arthur RileyA collection of prayer, poetry, and spiritual practice centering the Black interior world, from the New York Times bestselling author of This Here Flesh and creator of Black Liturgies &“A true spiritual balm for our troubled times.&”—Michael Eric Dyson, author of What Truth Sounds LikeFor years, Cole Arthur Riley was desperate for a spirituality she could trust. Amid ongoing national racial violence, the isolation of the pandemic, and a surge of anti-Black rhetoric in many Christian spaces, she began dreaming of a more human, more liberating expression of faith. She went on to create Black Liturgies, a digital project that connects spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black memory, and the Black body.In this book, she brings together hundreds of new prayers, along with letters, poems, meditation questions, breath practices, scriptures, and the writings of Black literary ancestors to offer forty-three liturgies that can be practiced individually or as a community. Inviting readers to reflect on their shared experiences of wonder, rest, rage, and repair, and creating rituals for holidays like Lent and Juneteenth, Arthur Riley writes with a poet&’s touch and a sensitivity that has made her one of the most important spiritual voices at work today.For anyone healing from communities that were more violent than loving; for anyone who has escaped the trauma of white Christian nationalism, religious homophobia, or transphobia; for anyone asking what it means to be human in a world of both beauty and terror, Black Liturgies is a work of healing and empowerment, and a vision for what might be.
Black Liturgies: Prayers, poems and meditations for staying human
by Cole Arthur RileyIn the summer of 2020, Cole Arthur Riley was desperate for a spirituality she could trust. Amidst ongoing national racial violence, the isolation of the pandemic, and a surge of anti-Black rhetoric in many Christian spaces, she began dreaming of a harbour for a more human, more liberating expression of faith. She went on to create Black Liturgies, a digital project that connects spiritual practice with Black emotion, memory, and the Black body.In this book, she deepens the work of that project, bringing together new prayers, letters, poetry, meditation questions, breath practice, and the writings of Black literary ancestors to offer 43 liturgies that can be practised individually or as a community. With a poet's touch and a sensitivity that has made her one of the most important spiritual voices at work today, Riley invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of wonder, rest, rage, and repair, while also including liturgies for holidays like Lent, Advent and Mother's Day.For those healing from spiritual spaces that were more violent than loving; for those who have escaped the trauma of white Christian nationalism, religious homophobia, and transphobia; for anyone asking what it means to be human in a world of both beauty and terror; Black Liturgies is a work of healing and liberation, and a vision for what might be.
Black Liturgies: Prayers, poems and meditations for staying human
by Cole Arthur RileyIn the summer of 2020, Cole Arthur Riley was desperate for a spirituality she could trust. Amidst ongoing national racial violence, the isolation of the pandemic, and a surge of anti-Black rhetoric in many Christian spaces, she began dreaming of a harbour for a more human, more liberating expression of faith. She went on to create Black Liturgies, a digital project that connects spiritual practice with Black emotion, memory, and the Black body.In this book, she deepens the work of that project, bringing together new prayers, letters, poetry, meditation questions, breath practice, and the writings of Black literary ancestors to offer 43 liturgies that can be practised individually or as a community. With a poet's touch and a sensitivity that has made her one of the most important spiritual voices at work today, Riley invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of wonder, rest, rage, and repair, while also including liturgies for holidays like Lent, Advent and Mother's Day.For those healing from spiritual spaces that were more violent than loving; for those who have escaped the trauma of white Christian nationalism, religious homophobia, and transphobia; for anyone asking what it means to be human in a world of both beauty and terror; Black Liturgies is a work of healing and liberation, and a vision for what might be.
Black Men and Depression: Understanding and Overcoming Depression in Black Men
by John HeadA first-of-its-kind exploration of black men and depression from an award-winning journalist The first book to reveal the depths of black men’s buried mental and emotional pain,Standing in the Shadowsweaves the author’s story of his twenty-five-year struggle with depression with a cultural analysis of how the illness is perceived in the black community—and why nobody wants to talk about it. In mainstream society depression and mental illness are still somewhat taboo subjects; in the black community they are topics that are almost completely shrouded in secrecy. As a result, millions of black men are suffering in silence or getting treatment only in the most extreme circumstances—in emergency rooms, homeless shelters, and prisons. The neglect of emotional disorders among men in the black community is nothing less than racial suicide. John Head’s explosive work,Standing in the Shadows,addresses what can be done to help those who need it most. In this groundbreaking book, veteran journalist and award-winning author John Head argues that the problem can be traced back to slavery, when it was believed that blacks were unable to feel inner pain because they had no psyche. This myth has damaged generations of African American men and their families and has created a society that blames black men for being violent and aggressive without considering that depression might be a root cause. The author also explores the roles of the black church, the black family, and the changing nature of black women in American culture as a way to understand how the black community may have unwittingly helped push the emotional disorders of African American men further underground. As daring and powerful as Nathan McCall’sMakes Me Wanna Holler,Standing in the Shadowschallenges both the African American community and the psychiatric community to end the silent suffering of black men by taking responsibility for a problem that’s been ignored for far too long. Additionally,Standing in the Shadowsgives women an understanding of depression that enables them to help black men mend their relationships, their families, and themselves.
Black Pearls for Parents: Meditations, Affirmations, and Inspirations for African-American Parents
by Eric V. CopageMeditations, Affirmations, and Inspirations for African-American ParentsEric. V Copage's Black Pearls became an instant best-seller and was the winner of the Blackboard African-American Bestsellers award for best non-fiction book of 1994. Now he has created a book of inspirational thoughts, practical advice and pearls of wisdom specifically for African-American parents. The 365 quotes that begin each day's entry range from African proverbs to wisdom and insight from Ida B Wells, Martin Luther King, Jr, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, Willie Mays, Marva Collins and Martin Wright Edelman, among hundreds of other diverse and accomplished people of African descentEach day's entry covers a topic that affects parents (and their children) - including Role Models, Friends , Procrastination, Affection, Priorities, Independence, Stress, Faith, and hundreds more. From the daily inspirations and specific actions that will provide guidance, comfort and inspiration to African-American parents as they deal with the pressures and joys of raising children in today's world.Copyright © 1995 by Eric Copage
Black Pearls: Daily Meditations, Affirmations, and Inspirations for African-Americans
by Eric V. CopageEric V. Copage's Black Pearls is an extraordinary book of inspirational thoughts and practical advice for African-Americans. The 365 quotes that begin each day's entry range from African proverbs to wisdom from Oprah Winfrey, Malcolm X, Terry McMillan, Bill Cosby, Rosa Parks, Spike Lee, Marian Wright Edelman, Alice Walker, and Martin Luther King, Jr., among hundreds of other diverse and accomplished people of African descent. And each day's entry covers a new topic: Love, Anger, Pride, Dieting, Stress, Stereotypes, Power, and Success are just a few! From the daily inspirations, author Eric V. Copage suggests meditations and specific actions that will help readers boost their spirits -- and achieve their dreams.
Black People Breathe: A Mindfulness Guide to Racial Healing
by Zee ClarkeA thoughtful, inclusive, and vividly illustrated guide to help Black people—and all people of color—heal from racial trauma using vital tools from an expert in mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork. It is your right to survive. It is your right to thrive. Mindfulness and breathwork will help you do just that. Racism is more than just an interpersonal experience. It is a systemic injustice that affects the lives of Black people, and all people of color, in countless ways. Doctors and psychologists have discovered the wide-ranging—and often devastating—effects of racism on one&’s emotional, physical, and mental health, from high blood pressure and heart problems to anxiety and depression. Yet studies show that mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork can significantly reduce these issues. This is where Zee Clarke comes in. In this powerful book, Clarke draws on her professional expertise and her lived experience as a Black woman to share mindfulness exercises, breathwork practices, and meditative tools centered on healing from and surviving racial trauma. Filled with deeply personal stories highlighting the many systemic challenges that people of color face, this mixture of guide and memoir offers thirty-three practical techniques based on the emotions elicited from these experiences. Whether you are coping with police brutality, racial profiling, microaggressions, or even imposter syndrome, Black People Breathe gives you the tools to process these complex feelings physically, mentally, and emotionally. Though this collection was created to facilitate healing for communities of color, it also offers allies insight into the discrimination and inequity that these communities face, creating a space for deeper empathy and the inspiration to drive change. Beautifully designed with gorgeous, vibrant illustrations, Black People Breathe takes a radically inclusive approach to mindfulness, allowing communities of color the opportunity to embark on a journey towards racial healing.
Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It
by Charlamagne Tha God<P>Charlamagne Tha God—the self-proclaimed “Prince of Pissing People Off,” co-host of Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, and “hip-hop’s Howard Stern”—shares his unlikely success story as well as how embracing one’s truths is a fundamental key to success and happiness. <P>In his new book, Charlamagne Tha God presents his comic, often controversial, and always brutally honest insights on how living an authentic life is the quickest path to success. Beginning with his journey from the small town of Moncks Corner, South Carolina to his headline grabbing interviews with celebrities like Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, and Hillary Clinton, he shares how he turned his troubled early life around by owning his (many) mistakes and refusing to give up on his dreams, even after his controversial opinions got him fired from several on-air jobs. <P>Combining his own story with bold advice and his signature commitment to honesty at all costs, Charlamagne hopes this book will give others the confidence to live their own truths. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Black Rainbow: How Words Healed Me, My Journey Through Depression
by Rachel KellyIn 1997, Oxford graduate, working mother and Times journalist Rachel Kelly went from feeling mildly anxious to being completely unable to function within the space of just three days. Prescribed antidepressants by her doctor, and supported by her husband and her family, Rachel slowly began to get better, but her anxiety levels remained high, and six years later, as a stay-at-home mother, she suffered a second collapse even worse than the first. Throughout both of Rachel's periods of severe depression, the healing power of poetry became an integral part of her recovery. As someone who had always loved poetry, it became something for Rachel to cling on to in times of need - from repeating short mantras to learning and reciting entire poems - these words and verses became a powerful force for change in her life. In Black Rainbow Rachel analyses why poetry can be one answer to depression, and the book contains a selected 40 of the poems that provided Rachel with solace and comfort during her breakdown and recovery. At a time when mental health problems and depression are becoming more common, and the stigma around such issues is finally being lifted, this book offers a lifeline for anyone seeking to understand depression and seek new ways to treat it. Poetry is free, has no side-effects and, as Rachel can attest, 'prescribing words instead of pills' can be an incredibly powerful remedy.
Black Resilience: The Blueprint for Black Triumph in the Face of Racism
by K. Braeden AndersonBlack Resilience provides powerful strategies for success and empowerment, answering a critical question for the Black community: where do we go from here?This once-in-a-generation book embodies stories and experiences shared by the author—Braeden Anderson—a former high-major NCAA athlete who overcame childhood abuse, homelessness, and severe racism to become an attorney at the world&’s largest law firm and a successful entrepreneur.Black Resilience empowers and equips the reader with the strategy to win against any odds and triumph in the face of life&’s greatest challenges.Racism can be as loud and resounding as a gunshot, or as quiet and inconspicuous as being laid off. Whether it&’s hidden or apparent, we will not escape it without taking action. We—Black people—have the power to effect positive change in our lives and our communities. Black Resilience shows us how.Readers will get an honest, empowering roadmap to address concerns ranging from asserting your identity, the dichotomy of inclusion, employing empathy, and transcending learned helplessness, to the challenge and triumph of Black parenthood. They&’ll learn how to deploy what the author calls our &“covert operation of tact,&” and they&’ll see that everyone—Blacks and whites alike—must build one community.Black Resilience represents a tactful and dynamic ideology that belongs in the hands of every reader who is ready to receive the solution for beating racism…for good.
Black Sheep: A Blue-Eyed Negro Speaks of Abandonment, Belonging, Racism, and Redemption
by Ray "BEN" StudeventA captivating memoir of a biracial boy growing up in Washington, D.C., abandoned by his birth parents, and lovingly raised by a woman with deep emotional scars from her upbringing in the segregated South.The unforgettable memoir Black Sheep opens with a middle-aged Ray Studevent returning to Washington, D.C., to his &“momma,&” Lemell Studevent. She didn&’t give birth to him, but she is the woman who raised him. She is the woman who stood by him through thick and thin. She is the woman who saved his life. But now in her late 80s, Lemell is lost to her Alzheimer&’s disease. On most days, she has no idea who she is, no recollection of the remarkable life she has lived. Every once in a while, she remembers small fragments of people, places, and things but she doesn&’t know how all of these pieces fit together. At night, she is often haunted by nightmares of growing up in the segregated South, of evil men with blue eyes peering through slits in their hooded robes. Frightened by Ray, this stranger, this white man with his piercing blue eyes, she threatens to shoot him. Trying not to get swept up in his own buried, decades-old feelings of abandonment, Ray knows he must work to regain her trust as he thinks back to how far they both have come. Ray Studevent grew up between two worlds. Born to a white, heroin-addicted mother and a black, violent, alcoholic father, the odds were stacked against him from day one. When his parents abandoned him at the age of five, after living in a world no child should experience, he was saved from the foster-care system by his father&’s uncle Calvin, who offered him stability and a loving home. When Calvin tragically died two years later, it was up to his widow Lemell to raise Ray. But this was no easy task. Lemell grew up in the brutality of segregated Mississippi, emotionally scarred and justifiably resenting white people. Now, she must confront these demons as she raises a mixed-race child—white on the outside, black on the inside—on the eastern side of the Anacostia River, the blackest part of the blackest city in America. This is a time of heightened racial tension, not long after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the D.C. race riots. There are guidelines if you are black, different rules if you are white, but only mixed messages for mixed-race children who must fight for acceptance as they struggle to find their identity. As Dr. My Haley, the widow of Roots author Alex Haley, wrote in the Foreword for Black Sheep, &“Ray&’s pathway to manhood came not through the people who taught him what to do, but through the woman who taught him how to be, even as she learned for herself how to be.&” At a time when we are all reexamining the complex issues of race, identity, disenfranchisement, and belonging, this compelling true story shows us what is possible when we trust our hearts and follow the path of love.
Black Woman Redefined: Dispelling Myths and Discovering Fulfillment in the Age of Michelle Obama
by Sophia NelsonIt's time for a REDEFINITION among black women in America.In its 2011 hardcover release, Black Woman Redefined was a top-selling book and took home a 2011 Best Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award from the African American Literary Awards. Author Sophia A. Nelson won the 2012 Champions of Diversity Award, given each year by diversity business executives in Fortune 100 companies.Black Woman Redefined was inspired in part by what Nelson calls "open season on accomplished black women": from Don Imus's name-calling of black female basketball players in 2007 and a 2009 Yale University study titled "Marriage Eludes High-Achieving Black Women," to the more recent revelation that First Lady Michelle Obama is concerned about being painted as an "angry, black woman."In Black Woman Redefined, Nelson sets out to change this cultural perception, taking readers on a no-holds-barred journey into the hearts and minds of accomplished black women to reveal truths, tribulations, and insights like never before.This groundbreaking book provides black women of a new generation with essential career and life-coaching advice. Based on never-before-done research on college-educated, career-driven black women, Nelson offers her fellow "sisters"-and those who know, love, and work with them-a feel-good volume for personal and professional success that empowers them without tearing others down.
Black and Great: The Essential Workplace Toolkit
by Rene GermainFeaturing interviews and letters from some of the UK's leading Black voices in their respective fields - including Beverley Knight MBE, Trevor Nelson MBE, Gina Yashere, Christine Ohuruogu MBE, Ronke Lawal, Kayode Ewumi, Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE, JB Gill, Tangy Morgan, Alexandra Burke, Dr Patricia Daley (the first Black woman to be appointed a lecturer at the University of Oxford) and Ashley Walters - Black and Great is essential reading for Black professionals ready to make their mark in the working world and beyond! Black and Great not only highlights the specific challenges Black people face in the working world, but provides readers with honest and practical advice to thrive and carve out the career of their dreams, whilst embracing their Blackness. The book will share the career journeys of over 20 successful Black British professionals and entrepreneurs from TV & film, sport, media, law, medicine and finance through open letters and interviews, providing advice, support and encouragement to Black students and professionals starting out in their working lives. From personal branding to salary negotiation and overcoming Imposter Syndrome, this candid and inspirational book reveals their highs and lows, how they bounced back from failure, plus the best and worst advice they have received over the years.
Black and Great: The Essential Workplace Toolkit
by Rene GermainFeaturing interviews and letters from some of the UK's leading Black voices in their respective fields - including Beverley Knight MBE, Trevor Nelson MBE, Gina Yashere, Christine Ohuruogu MBE, Ronke Lawal, Kayode Ewumi, Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE, JB Gill, Tangy Morgan, Alexandra Burke, Dr Patricia Daley (the first Black woman to be appointed a lecturer at the University of Oxford) and Ashley Walters - Black and Great is essential reading for Black professionals ready to make their mark in the working world and beyond! Black and Great not only highlights the specific challenges Black people face in the working world, but provides readers with honest and practical advice to thrive and carve out the career of their dreams, whilst embracing their Blackness. The book will share the career journeys of over 20 successful Black British professionals and entrepreneurs from TV & film, sport, media, law, medicine and finance through open letters and interviews, providing advice, support and encouragement to Black students and professionals starting out in their working lives. From personal branding to salary negotiation and overcoming Imposter Syndrome, this candid and inspirational book reveals their highs and lows, how they bounced back from failure, plus the best and worst advice they have received over the years.
Black and Great: The Essential Workplace Toolkit "An inspiring read from start to finish."- Selina Flavius
by Rene GermainThe inspirational career guide for young and ambitious Black British professionals.Featuring interviews and letters from some of the UK's leading Black voices in their respective fields - including Academy Award-winning filmmaker Beverley Knight MBE, Trevor Nelson MBE, Gina Yashere, Christine Ohuruogu MBE, Ronke Lawal, Alexandra Burke, Kayode Ewumi, Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE, JB Gill, Tangy Morgan, Dr Patricia Daley (the first Black female to be appointed a lecturer at the University of Oxford), Noel Clarke and Ashley Walters - Black and Great is essential reading for a Black professionals ready to make their mark in the working world and beyond! Black and Great not only highlights the specific challenges Black people face in the working world, but provides readers with honest and practical advice to thrive and carve out the career of their dreams, whilst embracing their Blackness. The book will share the career journeys of over 20 successful Black British professionals and entrepreneurs from TV & film, sport, media, law, medicine and finance through open letters and interviews, providing advice, support and encouragement to Black students and professionals starting out in their working lives. From personal branding to salary negotiation and overcoming Imposter Syndrome, this candid and inspirational book reveals their highs and lows, how they bounced back from failure, plus the best and worst advice they have received over the years.(P) 2021 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Black-and-White Thinking: The Burden of a Binary Brain in a Complex World
by Kevin DuttonA groundbreaking and timely book about how evolutionary biology can explain our black-and-white brains, and a lesson in how we can escape the pitfalls of binary thinking.Several million years ago, natural selection equipped us with binary, black-and-white brains. Though the world was arguably simpler back then, it was in many ways much more dangerous. Not coincidentally, the binary brain was highly adept at detecting risk: the ability to analyze threats and respond to changes in the sensory environment—a drop in temperature, the crack of a branch—was essential to our survival as a species. Since then, the world has evolved—but we, for the most part, haven’t. Confronted with a panoply of shades of gray, our brains have a tendency to “force quit:” to sort the things we see, hear, and experience into manageable but simplistic categories. We stereotype, pigeon-hole, and, above all, draw lines where in reality there are none. In our modern, interconnected world, it might seem like we are ill-equipped to deal with the challenges we face—that living with a binary brain is like trying to navigate a teeming city center with a map that shows only highways. In Black-and-White Thinking, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton pulls back the curtains of the mind to reveal a new way of thinking about a problem as old as humanity itself. While our instinct for categorization often leads us astray, encouraging polarization, rigid thinking, and sometimes outright denialism, it is an essential component of the mental machinery we use to make sense of the world. Simply put, unless we perceived our environment as a chessboard, our brains wouldn’t be able to play the game. Using the latest advances in psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology, Dutton shows how we can optimize our tendency to categorize and fine-tune our minds to avoid the pitfalls of too little, and too much, complexity. He reveals the enduring importance of three “super categories”—fight or flight, us versus them, and right or wrong—and argues that they remain essential to not only convincing others to change their minds but to changing the world for the better. Black-and-White Thinking is a scientifically informed wake-up call for an era of increasing extremism and a thought-provoking, uplifting guide to training our gray matter to see that gray really does matter.