Gabrielle Union's Reading List

"It's quiet, I am left alone, it's optimal temperature, I feel like I'm killing a couple birds with one stone, and I can retain what I've read," says the actress and activist Gabrielle Union, whose new memoir is "You Got Anything Stronger?"

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By the Book: Gabrielle Union (2021)

NYT By the Book column (2021-09-09).

Source: www.nytimes.com

She Memes Well

Quinta Brunson · Buy on Amazon

"The last great book I read was "She Memes Well," by Quinta Brunson."

Goodnight, Beautiful

Dorothy Koomson · Buy on Amazon

"I have loved this book called "Goodnight, Beautiful," by Dorothy Koomson for many, many years. I optioned it and I'm still as obsessed with it as I was when I first read it."

Coming of Age in Mississippi

Anne Moody · Buy on Amazon

"When I was first starting chapter books my mom gave me "Coming of Age in Mississippi," by Anne Moody, and I just devoured it. I've read it a few times since and I recommend it to all young women."

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou · 1969 · Buy on Amazon

"The only book that stuck with me in a positive way was "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," by Maya Angelou."

Favorite books (2019)

Favorite books recommended by Gabrielle Union, as compiled by radicalreads.com. Source article: https://radicalreads.com/gabrielle-union-favorite-books/.

Source: radicalreads.com

Americanah

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie · Buy on Amazon

"One of my favorite novels of all time. A sweeping, beautifully told love story that spans two countries and holds the reader captive to the last page."

Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates (also rec’d by Annie Clark & Carrie Brownstein ) · Buy on Amazon

"As written to his son, Coates’s poignant and gripping essays that tackle race in America. The book has been a great resource when having the difficult and necessary conversations about race with teens and adults."

An Untamed State

Roxane Gay · Buy on Amazon

"My first introduction to Roxane Gay’s writing — it changed me. I saw myself eerily and perfectly reflected on the pages of her harrowing debut novel. I finally felt understood as I sat frozen reading this book."

Fates and Furies

Lauren Groff · Buy on Amazon

"A delicious novel told from both perspectives of a marriage and all its nooks and crannies we tend to keep to ourselves. The book spans 24 years and the reader is along for this layered roller coaster ride."

The Idea of You

Robinne Lee · Buy on Amazon

"It is rare to find literature that is as entertaining and sexy as it is smart and profound. Robinne’s book appears to be one thing on the surface but provides the reader a much deeper, complex, insightful journey that she will not soon forget."

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Malcolm X (also rec’d by Janelle Monáe & Rose McGowan ) · Buy on Amazon

"Based on interviews with Malcolm X between 1963 and his 1965 assassination. The book explores Malcolm X’s philosophies and his evolution. I’ve reread the book once a year since college and have found myself just as moved each time as the first reading."

The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison · Buy on Amazon

"The first book I read as a young adult that truly spoke to me about egocentric beauty ideals and white supremacy. I saw myself clearly in these pages as Pecola searched to be seen. A powerful, powerful book."

The Warmth of Other Suns

Isabel Wilkerson · Buy on Amazon

"This sweeping piece about the decades-long migration of African Americans who left the South for the North, Midwest and West for better lives. This book helped me to understand my own family and offers so much information that it continues to be a much valued resource in my house. Beautifully written and leaves no stone unturned."

A Little Life

Hanya Yanagihara · Buy on Amazon

"I’m still mourning the end of this book and my time with these beautifully written characters. This book pulls you in and holds you close and you will find yourself lost in its pages and searching the streets for these characters you’ve been rooting for."

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