books on the root
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The Root Presents It's Lit!: What We Read to Get Us Through 2020
Merry Christmas or whatever you’re celebrating this holiday weekend, Bibliophiles! Understandably, you may not be able to celebrate in person with loved ones this year, but we hope you’re still finding comfort and joy—perhaps in the pages of a good book? There may not have been much to celebrate in 2020, but there was an…
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Colin Kaepernick Launches Book Publishing Company, Reveals Plans to Release Memoir in 2020
I’ve said for a while now that I can’t wait to read the inevitable Colin Kaepernick memoir about the trials and tribulations he’s faced throughout his life, and apparently the exiled quarterback can no longer wait, either. Variety reports that the untitled memoir will be released sometime this year as part of a multi-project deal…
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Booked, Busy and Black: The Root's Favorite Reads of 2019
With all the writing we do here at The Root, it’s a wonder we find time to read. But for many members of our staff, books remain our first love, so while we reflect on the highlights of 2019, we’re also reminded of some of the great reads we encountered this year. From memoirs to…
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Ta-Nehisi Coates Announces The Water Dancer Book Tour
After attempting to deliver us all from evil with the beautifully written Between the World and Me, and his essay collection, We Were Eight Years in Power, award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates—who arguably may be the greatest essayist of our time—is veering into fiction to anoint us all with his debut novel, The Water Dancer, on…
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Dressed in Dreams: Tanisha C. Ford Writes a Love Letter to Fashion—and Black Womanhood
Somebody/anybody sing a black girl’s song/bring her out to know herself…she doesn’t know the sound of her own voice/her infinite beauty… —Ntozake Shange text If you ask me to share my earliest memory of clothing, in spite of the bevy of beautiful dresses my mother delighted in buying for me as a child (which I…
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Penguin Random House Announces Closure of Publisher Spiegel & Grau
Penguin Random House announced their decision to shutter publishing imprint Spiegel & Grau, best town for its best-selling works on nonfiction. The move comes as another part of the effort to streamline Penguin Random House following the merger 2013 between publishing titans Penguin and Random House. Cindy Spiegel and Julie Grau, the imprint’s co-founders, will…
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Conversation for the Dinner Table
Whether you want to sound smart, divert a family beef, or stimulate interesting conversation, here’s some lit-related news to share at the dinner table. Did You Hear That We Spent Billions on a Reading Program That Didn’t Work? President Bush spent $1 billion annually for several years on “Reading First,” a literacy program for low-income…
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Reading List: The Poetry Edition
Serious poetry collections continue to be birthed. The evidence: Arc & Hue By Tara Betts Willow Books, September 2009 Excerpt from “Why I Collect The Hair”: Years ago, a college boyfriend left my bed to go home. His mother honed in on the brassy streaks and pulled them off with what white girl are you…
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Publishing with the Stars
Books by celebrities are nothing new. It’s an easy choice for book editors. Who doesn’t want to read about the inner-workings of their favorite celebrity’s life? Okay, some of us may be more concerned with an unemployment status or securing healthcare. But for those looking for a much-needed distraction, what’s a better way to escape…