If you are an African immigrant like me, you probably grew up in a home full of books. That is one of the parts of growing up African that I continue to embrace. There is something special about the smell of a newly opened book and the tenderness of running your fingers through the crisp pages. I have also learned over the years as a newly diagnosed neurodivergent woman that sitting to read physical books might be harder with my lifestyle. So I have been embracing audiobooks and honestly, it has been a life-changer. Yes, audiobooks constitute reading and knowledge gathering. That is a hill I am willing to die on! Now this is also not counting the hundreds of pages of research articles I had to read to get through my dissertation.
I plan on using reading and knowledge gathering as a way to cope with 2025. We are in unprecedented times and have to focus on what is within our control, even if it means distracting ourselves with some books. Join me on this journey to read through 2025. It's only March and I have enjoyed the following books:
Why I read this book:
I have always enjoyed Nedra's posts so it was a no-brainer that I would pick this up. It did sit in my library for some months because I needed to clear my head of all things dissertation. Once I started, I related to the stories about family members and the difficulties of relationships. She shared scripts and tips and tricks for tackling difficult conversations and I finished the book with some more confidence about how to maneuver through some of the relationships in my life.
Why I read this book:
Let's be honest, no one really taught us how to date! As someone who is newer to this part of life, I was so unsure of how to conceptualize dating as an adult. I learned so much about the current state of dating and what to actually look out for in a partner. This book talks about the love stories we were socialized with and how to rewire our brains when it comes to dating and expectations of others.
Why I read this book:
See above! The 9 hard truths in this book were a bit hard to swallow but trust me, I needed to hear every one of them. This book was hard to put down! It goes into our backgrounds as children, the lessons we learned about love, and the importance of self-work. I started looking at love differently after reading this book. My concept of love was definitely framed by family and media (oh Disney!) so this had me really thinking about why I am the way that I am.
Why I read this book:
I will admit it on here for the first time. I am a recovering WORKAHOLIC. You can let your lips touch again, it's okay! I needed this book to remind me that I don't need to work as hard as I typically do. There weren't many new concepts for me because I have actively been working through this in therapy but I will say it was a helpful reminder for entrepreneurial women like myself.
Which of these have you read and what are you doing differently based on what you learned?
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