SDB Book club reading list
Join the Speaking Down Barriers team and engage readings that will guide us towards a holistic understanding of the transformation that must take place within ourselves and the world around us. We are working towards the dismantling of the barriers that continue to perpetuate violence, hate, and division. These various insights will broaden our perspective and lead us towards meaningful confrontation. You are welcome to grow with us.
We are currently holding these meetings on Zoom on the 4th Monday of each month from 6p-7:30. You can use the following link to register.
linktr.ee/SpeakingDownBarriers
If you would like to purchase any of the books on our reading list, you can support local business by shopping the Bookshop at hubcity.org and Beyond This February Bookshop.
We look forward to you joining us for these exciting reads!
We are currently holding these meetings on Zoom on the 4th Monday of each month from 6p-7:30. You can use the following link to register.
linktr.ee/SpeakingDownBarriers
If you would like to purchase any of the books on our reading list, you can support local business by shopping the Bookshop at hubcity.org and Beyond This February Bookshop.
We look forward to you joining us for these exciting reads!
2025 Book List
January:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones Chapters 9 - 11
February:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones Capters 12 - 15
March:
My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
April:
On Thriving: Harnessing Joy Through Life's Great Labors by Brandi Sellerz-Jackson
May:
All About Love by bell hooks
June:
What it Takes to Heal by Prentis Hemphill
July:
No Book
August:
Loving Correction by Adrienne Maree Brown
September:
Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis
October:
We Will Not Cancel Us by Adrienne Maree Brown
November:
Belonging Through a Culture of Equity by Krownapple and Cobb
December:
No book
2024 Book List
January:
Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger by Lama Rod Owens
February:
Black Love Letters edited by Cole Brown and Natalie Johnson
March:
The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning, Meditations for Racial Healing by Catherine Meeks
April:
Appalachian Elegy, Poetry and Place by bell hooks
May:
The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart By Alicia Gsrza
June:
Black Queer Hoe (BreakBeat Poets) by Britteney Black Rose Kapri
July: No book
August:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones (Intro & Chapters 1-2 and podcast episode)
September:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones (Chapters 3-5 and podcast episode)
October:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones (Chapters 6-8 and podcast episode)
November:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones (Chapter 9-11 and podcast episode)
December: No book
2023 BOOK LIST
January:
"Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto" by Tricia Hersey
February:
"If They Come in the Morning...Voices of Resistance" edited by Angela Davis
March:
"Yearning" by bell hooks
April:
"america, Mine" by Sasha Banks
May:
"Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement" edited by Ejeris Dixon and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samasinha
June:
"The Quaking of America: An Embodied Guide to Navigating Our Nation's Upheaval and Racial Reckoning"
by Resma Menakem
July: No Book
August:
"All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson
September:
"Under the Feet of Jesus" by Helena Maria Viramontes
October:
"Fables and Spells" by Adrienne Maree Brown
November:
"Measure of Belonging: Twenty-One Writers of Color on the New American South" edited by Cinelle Barnes
December: No Book
2022 BOOK LIST
January:
"The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together" by Heather McGhee
February:
"We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice (Abolitionist Papers)" by Mariame Kaba
March:
"Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot" by Mikki Kendall
April:
"Grievers (Black Dawn Series)" by Adrienne Marie Brown
May:
"The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness"
by Rhonda V. Magee
June:
"Reparations Now!" by Ashley Jones
July: No Book
August:
"No Justice in the Shadows: How America Criminalizes Immigrants" by Alina Das
September:
"Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity: The Keys to Successful Equity Implementation" by Krownapple and Cobb
October:
"Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States" by Joey L. Mogul, Andrea J. Ritchie,
et al.
November:
"When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry" edited by LeAnne Howe, Jennifer Elise Foerster, Joy Harjo
December: No Book
2021 BOOK LIST
January:
"Frederick Douglass Prophet of Freedom" by David Blight
February:
"Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the 21st Century" by Barbara Ransberry
March:
"The Feminist War on Crime: The Unexpected Role of Women's Liberation in Mass Incarceration" by Aya Gruber
April:
"Parable of the Talents" by Octavia Butler
May:
"Citizen" by Claudia Rankine
June:
"Dark Testament and Other Poems" by Pauli Murray
July: No Book
August:
"Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America" by Maria Hinojosa
September:
"Incendiary Art" by Patricia Smith
October:
"Nobody Passes Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity" by Matt Berns Sycamore
November:
"An Indigenous People's History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar
December: No Book
January:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones Chapters 9 - 11
February:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones Capters 12 - 15
March:
My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
April:
On Thriving: Harnessing Joy Through Life's Great Labors by Brandi Sellerz-Jackson
May:
All About Love by bell hooks
June:
What it Takes to Heal by Prentis Hemphill
July:
No Book
August:
Loving Correction by Adrienne Maree Brown
September:
Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis
October:
We Will Not Cancel Us by Adrienne Maree Brown
November:
Belonging Through a Culture of Equity by Krownapple and Cobb
December:
No book
2024 Book List
January:
Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger by Lama Rod Owens
February:
Black Love Letters edited by Cole Brown and Natalie Johnson
March:
The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning, Meditations for Racial Healing by Catherine Meeks
April:
Appalachian Elegy, Poetry and Place by bell hooks
May:
The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart By Alicia Gsrza
June:
Black Queer Hoe (BreakBeat Poets) by Britteney Black Rose Kapri
July: No book
August:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones (Intro & Chapters 1-2 and podcast episode)
September:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones (Chapters 3-5 and podcast episode)
October:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones (Chapters 6-8 and podcast episode)
November:
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones (Chapter 9-11 and podcast episode)
December: No book
2023 BOOK LIST
January:
"Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto" by Tricia Hersey
February:
"If They Come in the Morning...Voices of Resistance" edited by Angela Davis
March:
"Yearning" by bell hooks
April:
"america, Mine" by Sasha Banks
May:
"Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement" edited by Ejeris Dixon and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samasinha
June:
"The Quaking of America: An Embodied Guide to Navigating Our Nation's Upheaval and Racial Reckoning"
by Resma Menakem
July: No Book
August:
"All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson
September:
"Under the Feet of Jesus" by Helena Maria Viramontes
October:
"Fables and Spells" by Adrienne Maree Brown
November:
"Measure of Belonging: Twenty-One Writers of Color on the New American South" edited by Cinelle Barnes
December: No Book
2022 BOOK LIST
January:
"The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together" by Heather McGhee
February:
"We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice (Abolitionist Papers)" by Mariame Kaba
March:
"Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot" by Mikki Kendall
April:
"Grievers (Black Dawn Series)" by Adrienne Marie Brown
May:
"The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness"
by Rhonda V. Magee
June:
"Reparations Now!" by Ashley Jones
July: No Book
August:
"No Justice in the Shadows: How America Criminalizes Immigrants" by Alina Das
September:
"Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity: The Keys to Successful Equity Implementation" by Krownapple and Cobb
October:
"Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States" by Joey L. Mogul, Andrea J. Ritchie,
et al.
November:
"When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry" edited by LeAnne Howe, Jennifer Elise Foerster, Joy Harjo
December: No Book
2021 BOOK LIST
January:
"Frederick Douglass Prophet of Freedom" by David Blight
February:
"Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the 21st Century" by Barbara Ransberry
March:
"The Feminist War on Crime: The Unexpected Role of Women's Liberation in Mass Incarceration" by Aya Gruber
April:
"Parable of the Talents" by Octavia Butler
May:
"Citizen" by Claudia Rankine
June:
"Dark Testament and Other Poems" by Pauli Murray
July: No Book
August:
"Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America" by Maria Hinojosa
September:
"Incendiary Art" by Patricia Smith
October:
"Nobody Passes Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity" by Matt Berns Sycamore
November:
"An Indigenous People's History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar
December: No Book
2020 Book List
January:
"Systems Thinking for Social Change" by David Stroh
February:
“White Fragility: Why it's so hard for White people to talk about racism” by Robin DiAngelo and Michael Eric Dyson
March:
“Tell Me How It Ends” by Valeria Luiselli
April:
“Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America” by Juan Gonzalez
May:
“The Four Agreements: A practical guide to Personal Freedom” by Don Miguel Ruiz
June:
“I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin's Life in Letters” by Bayard Rustin
July:
No book
August:
“Women Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros
September:
“dark // thing” by Ashley M. Jones
October:
“Real Queer Identity: LGBT Stories From Red States” by Samantha Allen
November:
“The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism” by Jemar Tisby
December:
No book
"Systems Thinking for Social Change" by David Stroh
February:
“White Fragility: Why it's so hard for White people to talk about racism” by Robin DiAngelo and Michael Eric Dyson
March:
“Tell Me How It Ends” by Valeria Luiselli
April:
“Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America” by Juan Gonzalez
May:
“The Four Agreements: A practical guide to Personal Freedom” by Don Miguel Ruiz
June:
“I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin's Life in Letters” by Bayard Rustin
July:
No book
August:
“Women Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros
September:
“dark // thing” by Ashley M. Jones
October:
“Real Queer Identity: LGBT Stories From Red States” by Samantha Allen
November:
“The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism” by Jemar Tisby
December:
No book
2019 Book List
January:
"Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History" by Eduardo Galeano
February:
"My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma & the Mending of Our Bodies" by Resmaa Menakem
March:
"Bad Feminist" by Roxane Gay
April:
"Human Hours" by Catherine Barnett
May:
"White Tears" by Hari Kunzru
June:
"Rainbow In The Word: LGBTQ Christians’ Biblical Memoirs"
July:
No Book
August:
"Solace: Writing, Refuge, and LGBTQ Women of Color" edited by S. Andrea Allen & Lauren Cherelle
September:
"Heavy" by Kiese Laymon
October:
"Devotions" by Mary Oliver
November:
"When I Grow Up I Want To Be a List of Further Possibilities" by Chen Chen
December:
No Book
"Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History" by Eduardo Galeano
February:
"My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma & the Mending of Our Bodies" by Resmaa Menakem
March:
"Bad Feminist" by Roxane Gay
April:
"Human Hours" by Catherine Barnett
May:
"White Tears" by Hari Kunzru
June:
"Rainbow In The Word: LGBTQ Christians’ Biblical Memoirs"
July:
No Book
August:
"Solace: Writing, Refuge, and LGBTQ Women of Color" edited by S. Andrea Allen & Lauren Cherelle
September:
"Heavy" by Kiese Laymon
October:
"Devotions" by Mary Oliver
November:
"When I Grow Up I Want To Be a List of Further Possibilities" by Chen Chen
December:
No Book
2018 Book List
January:
“The Crossroads of Should & Must” by Elle Luna
February:
"Everyday Bias" by Howard Ross
March:
“Woman, Native, Other" by Trinh T. Minh-ha
April:
“[insert] boy” by Danez Smith (Live Performances available online)
"The Body Is Not An Apology" by Sonya Renee Taylor
May:
“Emergent Strategy” by Adrienne Marie Brown
"Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Black Self-Determination in Jackson, Mississippi" by Kali Akuno & Ajamu Nangwaya
June:
“Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin
July:
No meeting
August:
"Mindful of Race" by Ruth King
September:
“Ceremony” by Leslie Marmon Silko
October:
“Love beyond Body, Space, and Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology” by Hope Nicholson, David Alexander Robertson, Richard Van Camp, & more
November:
“Dear Universe: Letters of Affirmation & Empowerment for All of Us” by Yolo Akili
December:
No meeting
“The Crossroads of Should & Must” by Elle Luna
February:
"Everyday Bias" by Howard Ross
March:
“Woman, Native, Other" by Trinh T. Minh-ha
April:
“[insert] boy” by Danez Smith (Live Performances available online)
"The Body Is Not An Apology" by Sonya Renee Taylor
May:
“Emergent Strategy” by Adrienne Marie Brown
"Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Black Self-Determination in Jackson, Mississippi" by Kali Akuno & Ajamu Nangwaya
June:
“Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin
July:
No meeting
August:
"Mindful of Race" by Ruth King
September:
“Ceremony” by Leslie Marmon Silko
October:
“Love beyond Body, Space, and Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology” by Hope Nicholson, David Alexander Robertson, Richard Van Camp, & more
November:
“Dear Universe: Letters of Affirmation & Empowerment for All of Us” by Yolo Akili
December:
No meeting
2017 Book List
January:
"Freedom is a Constant Struggle" by Angela Davis
February:
"Parable of the Talents" by Octavia Butler
March:
"Intersectionality" by Patricia Hill-Collins and Sirma Bilge
April:
"The Rose That Grew from Concrete" by Tupac Shakur
May:
"No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism & State Violence on the US-Mexico Border" by Justin Akers Chacón and Mike Davis
June:
"Black Elk Speaks" by Black Elk and John Neidhardt
July:
"American Primitive" by Mary Oliver
August:
"Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, & Liberation" by Angel Kyodo Williams, Lama Rod, and Jasmine Syedullah
September:
"Canto General" by Pablo Neruda
October:
Playlist of Protest Jazz by Revive Music via http://bit.ly/protestjazz
November:
"Black Unicorn" by Audre Lorde
January 2017
"The Crossroads of Should and Must" by Elle Luna
"Freedom is a Constant Struggle" by Angela Davis
February:
"Parable of the Talents" by Octavia Butler
March:
"Intersectionality" by Patricia Hill-Collins and Sirma Bilge
April:
"The Rose That Grew from Concrete" by Tupac Shakur
May:
"No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism & State Violence on the US-Mexico Border" by Justin Akers Chacón and Mike Davis
June:
"Black Elk Speaks" by Black Elk and John Neidhardt
July:
"American Primitive" by Mary Oliver
August:
"Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, & Liberation" by Angel Kyodo Williams, Lama Rod, and Jasmine Syedullah
September:
"Canto General" by Pablo Neruda
October:
Playlist of Protest Jazz by Revive Music via http://bit.ly/protestjazz
November:
"Black Unicorn" by Audre Lorde
January 2017
"The Crossroads of Should and Must" by Elle Luna
2016 Book List
JANUARY:
"Between the World & Me" by Ta-Nahisi Coates
FEBRUARY:
"The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander
MARCH:
"Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black" by bell hooks
APRIL:
"Sister Outsider" by Audre Lorde
MAY:
"Fields of Blood" by Karen Armstrong
JUNE:
"The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods" by Peter Block & John McKnight
JULY:
"Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
AUGUST:
"Medical Apartheid" by Harriett Washington
SEPTEMBER:
"The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
OCTOBER:
"Eichmann in Jerusalem" by Hannah Arendt
NOVEMBER:
"Living Buddha, Living Christ" by Thich Nhat Hanh
DECEMBER:
"What To Do When It's Your Turn" by Seth Godin
"Between the World & Me" by Ta-Nahisi Coates
FEBRUARY:
"The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander
MARCH:
"Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black" by bell hooks
APRIL:
"Sister Outsider" by Audre Lorde
MAY:
"Fields of Blood" by Karen Armstrong
JUNE:
"The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods" by Peter Block & John McKnight
JULY:
"Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
AUGUST:
"Medical Apartheid" by Harriett Washington
SEPTEMBER:
"The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
OCTOBER:
"Eichmann in Jerusalem" by Hannah Arendt
NOVEMBER:
"Living Buddha, Living Christ" by Thich Nhat Hanh
DECEMBER:
"What To Do When It's Your Turn" by Seth Godin
Post Office Box 7133, Spartanburg, SC 29304 | [email protected] | 803-526-7496
© 2017 Speaking Down Barriers. All rights reserved.
Speaking Down Barriers is a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt organization.
Speaking Down Barriers is a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt organization.