According to American novelist Ernest Hemingway, ‘There is no friend as loyal as a book.’ With a good book comes empowerment, and as a black male, nothing feels priceless and liberating like being empowered.
An empowering book gives you the power and motivation to get out of your comfort zone, overcome your fears, gather the courage to speak up against racial injustices, and even pursue what was once an impossible pursuit.
Today, I’ll share with you ten books that’ll give you just the push you need to feel empowered, and they include the following:
1. Black Fathers – By Michael E. Connor
Being a black father can be fulfilling but at the same time challenging, and no one covers that better than Michael E. Connor. Black Fathers is just what you need to understand the historical issues that confront fathers of African descent, the health issues they struggle with, and the need for therapeutic intervention. Michael also shares insights on ways to connect and reconnect with absent black dads, making the book a must-read for all black fathers.
2. Invisible Man – By Ralph Ellison
It’s never easy growing up in a black neighborhood, attending a negro college, and even falling victim to violence, and yet that’s what Ralph Ellison went through. The Invisible Man explores Ralph Ellison’s challenges growing up, reminiscent of what many black males in black neighborhoods must overcome to count for something in society.
3. We Real Cool – By Bell Hooks
We all know what happens when women meet to chit-chat about men. It often turns toxic, and no one explains that better than the late professor, feminist, and social activist Bell Hooks. Bell Hooks talks about how weak black leaders and white society continue to fail black males in We Real Cool. She points out how black men aren’t genuinely loved by white men and women and, to make it worse, even by black women.
4. New Black Man – By Mark Anthony Neel
Globally, black men are in some crisis. At least, that’s what Mark Anthony Neel believes. The author of New Black Man and a professor at Duke University talks about how everyone, including politicians, pundits, and evangelical ministers, always finds a bone to pick with black males for failing to stand their ground within the African American community setting.
5. The Will to Change – By Bell Hooks
The Will to Change is another bestselling book by the late Bell Hooks that explains how black men can express emotions on matters fundamental to their identity. That includes ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, and marital status. As a social critic, Bell Hooks doesn’t shy away from pointing out the toxicity of masculinity and the need for black males to change their way of thinking.
6. Black Skin, White Masks – By Frantz Fanon
Not many modern black authors have been direct and unwavering when talking about black civil rights like Frantz Fanon. The renowned author, philosopher, and psychiatrist challenges black males to be revolutionary thinkers and not to cave into the pressure and pampering of the colonial masters in his new book, Black Skins White Masks.
7. Black-On-Black Violence – By Amon N. Wilson
Black-On-Black Violence is a book by the late American psychologist Amon N. Wilson that talks about how black men are annihilating themselves following domination by white men. Amon Wilson explains black criminality and its effect – correcting the misconception that most felons in the United States are of black descent.
8. The New Jim Crows – By Michelle Alexander
When Americans elected Barack Obama as president, there was the notion that such a historic event would mark the start of the end of racism. Law professor and author Michelle Alexander, however, has a different view. He argues in The New Jim Crow that the election of a black president doesn’t end racial discrimination but kick-start a new age of color blindness, where black males are targeted through war crimes by the criminal judicial system.
9. Black Sexual Politics – By Patricia Hill Collins
Black Sexual Politics talks about how black sexuality images have been misused and how that has instigated racism around the world. The author, Patricia Hill Collins, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland, challenges her readers to think differently about black sexuality. She urges black men and women to liberate themselves from the bondage of black sexuality.
10. Psychology of Blacks – By Thomas A. Parham
The Psychology of Blacks is a masterpiece by Thomas A. Parham, an adjunct faculty member at the University of California that defines an African-centered perspective. Mr. Parham explains how the concept operates in an African American family context. Moreover, he discusses identity development as a black male, mental health, contemporary issues management, and education.
Closing Thoughts
Above are books every black male should read now for empowerment. You’ll learn to think like a black man and act like one. Go ahead and grab your copy and be among those courageous black men taking a stand for the black nation.
