The books compiled by TNJ editors for holiday gifting are the work of African, African-American, and Caribbean authors, including TNJ Executive Editor Rosalind McLymont and TNJ contributing writer Taroue Brooks. They were chosen not only for the cultural diversity of the authors, but also for the thrilling geographic, immensely inspirational breadth of their narratives.
An African Abroad
By Olabisi Ajala
Between 1957 and 1963, Nigerian journalist Olabisi Ajala trekked across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East on a Vespa scooter, publishing an account of his experiences as An African Abroad in 1963. The book is an entertaining and sometimes breathtaking account of his bold adventures, and a fascinating insight into the global politics of the time. Ajala recounts his meetings with world leaders, everyday people, and Africans in the global Diaspora, as well as his daredevil border crossings on his scooter and his encounters with racism, assault and police mistreatment. Back in print for the first time since 1963, a new edition opens An African Abroad to a new generation of readers, and means it can rightly take its place as a classic work in the canon of African travel literature.
Don’t Audition for Your Life…. It’s Already Yours
By Taroue Brooks
Designed specifically for Black men, this journal offers a transformative space for self-discovery, reflection, and growth. Too often, we find ourselves performing for approval, chasing validation, or fitting into molds that don’t truly reflect our authentic selves. This journal challenges you to reject the need to “audition” for your life, reminding you that you are already enough, exactly as you are. It encourages you to explore your identity, values, and the legacy you wish to leave. It’s an opportunity to reflect on your cultural roots, your mental and physical wellbeing, your relationships, and your sense of purpose. This journal provides a safe, empowering space to unpack your thoughts, celebrate your successes, and embrace the journey ahead without fear, compromise, or the need for external validation. Through introspection, intention, and a focus on your own growth, you’ll be empowered to live a life that is authentically yours.
Sylvie’s Love and Loss
By Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith
Sylvie’s Love and Loss is a gripping narrative set in the heart of the Caribbean. Set against the backdrop of Grenada, this captivating story transcends romance, weaving a tapestry of personal triumphs and struggles against the country’s vibrant social climate. Griffith’s characters, richly drawn and unforgettable, embark on quests for love, fulfillment, and the strength to overcome adversity. From the awakening desires in “Sex Lesson” to the hopeful yearning for “Reconciliation,” Sylvie’s Love and Loss explores the complexities of love, the enduring scars of loss, and the redemptive power of understanding.
Brown Girl, Brown Girl
By Leslé Honoré and Cozbi A. Cabrera
This powerful and hopeful picture book was inspired by the historic election of Kamala Harris as vice president of the United States. Based on a viral poem by Blaxican poet and activist Leslé Honoré, and illustrated by Caldecott honoree Cozbi A. Cabrera, this moving journey through the past, present, and future of brown and Black girls is a celebration of community, creativity, and joy—and offers a reminder of the history that inspires hope, and the hope that inspires activism.
Lifted: 150 Quotes that Motivate Highly Successful Black Women
By Rosalind Kilkenny McLymont
You’re pedaling and pedaling toward your goal, pushing against headwinds with everything you’ve got, but sometimes it feels as though you’re not moving at all. At other times, it’s almost as if you’resliding backwards. How do you hold yourself steady on your path? Are there words to urge your tired legs to make one more turn on the pedals? Because that one more turn will lead to another, and another, and another. In LIFTED! 150 Quotes that Motivate Highly Successful Black Women, award-winning journalist and author Rosalind Kilkenny McLymont offers an exclusive, unfiltered look at the words that ground, inspire and guide extraordinary Black women in their careers.
The Guyana Contract
By Rosalind Kilkenny McLymont
High-powered corporate executives, including a strong female protagonist, and their influence on a small South American country. Part business caper, part exploration of the challenges facing a black female executive, the compelling premise of a character like Drucilla as a nation-shaper in a place like Guyana is well-planned …The narrative seamlessly weaves information about Guyana into the story, allowing the average reader to walk away having learned something about the place. Who in the end is really responsible for shaping a country like Guyana?”
Middle Ground
By Rosalind Kilkenny McLymont
From strife-torn Africa to the power corridors of American diplomacy and the CIA, to the private circles of privileged Black America, Middle Ground is a story of individuals driven by their deepest fears and ambitions. Life, they all learn, is about challenging one’s comfort zone, about overcoming one’s demons, about finding middle ground. A thriller set in New York and Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the book combines a fast-paced narrative with powerful insights into human nature and into the world of international business. While it is a quick read, it packs historical and cultural information between its covers.
MANNISH WATER: An Anthology of Social, Political and Cultural Essays by Black, Scholarly Men in 21st-Century America—Reflections on their Lives and their World
Edited by Carlton Long and Olufemi Vaughan
This rare collection of new and previously unpublished essays allows Black, scholarly men as “Black men” to reveal their sacrifices, power and achievements through great attention to detail — their flesh and their bone revealed through the profound and important telling of their personal journeys. Those familiar with the Caribbean in general, and with Jamaica in particular, will recognize that “Mannish Water” is the name given to a particular dish known synonymously as “Goat Head Soup.” It is flesh and bone. It is sacrifice. And it is power prepared with care
