Imagine this: You’re sitting underneath the shade of a cabana at your favorite beach spot on a warm summer day. You feel the sand between your toes and the sound of the cascading waves eases you into a relaxed state after a busy week.
For generations, the beach has been a space of resilience and retreat for Black people. It is where we create memories with our loved ones and release the stress of our lives. If getting into water isn’t your vibe, then let Black Joy help you dive into the depths of your imagination with our roundup of beach reads by Black authors:
For those trying to get their life together: “The Afrominimalist Guide to Living With Less”
When life becomes a mess, sometimes a good book can be the aide you need. Lifestyle influencer and author Christine Platt transformed the minimalist aesthetic from a dull, beige-colored trend into a movement powered by intention and authenticity. Now known to the world as the “Afrominimalist,” Platt has helped people revolutionize their own lives with her manifesto “The Afrominimalist Guide to Living With Less.” The book gives readers the tools to examine why they engage in overconsumption and how to heal the emotional wounds that lead to the issue in the first place.
The guide pairs perfectly with Platt’s upcoming book. “Less is Liberation,” which comes out in October and is currently available for pre-order, gives readers the ability to “declutter” their lives to improve their well-being.
“We’re just doing too much, and we’ve been doing too much for too long,” Platt told Black Joy earlier this year. “We have too many obligations. Too many things on our social calendar. There’s too many priorities. So where can I be doing less? Where can I let go? Where can I say I have enough so that I have more time to care for myself?”
For the adrenaline junkie: “Coded Justice”
Former minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives Stacey Abrams is a master of social justice and storytelling. Her latest novel, “Coded Justice,” hit bookstores on Tuesday. The thriller is Abrams’ third novel in a series following Avery Keene, a former Supreme Court clerk turned internal investigator. Keene is trying to turn her life around when she gets pulled into an interesting case in Washington, D.C. A shady tech company called Camasca Enterprises developed an artificial intelligence program that’s meant to help veterans with health care. But things get weird when someone ends up dead. Is AI involved? Keene and her friends are trying to figure that out.
For the Southern serial reader: “Make Your Way Home”
Atlanta native Carrie R. Moore’s literary debut couldn’t be held in one story. Her collection, titled “Make Your Way Home,” showcases eleven short stories that meander through different cities and towns of the South. The Black characters explore what it means to find belonging in places of rejection. The present mingles with history in each fictional tale. In Austin, Texas, a man pursues love despite a curse that has been in his family since enslavement. A pair of sisters head North to find a more stable climate. Written in visually-stunning prose, Moore spent a decade making sure each setting was authentic. Moore and her husband have explored and studied many of the locations mentioned in her collection. Locals of those areas read drafts of Moore’s work and gave her feedback. Deesha Philyaw, award-winning author of “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” gave Moore’s book high praise.
“Carrie R. Moore’s arresting Southern stories pulse with the kind of intimacy, beauty, and intensity that the best art conjures,” Philyaw said. “Her characters and their voices linger and arouse, long after their final moments on the page. ‘Make Your Way Home’ is a deeply satisfying, glorious debut.”
For the poetic reader: “Scorched Earth”
If you’re not a fan of fiction, then the award-winning lyricism of Tiana Clark will interest you. Her second poetry collection “Scorched Earth” is receiving applause for the way Clark illustrates radical joy. Her stanzas explore the Black experience from multiple angles, such as personal discovery following the aftermath of divorce. A poem titled “The First Black Bachelorette” evaluates the narrator’s relationship to beauty. Clark hopes her art inspires readers to find beauty in the ruin of life.
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