Black Joy - Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration

**With deeply personal and uplifting essays in the vein of __Black Girls Rock__, __You Are Your Best Thing__, and __I Really Needed This Today__, this is “a necessary testimony on the magic and beauty of our capacity to live and love fully and out loud” (Kerry Washington).** When Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts wrote an essay on Black joy for __The____Washington Post__, she had no idea just how deeply it would resonate. But the outpouring of positive responses affirmed her own lived experience: that Black joy is not just a weapon of resistance, it is a tool for resilience. With this book, Tracey aims to gift her community with a collection of lyrical essays about the way joy has evolved, even in the midst of trauma, in her own life. Detailing these instances of joy in the context of Black culture allows us to recognize the power of Black joy as a resource to draw upon, and to challenge the one-note narratives of Black life as solely comprised of trauma and hardship. “Lewis-Giggetts etches a stunning personal map that follows in her ancestors’ footsteps and highlights their ability to take control of situational heartbreak and tragedy and make something better out of it....A simultaneously gorgeous and heartbreaking read” (__Kirkus Reviews__, starred review). "Black joy is unique and deeply rooted in the cultural experiences and expressions of Black people. It's ever-present and yet often hidden... Black joy has a sound. It moves in a particular way.... Like great-grandmother's talcum powder and Jean Nate, it enters the room before you do and stays long after you leave.This is why we must tap into it. This is why this book is necessary." When writer, Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts wrote a piece for The Washington Post, "My daughter reminded me that black joy is a form of resistance" she had no idea just how much or how widely it would resonate with parents across America. As a Professor of English and Race Studies, and a writer whose work focuses on the intersection of race, trauma and healing, she knew that Black joy is truly a weapon of resistance, a tool for resilience. In the outpouring for more on the subject, Tracey saw there was a need for something longer than a thousand words on the subject. Like Hoda Kotb's I REALLY NEEDED THIS TODAY, BLACK JOY: A Strategy for Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration is an inspiring collection of stories that will recharge readers. As rich and healing as it is commercial, BLACK JOY is destined to become a book that is passed between friends, that is comfort at the end of a long day, an answer for the reader who needs a place to quiet their mind and heal their soul"-- Provided by publisher Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional With deeply personal and uplifting essays in the vein of Black Girls Rock! , You Are Your Best Thing , and I Really Needed This Today , this is "a necessary testimony on the magic and beauty of our capacity to live and love fully and out loud" (Kerry Washington). When Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts wrote an essay on Black joy for The Washington Post , she had no idea just how deeply it would resonate. But the outpouring of positive responses affirmed her own lived experience: that Black joy is not just a weapon of resistance, it is a tool for resilience. With this book, Tracey aims to gift her community with a collection of lyrical essays about the way joy has evolved, even in the midst of trauma, in her own life. Detailing these instances of joy in the context of Black culture allows us to recognize the power of Black joy as a resource to draw upon, and to challenge the one-note narratives of Black life as solely comprised of trauma and hardship. "Lewis-Giggetts etches a stunning personal map that follows in her ancestors' footsteps and highlights their ability to take control of situational heartbreak and tragedy and make something better out of it....A simultaneously gorgeous and heartbreaking read" ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review). A timely collection of deeply personal, uplifting, and powerful essays that celebrate the redemptive strength of Black joy?in the vein of Black Girls Rock , You Are Your Best Thing , and I Really Needed This Today . When Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts wrote an essay on Black joy for The Washington Post , she had no idea just how deeply it would resonate. But the outpouring of responses affirmed her own lived experience: that Black joy is not just a weapon of resistance, it is a tool for resilience. With this book, Tracey aims to gift her community with a collection of lyrical essays about the way joy has evolved, even in the midst of trauma, in her own life. Detailing these instances of joy in the context of Black culture allows us to recognize the power of Black joy as a resource to draw upon, and to challenge the one-note narratives of Black life as solely comprised of trauma and hardship. Black Joy is a collection that will recharge you. It is the kind of book that is passed between friends and offers both challenge and comfort at the end of a long day. It is an answer for anyone who needs confirmation that they are not alone and a brave place to quiet their mind and heal their soul