It took a while but spring really and truly arrived! And now we're pretty much launched into summer but I can't mind the heat too much when it's accompanied by flowers and green leafy trees. On a personal note, I'm sensing more change ahead and I'm ready for it. June marks 3 years since I moved from Nashville to San Francisco. A year ago I was visiting Dublin. This June I'll release my first novel. Who knows where next June will find me?

Read and Reading 

When Dimple Met Rishi (Menon) was as wonderful as everyone said. Why didn’t I get to it sooner?! Dimple and Rishi captured my heart from the start and I could not get enough of the evolution of their relationship. This was a heart-warming, happy read...although it made me cry too because of how strongly I empathized with the characters. It was also refreshing to read a book that got the San Francisco setting right! I can't wait to read From Twinkle, With Love.

Who can resist a story set in a town cursed by witches for two centuries? Not me! I thoroughly enjoyed The Wicked Deep (Ernshaw). It was atmospheric and the right amount of creepy. I could not stop reading and it kept surprising me! Gorgeous writing and I loved how layered the characters were.

The Beauty That Remains (Woodfolk) was a lovely, emotionally resonant book, all the more impressive in that it's Woodfolk's debut. The writing was pitch perfect and I could not get over the beauty in some of her sentences. I could not put the book down. I wanted to see how Shay, Autumn, and Logan's stories would intertwine and to learn more about their loved ones who had died. I liked that it explored different kinds of loss: a best friend, twin sister, and ex-boyfriend. Shay, Autumn, and Logan all cope differently, in ways both positive and negative. They need different kinds of support to help them work through their grief. At the same time, while there are certainly sad moments, this story is filled with a lot of life. All three characters have to figure out a new normal and life carries on. There are people with whom to fall in love and parties to attend and songs to write. There's the current of music which links the characters and which speaks to them in different ways. And there are the other people who are left behind: siblings, parents, friends.

The Dragon And The Pearl (Lin) was my first time reading Jeannie Lin and I cannot handle how good it was. I need more historical romance like this! Her writing is so atmospheric and her characters really come alive. This is set in China in 759 AD during the Tang Dynasty and I learned so much about palace life and the complicated politics of that time. There were such high stakes between Ling Suyin and Li Tao and I didn't know how they would overcome them. My heart really went out to Ling Suyin and how she's been used as a pawn by everyone in her life. She was so close to being able to live out the rest of her life on her own terms, only to be taken by Li Tao. And yes, this may have saved her life but she's still beholden to someone she doesn't believe she can trust. Li Tao carries a heavy burden himself and the political machinations were fascinating, albeit worrisome. I loved watching these two face off against one another and then giving into their attraction. The way their relationship evolved was fantastic and I'm really looking forward to catching up on the first book and then reading the rest of this series. 

Smitten Kitchen Every Day is another winner from Smitten Kitchen! I enjoy reading SK because Deb's recipes are part attainable and part aspirational. Deb's pure love and enjoyment of food bursts off the page and you can't help but catch her enthusiasm. I'm probably never going to grill squid or make my own flatbread but I love reading about her process. I read cookbooks for inspiration and to get me out of cooking my usual recipes. To that end, I'm especially looking forward to making the red lentil soup, kale Caesar with broken eggs, and street cart chicken soon. Oh, and just about every dessert. Deb's recipes never steer me wrong.

I was thrilled when Joy The Baker announced her next cookbook was dedicated to brunch and I have to say Over Easy exceeded my expectations. I've been a big fan of her recipes for several years and there are so many great options in Over Easy I can now add to my arsenal. So far I've made the Grapefruit Rosemary Mimosa, Mini Apricot and Cardamom Scones, and Baked Ratatouille Hash with fried eggs- all winners in my book! On deck soon: Sweet Bacon Pancakes, Breakfast BLTs, and Spinach and Artichoke Strata. YUM. Joy Wilson just gets me.

My reading goal for 2018 is to read a good chunk of my unread books so every month I'm designating several books to read. These were my picks for May and I loved them all!

You can see all the books I've read at Goodreads. 

Currently reading: This Is Where You Belong (Warnick), Hot Mess (Belden), The Library: A Catalogue Of Wonders (Kells), A Hunger Like No Other (Cole), Cocktales Anthology (Various), What Should Be Wild (Fine), The Rose Garden (Kearsley)

TV

I have one episode left of the Queer Eye reboot and I'm not ready to be done. Bring on season 2!

Podcasts:

I really enjoyed publicist Erin Galloway's episode on The Wicked Wallflowers Club. Soaking up all the PR advice and insights I can get!

I've become a major Talia Hibbert fan so I was over the moon when she appeared on Smart Podcast Trashy Books! So great to learn more about her and how she started writing romance. #298: Being Brave: An Interview with Talia Hibbert. I also really enjoyed #297: Song of Blood And Stone: An Interview with Leslye Penelope. I've been looking forward to reading Song Of Blood And Stone and had no idea about its interesting road to publication.

Death, Sex, & Money had a great interview with Tayari Jones. I'm hoping to finally read An American Marriage in June.

What's Black And Gray And Inked All Over? on Code Switch made for fascinating listening. I had no idea about the origin story for black-and-gray tattoos! 

Highlights:  

• The print copy of my novel arrived!!! I swear I'm still giddy. It's a real book!

• One of my dearest friends read an advance copy of A Storied Life and her response was everything I'd hoped it would be. I've been carrying her praise around with me ever since.

• The chicken salsa chili at Cafe Latte - it had been so long since my last dining experience and I've really missed the chili. 

• Marijke and I went to the Fierce Reads tour at Red Balloon Bookshop, which is the cutest place! We got to see Maureen Goo, Tricia Levenseller, Taran Matharu, and Mary E. Pearson. Such a fun night!

• I heard Dominique Gilliard, author of Rethinking Incarceration, speak at The Table. Very important conversation!

• ThriftBooks is a new site I love! Great deals for book lovers. My affiliate link gets you 15% off your first purchase.

• THE ROYAL WEDDING. I'm still not over it and I'm ever ready to talk about how magical it was.

• I'm catsitting for my friend who has a reading nook so basically I'm living the dream.

• Recording podcasts with two dear friends! It's always fun to go on someone's show. 

• I got a NARS lipstick sampler and it's been fun to test out the different colors. The darker shades turned out so much better than I would have guessed!

• Have I mentioned my novel comes out June 12?!?!?! I can't wait for everyone to read it.

Favorite Instagram:

One guess as to how I spent yesterday morning. Waking up early has never been so worth it! I loved every part of the #royalwedding! 

(If you want to follow me on Instagram, my user name is leighkramer.)

On The Blog:

Bookstore Spotlight: Cornerstone Used Books in Villa Park, IL 

Favorite Nonfiction Books About Death, Dying, and Grief.

Book reviews: I'm Still Here, A Tiny Piece Of Something Greater  

What I'm Into Link Up Guidelines:

1. This link-up will stay open for one week. The next What I'm Into link up will be Monday July 2. 

2. Link the unique URL of your post, not your blog's home page. Readers peruse link ups months after the fact and you want to make it easy for them to find your What I'm Into post.

3. Please include the What I'm Into button or mention you're linking up with What I'm Into at Leigh Kramer.

4. Visit at least 2 other posts in the linkup!

What have you been into this month? 

Disclosure: Affiliate links included in this post.  If you click through, any purchase you make supports this site.

Photo by John-Mark Smith on Unsplash

I know what you're thinking. Not the cheeriest of topics, especially for a Favorite Book list. And yet, this is a subject that is very near and dear to my heart for three reasons.

First, I've lost my fair share of loved ones and more loss is inevitably in my future. It is the bittersweet byproduct of being in relationship with others. Books have been a necessary part of my mourning process.

Second, I worked as a hospice social worker and child and teen bereavement counselor for several years. I've read tons of professional resources about death, dying, and grief and I love connecting people to the resources they need.

Third, we as a society do not talk about this enough and I want to encourage others to start the conversation with themselves and their loved ones. That's part of why I wrote my novel A Storied Life. That's why I'll be going on my friend Anne Bogel's podcast What Should I Read Next? in a couple of weeks to talk about my favorite novels and memoirs exploring this topic. (Update: listen to the episode here.)

And that's why I wanted to put together a nonfiction list so you can be equipped too.

Dr. Alan Wolfelt

Alan deserves his own category. He's a renowned grief expert who has written dozens upon dozens of books and they're my go-tos as both a professional and as a grieving person. He came up with the companioning philosophy for grief care and it's an incredibly gracious and compassionate approach. I had the opportunity to attend two of his trainings at the Center for Loss and Life Transition in Fort Collins and they were the highlights of my career. He's written a book about almost every kind of loss, including divorce, perinatal loss, and more. You can see all of the books available at the Center here. 

A few to highlight: 

Companioning The Bereaved: A Soulful Guide for Caregivers - Alan Wolfelt

Synopsis: This book by one of North America’s most respected grief educators presents a model for grief counseling based on his “companioning” principles. For many mental healthcare providers, grief in contemporary society has been medicalized—perceived as if it were an illness that with proper assessment, diagnosis and treatment could be cured. Dr. Wolfelt explains that our modern understanding of grief all too often conveys that at bereavement’s “end” the mourner has completed a series of tasks, extinguished pain, and established new relationships. Our psychological models emphasize “recovery” or “resolution” in grief, suggesting a return to “normalcy.”

Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart - Alan Wolfelt

Synopsis: One of North America’s leading grief educators, Dr. Alan Wolfelt has written many books about healing in grief. This book is his most comprehensive, covering the essential lessons that mourners have taught him in his three decades of working with the bereaved. In compassionate, down-to-earth language, Understanding Your Grief describes ten touchstones—or trail markers—that are essential physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual signs for mourners to look for on their journey through grief.

Healing Your Grieving Heart series - Alan Wolfelt

Synopsis: With sensitivity and insight, this series offers suggestions for healing activities that can help survivors learn to express their grief and mourn naturally. Acknowledging that death is a painful, ongoing part of life, it explains how people need to slow down, turn inward, embrace their feelings of loss, and seek and accept support when a loved one dies. Each book, geared for mourning adults, teens, or children, provides ideas and action-oriented tips that teach the basic principles of grief and healing. These ideas and activities are aimed at reducing the confusion, anxiety, and huge personal void so that living their lives can begin again.

Healing Your Grieving Heart is a great place to start but the book has been adapted for other mourners, including children, teens, spouses, parents, and adult children. You can see the whole series here.

Companioning The Dying: A Soulful Guide for Caregivers - Greg Yoder, foreword by Alan Wolfelt

Synopsis: Based on the assumption that all dying experiences belong not to the caregivers but to those who are dying—and that there is no such thing as a “good death” or a “bad death,” Companioning the Dying helps readers bring a respectful, nonjudgmental presence to the dying while liberating them from self-imposed or popular expectations to say or do the right thing. Written with candor and wit by hospice counselor Greg Yoder (who has companioned several hundred dying people and their families), Companioning the Dying exudes a compassion and a clarity that can only come from intimate work with the dying. The book teaches through reallife stories that will resonate with both experienced clinical professionals as well as laypeople in the throes of caring for a dying loved one.

With The End In Mind: Dying, Death, & Wisdom in an Age of Denial - Kathryn Mannix

Kathryn Mannix is a palliative care and hospice doctor in the UK. Her goal with this book is both to promote conversation about dying and to show that those who are dying are still living. This often surprised people when I still worked for hospice, that there was so much light and laughter in my days. Yes, there were sad, hard, and frustrating days- how could there not be?- but more often than not, my days were filled with life.

Mannix shares stories to illustrate what happens when people are dying and at various stages, as well as people’s reactions to their or their loved one’s decline. She shares stories from early on in her career when she was a student on up to the present. She doesn’t always get it right and I appreciate how she owned up to her mistakes and learned from them. This helps us learn too. She also shares how her colleagues helped her improve her practice. 

This could simply be a collection of stories but Mannix also includes questions at the end of each section. These are questions to think through and then to discuss with family. You’re able to follow the process modeled by Mannix and her team. 

Overall, this is a solid resource on end of life issues, whether you’re a family member facing the loss of a loved one or someone who has worked in hospice for years. The stories are often heartwarming and beautiful and even the hard ones illustrate some aspect of death and life we need to better understand.  (Read my full review here.)

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory - Caitlin Doughty

I applaud Doughty's exploration of death and the funeral industry. Too few people recognize the value in these topics. When we ignore the reality of death, it hampers our ability to truly live and this plays out in myriad ways, from our healthcare system to Botox. Doughty has some unconventional thoughts about the post-mortem but I appreciated how she came to her conclusions and especially how she makes room for a difference of opinion over what should happen after we die. More than that, she makes room for honest conversation. Though I worked in hospice for several years and have attended funerals my whole life, I still learned a lot in these pages. If you're not familiar with the "death industry," you might not be prepared for the wacky sense of humor or what death looks like. And really, that makes the case for this book that much more.

My Glory Was I Had Such Friends - Amy Silverstein

This is an honest and unflinching portrayal of friendship and end of life issues. It's a memoir but I still believe it's a resource for caregivers and the chronically ill. Amy Silverstein had a heart transplant at age 25 in 1988. At the time, her doctors predicted she might live another 10 years at best. Instead 26 years passed, during which time Amy married her husband Scott, finished her law degree, adopted a son, and amassed a wonderful collection of friends.

People think once you get a heart transplant, life goes back to normal but Amy shows this is not the case. While she's lived a full life, she's also had to be vigilant about her health, dealing with numerous hospitalizations and close calls along the way. When the book begins, she's learned her transplanted heart is failing and she'll need to undergo another transplant. This is not an easy decision for her and she does not hold back on taking readers through her mindset about whether to take on the odds. 

In the end, she decides to go for it and her friends immediately rally around her. Since Amy and Scott will have to relocate to LA for several months, nine of her friends decide they will take turns flying out and keeping Amy company while she waits for a heart. We get to learn through the process of how sick she gets and as she confronts her mortality. I'm so glad not only that she received a new heart in time but that she was able to write this account for us. (Read my full review here.)

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End - Atul Gawande 

Surgeon Atul Gawande examines the role of medicine in extending life and how it is used when life is ending that can, in fact, lead to greater suffering. Profoundly insightful, well written, and engaging. These are good things to think through NOW. If you haven't talked to your loved one about their end of life wishes or yours, this is the time to think through it and start the conversation. Gawande didn't start out in the place of understanding he came to and he had the same questions and resistance many of us do when it comes to the hard talks and that's part of why this book works so well.

When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi 

A wonderful addition to the end-of-life canon. Paul Kalanithi was was at the end of his training as a neurosurgeon when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. He began writing about his treatment and grapples with the question of what gives life meaning. He died before he finished writing this but his insights are an immeasurable gift. I wish he would have delved into his palliative care team but that is one of the limitations of writing a book while dying. There is much more he could have explored and yet the material he did give us is rich, impressive, and necessary. 

Intern: A Doctor's Initiation - Sandeep Jauhar 

Cardiologist Sandeep Jauhar gives us a revealing inside look at medical residency and the world inside hospitals. Because of my background, I was not surprised by much of what Jauhar encountered, although some improvements have been made since he completed residency. There's still much to be done! The book might have been stronger had Jauhar not waffled so much about his chosen career and calling but still, I'm glad he decided to lower the veil for those of us who do not work as doctors or nurses. While this doesn't focus specifically on death, dying, or grief, you can't write a book about a medical internship without delving into those topics. Jauhar doesn't always get it right but there's a lot we can learn from his stories and I think this gives great insight into what we expect, whether warranted or not, from our doctors.

On Death And Dying - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Of course Kübler-Ross needs to be included on a list like this! While her work has been misapplied and misunderstood, her research was ground-breaking. Those five stages of grief everyone talks about? That's actually the five stages for the person who is dying: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. In this book, she explores how a terminal prognosis affects the patient and how professionals can better serve the person and their loved ones. It's a valuable resource.

Disclosure: Affiliate links included in this post. 

If you sign up for my author newsletter by this weekend, I'll send you a pdf with the prologue and first chapter of A Storied Life! I really hope you'll enjoy getting a sneak peek at my first novel.

Release day is just around the corner! Three weeks from today, in fact. I can't believe it!

The newsletter will be the most dependable source for book news. As I start working on my next book, I hope to share behind-the-scenes news and special excerpts. And I imagine I'll also share the books I'm currently reading and loving. It will be great bookish fun!

To get your sneak peek at A Storied Life, sign up here. The newsletter will go out early next week.

A Storied Life by Leigh Kramer

Release Date: June 12, 2018

Synopsis

“Live your own story. Make every moment count.”

Olivia Frasier grew up under the guidance of her grandmother's mantra: “Live a storied life.” The oft-repeated words gave her the courage to pursue art instead of working at the family bank until a mistake made in college altered the course of her life. Now, no one knows Olivia still paints. Not her friends. Not her staff at the art gallery. Certainly not her family.

She can ignore the twinge of unease, the regret that surfaces when Gram's mantra comes to mind, the question of whether this is all life has to offer.

When Gram announces she has terminal cancer—and names Olivia as her Power of Attorney for Healthcare—Olivia is thrust in to the world of hospice and dying wishes. Olivia may be the family’s black sheep but she is determined to see Gram through this, no matter the cost.

Faced with losing the one person on her side, Olivia clings to the knowledge that Gram's death will finally allow her to walk away from the family. And yet Gram is determined to impart one last lesson: let go of the past so she can live the life she’s meant to lead.

When Reagan walks into her art gallery, the timing couldn’t be worse. He’s everything Olivia ever dreamed of wanting but she has learned to settle for less when it comes to her relationships and career. At what point does owning your story outweigh the potential hurt?

Weaving together grief and beauty, humor and romance, A Storied Life will make you rethink life, love, and loss.

Please note: this book explores the death of a loved one by cancer and contains mentions of past sexual harassment and suicidal ideation that could potentially trigger certain audiences.

Pre-order the book here:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Kobo

Paperback

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. 

A Tiny Piece Of Something Greater - Jude Sierra

My Review: 5 Stars

"He's wanted to hear words like these for so long, but never thought himself worthy. And when he recognized he might be worthy, the possibility that he could or would ever hear them still seemed a foolish wish." p. 154

I'm partial to books that illustrate this vital truth: everyone deserves to be loved. I'm especially partial when they're about characters who aren't sure they do. Because of this, I absolutely loved A Tiny Piece Of Something Greater!

Reid heads to Florida for a fresh start while he's in recovery for self-harming behaviors and in treatment for his cyclothymia. He feels he's put his family through a lot because of his mental illness and he's still figuring out how to handle his co-dependent relationship with his ex-boyfriend. 

At the same time, there's a brightness to Reid and an inner strength he's discovering. His character growth through the course of the novel was stunning. I simply adored him.

Joaquim is training to become a scuba diving instructor. He's from Brazil and has a bit of wanderlust, content to leave the future in the air while he goes from place to place. Yet he's also such a dependable, calm man. He serves as a good example for anyone who has a loved one with mental illness.

We get to see how they're drawn to one another and how they work through their insecurities and figure out the beginnings of their relationship. Reid may feel he has a lot of baggage but I liked how Joaquim felt like they were learning one another's stories and he really wanted to better understand Reid no matter what.

I loved watching Reid figure out what he needed in each moment. Mental illness was handled with such grace and compassion and I'm so glad we got to see Reid use coping skills and therapeutic tools. He’s in a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) group, which was my favorite class when I was getting my masters in social work. Any book that highlights DBT has a special place in my heart. 

There are no quick fixes for Reid but Joaquim is in it with him, willing to support Reid however he needs. I loved how watching Joaquim figure out the ways he needed to compromise his free-spirited ways for the good of the relationship. This was such a beautiful and moving portrait of what love looks like. That Reid didn't believe he deserved to experience love like this, that Joaquim and Reid were so perfect for one another...my heart spills over.

It ends with a HFN (Happy For Now) and because Reid and Joaquim are in their early 20s, I'm absolutely fine with that. It's so hope-filled that I do believe their happily-ever-after awaits.

This is the second book I've read by Jude Sierra and it blew me away. She's pretty much reached auto-buy status. Her writing is vivid and nuanced. I love the way she brings her characters to life and how very real they feel. This is a deeply personal story for her as she also has cyclothymia and I'm deeply grateful she wrote it. We need more #ownvoices stories along these lines. Highly recommended.

Instagram Giveaway

I’m delighted to be partnering with @ANovelTakePR for an Instagram tour and giveaway! Win one of two e-copies of any book from Jude Sierra’s back catalog. (I highly recommend Idlewild.) Open Internationally. Winners chosen by May 30 & contacted about their prize via the Instagram account used to enter.

Head over to my Instagram to check out my book photo and enter the giveaway!

Synopsis

Reid Watsford has a lot of secrets and a past he can’t quite escape. While staying at his grandmother’s condo in Key Largo, he signs up for introductory dive classes, where he meets Joaquim Oliveira, a Brazilian dive instructor with wanderlust. Driven by an instant, magnetic pull, what could have been just a hookup quickly deepens. As their relationship evolves, they must learn to navigate the challenges of Reid’s mental illness—on their own and with each other.

Buy The Book Here:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Interlude Press | The Ripped Bodice

Disclosure: Thank you to A Novel Take PR for the free advance copy!

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made For Whiteness - Austin Channing Brown

My Review: 5 Stars

If you're at all familiar with Austin Channing Brown, you know she is a gifted communicator as both a writer and speaker. I had high hopes for her first book and I was hooked from the first page. I had intended to only read the first few chapters and before I knew it, I chucked my plans for the day and wrapped myself up in the pages of Austin's story.

By the time I finished reading, I was even more in awe of Austin. I'm Still Here is truly phenomenal.

Austin shares how even her very name challenges people's assumptions. People expect to a white man when they see the name Austin; they don't always know what to do with the Black woman before them. She grew up and has worked in majority-white schools, organizations, and churches. And with those majority-white spaces come stereotypes, biases, and prejudices.

Austin shares her trajectory from believing she was the white culture whisperer after college to seeing how white supremacy infected programs supposedly dedicated to racial reconciliation. 

"The role of the bridge builder sounds appealing until it becomes clear how often the bridge is your broken back." p. 42

In chapter 5, titled Whiteness At Work, Austin details the microaggressions she experienced in her average workday at a Christian organization. It was staggering to see them listed out and know this was just an average day. One of many. And then to see how the organization had no interest in changing when Austin pointed out the biases present, despite its supposed commitment to diversity in the workplace. 

It is little wonder why Austin finds white people so exhausting. I can only imagine the bone-deep tiredness that comes after a lifetime of existing as a Black woman in primarily white spaces. 

White readers will need to pay special attention to the sections exploring the difference between white fragility and taking full ownership of facing your own racism. If you are white, you have internalized racism, even if you don't see it. This is what it is to live in a society stacked in your favor from the moment you are born and this is why it's important for us to confront our privilege and interrogate our biases.

More importantly, we cannot—we must not—rely on People Of Color to help us do that. As Austin notes, she is "not the priest for the white soul" (p. 65.) 

I was very moved by Interlude: Letter To My Son. I was also moved when Austin shared about her fears that crop up whenever her husband or dad travels. She worries they'll be pulled over and won't make it home. It's horrifying that this is not an unrealistic fear, that there's nothing we can say in reassurance. It's a profound reminder of why we need to keep fighting for justice and the eradication of white supremacy at every level. 

There are tough truths here but there is also joy as Austin reflects on the gifts the Black church has given her and what she loves about being a Black woman. I loved reading about her memories of her childhood and time with her family, as well as her love for books and the library.

Each chapter builds upon the one before it in a way that is masterful. This mastery becomes especially clear in the final two chapters. The last chapter is a reflection on hope and hopelessness and it is precisely what I needed to read for so many reasons. 

"This is the shadow of hope. Knowing that we may never see the realization of our dreams, and yet still showing up." p. 105

Then I read the final paragraph and Austin brought it all home and my only thought was, "holy shit." It was that powerful. I read it again and then again and let her words sink in. The whole book builds toward that moment and it is absolutely incredible getting there. Highly recommended.

Synopsis

From a leading new voice on racial justice, an eye-opening account of what it's like to grow up black, Christian, and female in white America, in this idea-driven memoir about how her determined quest for identity and understanding shows a way forward for us all.

Austin Channing Brown's first encounter with a racialized America came at age 7, when she discovered her parents named her Austin to deceive future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools, organizations, and churches, Austin writes, "I had to learn what it means to love blackness," a journey that led to a lifetime spent navigating America's racial divide as a writer, speaker and expert who helps organizations practice genuine inclusion.

In a time when nearly all institutions (schools, churches, universities, businesses) claim to value "diversity" in their mission statements, I'm Still Here is a powerful account of how and why our actions so often fall short of our words. Austin writes in breathtaking detail about her journey to self-worth and the pitfalls that kill our attempts at racial justice, in stories that bear witness to the complexity of America's social fabric--from Black Cleveland neighborhoods to private schools in the middle-class suburbs, from prison walls to the boardrooms at majority-white organizations.

For readers who have engaged with America's legacy on race through the writing of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michael Eric Dyson, I'm Still Here is an illuminating look at how white, middle-class, Evangelicalism has participated in an era of rising racial hostility, inviting the reader to confront apathy, recognize God's ongoing work in the world, and discover how blackness--if we let it--can save us all.

Buy The Book Here:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Disclosure: I was provided a review copy from Convergent in exchange for an honest review. Affiliate links included in this post.