Be the Bridge Resources

I’m currently hosting a Be the Bridge group and we decided to create a shared document where we could compile resources (books, websites, movies, podcasts, etc) around diversity, racism, racial reconciliation, as they relate to our nation’s history, current cultural moment, and more. As I was adding my recommendations to the list I realized that mine mainly included, what else, books. So I figured I’d share it here as well as much is what I’ve read in recent years around these topics. And I included picture books here along with adult ones because I’ve learned SO much about Black History Month, and more, through children’s literature. Note that this list is a work in progress and not comprehensive at all! I have pulled much inspired over the years from HereWeeRead and HappilyEverElephants and hope you check them out and their booklists as well. In the meantime, I hope you find something for yourself, or your family crew, to grow and deepen your understanding of race relations and the socio-political history of our country. I’d love to hear some of your favorites as well!

Non-fiction/Memoir

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness: Austin Channing Brown

The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border: Francisco Cantú

All You Can Ever Know: Nicole Chung

Tell Me How it Ends: Valeria Luiselli

Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation: LaTasha Morrison

A $500 Dollar House in Detroit: Rebuilding an Abandoned Home and an American City: Drew Philp

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen: Jose Antonio Vargas

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After, Clementine Wamariya

Fiction

Americanah: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chains/Forge/Ashes Trilogy, Laurie Halse Anderson

Elijah of Buxton, Christopher Paul Curtis

The Kitchen House: Kathleen Grissom

Glory Over Everything: Kathleen Grissom (sequel to The Kitchen House)

Homegoing: Yaa Gyasi

Someone Knows My Name: Laurence Hill

An American Marriage: Tayari Jones

America’s First Daughter: Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

The Invention of Wings: Sue Monk Kidd

The Help: Kathryn Stockett

The Hate U Give: Angie Thomas

The Underground Railroad: Coleson Whitehead

Picture Books

Hazardous Tales: The Underground Abductor

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History

Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream and You

The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin

Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson

Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World

Hidden Figures

Mae Among the Stars

Our Legendary Ladies: Harriet Tubman

The Blacker the Berry (poetry)

Steamboat School

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness

Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe

So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom

The Story of Ruby Bridges

Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Figure Skating

We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song

Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story of the Underground Railroad

Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker

Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie: A Story about Edna Lewis

The Doctor With an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath 

Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13

2018 Booklist

It’s no secret that I love to read, a LOT. I don’t use any sort of fancy tracking for my booklist except a Word document that I’ve been updating since 2010. I know many people who set reading goals each year but I’ve never had the compulsion to do that. For me, I consider healthy reading to be akin to healthy eating: essentially doing so intuitively works the best for me. Sure, there are some books that I seek out more aggressively than others, but most times I’m at the mercy of the library hold list. Wink. I also pay attention to book recommendations from fellow bookworms and I love the booklists that our local independent bookstores put out. I’ve also recognized that some seasons I am able to read more than others (when toddlers were afoot, not much!). All that to say is that I’m not hung up on the actual number; I don’t numerate as I track as I’ve always felt then it would begin to seem like work to me, I just tally them up at the end of the year. This year I did read the most I have since I begun keeping track in 2010: a total of 88 books (last year it was 79). Note that this does include middle grade and young adult fiction, books that I’m able to get through quite quickly. I did not include family read-alouds in that total but I’ve included those, as well as audiobooks that we listened to as a family below. As I work from home I don’t have a commute so the audiobooks that we enjoy on road trips tend to be those that we do as a family. I do note trends in my reading though! Two years ago it was year of non-fiction. Last year it was historical fiction. This year was clearly the year of the memoir. I am realizing I read the least non-fiction this year than any other years but I believe this to be due to the fact that memoirs can toggle the line between non-fiction/autobiography. However, there are some topics I look forward to delving into deeper this year. I will look forward to seeing what 2019 brings!

For years I have done my own literary superlatives, I’ve listed those first but the list in its entirety is below as well. I didn’t include middle grade/YA in the superlatives as I don’t read as many in that genre and the ones that I did read were ALL fabulous. Please comment if you see a favorite or a book you’d like to read. Happy Reading!

2018 Booklist Superlatives

Best All Around

Where the Crawdads Sing

Best Fiction

Americanah

The Cactus

Best Historical Fiction

Lilli De Jong

Best Non-Fiction

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life

Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions

Most Helpful (in my season of life)

Going Public: Your Child Can Thrive in Public School

Most Unique

The Monk of Mokha

Most Poignant

The Line Becomes a River

Before We Were Yours

Most Humorous

Dear Mrs. Bird

Best Memoir

The Soul of An Octopus

Becoming

2018 Living by the Page Booklist

FICTION

Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In Bloom: Trading Restless Insecurity for Abiding Confidence Kayla Aimee

That Kind of Mother Rumaan Alam

Us Against You Fredrik Backman

Lilli De Jong Janet Benton

How to Walk Away Katherine Center

The Great Alone Kristin Hannah

The Cactus Sarah Haywood

Small Country: A Novel Gaël Faye

The Atlas of Love Laurie Frankel

Last Christmas in Paris Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

Every Note Played Lisa Genova

An American Marriage Tayari Jones

The Queen of Hearts Kimmery Martin

Happy People Read and Drink Coffee Agnes Martin-Lugand

Still Me JoJo Moyes

Little Fires Everywhere Celeste Ng

This Must Be the Place Maggie O’Farrell

Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens

Dear Mrs. Bird AJ Pearce

A Spark of Light Jodi Picoult

The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go Amy Reichert

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane Lisa See

Mr. Dickens and His Carol Samantha Silva

Sourdough Robin Sloan

By the Book Julia Sonneborn

The Good Thief Hannah Tinti

The Space Between Us Thrity Umrigar

The Book of Essie Meghan MacLean Weir

My Oxford Year Julia Whelan

Before We Were Yours Lisa Wingate

Something Like Happy Eva Woods

The Map of Salt and Stars Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry Gabrielle Zevin

MEMOIR

Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman’s Awakening Manal Al-Sharif

The Line Becomes a River Francisco Cantú

Between the Dark and the Daylight: Embracing the Contradictions of Life Joan Chittister

The Middle Place Kelly Corrigan

Tell Me More: Stories about the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say Kelly Corrigan

The Monk of Mokha Dave Eggers

 Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People Bob Goff

At Home in This Life: Finding Peace at the Crossroad of Unraveled Dreams and Beautiful Surprises Jerusalem Jackson Greer

Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of this Wild and Glorious Life Jen Hatmaker

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help that Actually Works-A True Story Dan Harris

Girl, Wash Your Face Rachel Hollis

Imperfect Courage: Live a Life of Purpose by Leaving Comfort and Going Scared Jessica Honegger

To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regrets Jedidiah Jenkins

The Joy of Doing Nothing Rachel Jonat

From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel Christine Hoover

Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry Katrina Kenison

 The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir Katrina Kenison

The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food and Love Kristin Kimball

A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living Emily Ley

Daring to Hope: Finding God’s Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful Katie Davis Major

Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted Shannan Martin

Come & Eat: A Celebration of Love and Grace Around the Everyday Table Bri McKoy 

Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons Dr. Meg Meeker

Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion Sara Miles

The Soul of An Octopus Sy Montgomery

The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood Sy Montgomery

How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals Sy Montgomery

Becoming Michelle Obama

Beauty in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Love, Faith and Resilience Allison Pataki

Going Public: Your Child Can Thrive in Public School David and Kelli Pritchard

A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda Josh Ruxin

Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith Barbara Brown Taylor

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way Lysa TerKeurst

Educated: A Memoir Tara Westover

First, We Make the Beast Beautiful Sarah Wilson

NON-FICTION

Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior Jonah Berger

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life Bill Burnett & Dave Evans 

Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions Valeria Luiselli

The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life Into a Work of Art Erwin Raphael McManus

YOUNG ADULT AND MIDDLE GRADE

Where the Watermelons Grow Cindy Baldwin

The Wild Robot Peter Brown

The Wild Robot Escapes Peter Brown     

The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming J. Anderson Coats

Finding Esme Suzanne Crowley

The Great Hibernation Tara Dairman 

The Lifters Dave Eggers

Fortunately, the Milk Neil Gaiman

Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel Kimberly Willis Holt

Bob Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead

The Flourishing of Floralie Laurel Fiadhnait Moser

The Book of Boy Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Eleanor & Park Rainbow Rowell

Front Desk Kelly Yang

POETRY

Devotions Mary Oliver

Audiobooks[1]

·      Mary Poppins

·      The Penderwicks in Spring

·      The Penderwicks at Last

·      Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package

·      The War That Saved My Life

·      The War I Finally Won

·      Who Was? Scientists and Inventors

 Family Read Alouds:

[1] Note that the Audiobooks and Family Read Alouds are in the order that we read/listened to them. This doesn’t include the copious amount of picture books we read this year, please visit my the ‘Book Review’ section on this site or visit my IG @livingbythepagewithnatalie to see those titles and reviews.

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