It’s sad to say this but since the passing of Nipsey Hussle, I’ve been inspired with wanting to level up and educate myself more on entrepreneurship, financial stability, my history and who I am as a black woman in America. A lot of that involves feeding my brain with the information out there that is provided to us. There are well over 100 million books in the world just waiting for one of us to pick it up, providing us with the information that no teacher ever has. It’s really up to us to take that power, upgrade ourselves and anyone else willing to learn.

Most of the books I’ve read throughout life have been fictional and more on the ghetto or supernatural side but I’ve decided to expand my views a bit more when it comes to reading. Yesterday I asked a few people some of their suggestions and I’ve definitely wrote them down since I can’t order a million books at one. I started with ordering the following:

• Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim
• • Remember that moment when you first encountered a character who seemed to be written just for you? That feeling of belonging remains with readers the rest of their lives—but not everyone regularly sees themselves in the pages of a book. In this timely anthology, Glory Edim brings together original essays by some of our best black women writers to shine a light on how important it is that we all—regardless of gender, race, religion, or ability—have the opportunity to find ourselves in literature
• The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison
• • The Source of Self-Regard is brimming with all the elegance of mind and style, the literary prowess and moral compass that are Toni Morrison’s inimitable hallmark. It is divided into three parts: the first is introduced by a powerful prayer for the dead of 9/11; the second by a searching meditation on Martin Luther King Jr., and the last by a heart-wrenching eulogy for James Baldwin. In the writings and speeches included here, Morrison takes on contested social issues: the foreigner, female empowerment, the press, money, “black matter(s),” and human rights. She looks at enduring matters of culture: the role of the artist in society, the literary imagination, the Afro-American presence in American literature, and in her Nobel lecture, the power of language itself.
• A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing by DaMaris B. Hill
• • From Harriet Tubman to Assata Shakur, Ida B. Wells to Sandra Bland and Black Lives Matter, black women freedom fighters have braved violence, scorn, despair, and isolation in order to lodge their protests. In A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing, DaMaris Hill honors their experiences with at times harrowing, at times hopeful responses to her heroes, illustrated with black-and-white photographs throughout.
• Year of Yes by Shondra Rhimes
• • This poignant, intimate, and hilarious memoir explores Shonda’s life before her Year of Yes—from her nerdy, book-loving childhood creating imaginary friends to her devotion to creating television characters who reflected the world she saw around her (like Cristina Yang, whose ultimate goal wasn’t marriage, and Cyrus Beene, who is a Republican and gay). And it chronicles her life after her Year of Yes had begun—when Shonda forced herself out of the house and onto the stage, appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and giving the Dartmouth Commencement speech; when she learned to say yes to her health, yes to play and she stepped out of the shadows and into the sun; when she learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self. Yes.

These books are currently on the way thanks to Amazon Prime but what I’m extremely happy about is the post I was tagged in this more, Nipsey’s Book List. It came at just the right time and I can’t wait to add those books to my collection. This man was so damn intelligent, giving, spiritual and had a heart of pure gold. I can’t wait to get into his head a little bit more by reading a few of the books he enjoyed and shared with his family and friends. I will list a few below but you can find the whole list on this account!

NIPSEY’S Book List

1. Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
2. Blood in My Eye – George Jackson
3. Conscious Capitalism – John Mackey & Rajendra Sisodia
4. Contagious – Jonah Berger
5. Creative Collection – Ken Kocienda
6. Culture Vultures – Kenyatta Griggs & Damon Dash
7. Fools by Randomness – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
8. Heal Thy Self – Queen Afua
9. How to Eat to Live – Elijah Muhammad
10. I Didn’t Do It For You – Michela Wrong

List some books you think everyone can benefit from reading.