Reading MY Way
I’m currently reading all of this and no, I’m not in a rush to finish a single one. Some days it’s Audible in my ears, some days it’s Kindle in my hand, and some days I need a hardback book so I can stare at the page like it personally challenged me. I skip around, replay chapters, and sit with stories until they finish talking to me.
I’m moving slowly through Unbought and Unbossed by Shirley Chisholm because integrity like that deserves time. I’m sitting with All Blood Runs Red, letting Eugene Bullard’s life remind me that brilliance has always existed even when recognition didn’t. I keep returning to Prophet of Freedom because Frederick Douglass wasn’t just surviving history, he was shaping it with strategy, intellect, and faith.
Now I’ve added W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of a Race, and this one requires patience. This isn’t background listening. This is thinking, pausing, rewinding, and letting complexity breathe. Du Bois forces you to sit with ideas about race, power, progress, and contradiction without rushing to be comfortable.
I’m reading The Mantle of Command to study leadership under pressure and what responsibility looks like when decisions carry weight. Walk With Me by Fannie Lou Hamer humbles me every time because faith, courage, and exhaustion can live in the same body and still change history.
Books like Forgotten and Immortal Valor slow me down on purpose because Black courage was never missing, it was ignored. I’m also sitting with Being Black in America’s Schools, which hits personal as a therapist and educator, because systems shape people long before people realize it.
And then there’s The Courage to Be Disliked, because unlearning people pleasing is part of growth too and boundaries are a form of freedom whether folks like it or not.
These books will show up in my content throughout the year. Not as summaries or book reports, but as reflections, quotes, and moments that connect history to real life right now. I’m reading on my own timeline, in my own way, and honestly, that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
Dee Bloomingmoore 🌺
Reading deeply and without rush, especially books that carry heavy historical and emotional weight, has become a valuable practice in my life. Books like Shirley Chisholm's "Unbought and Unbossed" provide a blueprint of integrity and political courage that I find myself returning to often. The deliberate pacing through these texts is not just about understanding content; it’s about absorbing the spirit of these figures. Engaging with Eugene Bullard's "All Blood Runs Red" reminded me of the unnoticed brilliance of Black individuals in history. Sometimes, it feels like the annals of history were written with blind spots, and re-reading such stories helps fill in those gaps with honor and respect. Similarly, Frederick Douglass as explored in "Prophet of Freedom" teaches us about shaping history through intellect and unwavering faith rather than merely surviving it. When tackling W.E.B. Du Bois's biography, I find that patience is crucial. His work challenges us to sit with complexity—race, power, and social progress are not simple narratives but intricate dialogues requiring reflection. This is why I don't just listen passively but actively rewind and ponder his ideas. Leadership themes resonate through my reading of "The Mantle of Command," demonstrating that responsibility in leadership is often about balancing immense pressure with moral clarity. Fannie Lou Hamer’s story in "Walk With Me" humbles me consistently; it reflects how courage and exhaustion coexist and empower transformative change. Books like "Forgotten" and "Immortal Valor" intentionally slow me down. They stress that Black courage and heroism were never absent but frequently overlooked. Such works, alongside "Being Black in America’s Schools," hit especially close to home, blending my professional insights as an educator and therapist with a vital understanding of systemic influence. Finally, integrating "The Courage to Be Disliked" into my reading list emphasizes personal growth through boundary setting and unlearning people-pleasing—an essential lesson in freedom and self-respect. This approach to reading—moving at my own pace, sometimes replaying chapters, sometimes savoring quotes—helps me connect past to present, history to personal experience. Sharing these reflections is my way of honoring the voices that challenge and inspire me, proving that reading can be a deeply personal and transformative journey.
