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It's Raining ... Books!
Dear <<First Name>>,
My husband and I just celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary by dancing the night away with the First Ladies of Disco!
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The whole show was fantastic including Martha Wash of the Weather Girls singing her mega-hit It’s Raining Men. She’s still got it and we had a blast. Check out whether this great show is visiting a venue near you soon!
Here we are, disco-ready (and about to put our masks on!) …
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My Bookshelf
It’s not just raining men … it’s raining books. And there is a lot to read right now -- in this issue, I will share what is on my bookshelf these days.
2022 is finally bringing more books about diversity and inclusion offering a wider range of perspectives and more books by people underrepresented as authors (for example, people of color, women). There are so many, I cannot even keep up, which is a terrific sign.
As an author with two of the largest publishers in the world (HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster), I work with many wonderful people in the publishing industry who are trying to drive this kind of change.
But the data is sobering. For example, in 2020, 89% of published fiction books were written by white people, mirroring the 85% of editors who are also white (in contrast, according to the 2020 Census, 64% of Americans are white).
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On the non-fiction side, men (and topics deemed interesting to men) dominate bestseller lists, which led writer Katy Waldman to deem non-fiction the “patriarch of literary genres.”
It's not just the publishers. On the reader side, the data shows that men are disproportionately unlikely even to open a book by a woman while women are equally likely to read books by men and women.
Sigh.
Momentum
I sense momentum for change, though I haven’t seen actual 2022 data. I am going to devote both the July and August issues of Dear Good People to sharing my bookshelf with you. This issue will be Part 1 - focused on books about diversity and inclusion topics - some of which I have already read and others I am eager to dive into.
Next month, Part 2 will be books that are useful for building our inclusion skills and mindsets but not about the topic directly.
Without further delay, here are some 2022 books about diversity and inclusion issues on my shelf!
By: Tina Opie and Beth A. Livingston
Professors Tina Opie and Beth Livingston build a convincing case that there is no gender equity without racial equity. The answer is Shared Sisterhood, in which vulnerability, trust, empathy, and risk-taking lead to challenging assumptions, bridging divides, and advancing all women. An innovative and important book.
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By: Lecia Michelle (aka Felicia Fulks)
Lecia Michelle is the creator of the Facebook group “Real Talk: WOC & Allies for Racial Justice and Anti-Oppression” (which I wrote about in my first book). This long-awaited and no-nonsense handbook will help readers tackle white supremacy and white privilege while shedding defensiveness.
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Edited By: Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman
Scholar Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman has assembled black experts on topics of climate, health care, education, technology, criminal justice, economy, and public policy to create an invaluable collection of essays centering black voices and expertise that are often ignored. The result is bold, systemic, and solution-oriented.
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By: Y-Vonne Hutchinson
Former international human rights lawyer turned diversity and inclusion strategist Y-Vonne Hutchinson offers a book that is as direct and practical as the title sounds. Filled with tools, scripts, and strategies, she empowers readers to have conversations they might be hesitant to tackle with people with more formal power.
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By: Dawn Hudson, Angelique Bellmer Krembs, Katie Lacey, Lori Tauber Marcus, Cie Nicholson and Mitzi Short.
This powerful group of C-Suite women known as The Band of Sisters pool their wisdom and experience to focus on the “little” things that make a big difference in the workplace. Each chapter is super short and super actionable. This book is for all genders, especially men looking for a guidebook on how to create equity for women in the workplace.
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By: Jessica Nordell
Journalist Jessica Nordell is releasing a new 2022 paperback edition of her compelling exploration of unintentional bias for which she interviewed hundreds of people - many of them researchers in the field. Nordell is a gripping storyteller and this book is as well-written as it is well-researched.
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By: Tara Jaye Frank
Tara Jaye Frank has advised many executives on how to make way for others in their organizations – in other words, how to become waymakers. In this actionable guide, she offers those tools to the reader, focusing on what it takes to clear the way. Especially useful for those in leadership and decision-making roles.
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By: Deepa Purushothaman
Former senior executive Deepa Purushothaman couples her personal experience as an Indian-American woman in the corporate world with interviews of hundreds of other women of color. She offers a perspective on how to leverage what makes women of color unique in maximizing impact and challenging non-inclusive cultures.
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By: Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Vesterlund, Laurie Weingart
One of the best things I ever did for my career was join a No Club with two dear friends from grad school. Now, the original No Club that inspired us has written the must-read guide curating stories and science for understanding why non-promotable tasks are career-derailers and how to say no to them. This book is useful for all genders, especially men who strive to be allies.
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By: Ruchika Tulshyan
Writer and consultant Ruchika Tulshyan takes an intersectional look at the workplace, centering women of color. She helps us unpack what we get wrong when we talk about things like "leaning in," "culture fit,"
and "a level playing field" while proposing better alternatives for creating a culture of belonging.
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By: Jennifer Brown
Jennifer Brown will soon release an updated and expanded edition of her guide to being an inclusive leader featuring the Inclusive Leader Continuum. Brown leverages her work with organizations of all sizes and industries to build tools that leaders can use to do better. This new edition will provide more on issues of identity, equity, and privilege.
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Update from Book Land
Speaking of books, we are now exactly 80 days away from the launch of my next book, A MORE JUST FUTURE: PSYCHOLOGICAL TOOLS FOR RECKONING WITH OUR PAST AND DRIVING SOCIAL CHANGE.
Here is a wonderful endorsement blurb I received from Dr. Uché Blackstock (she's currently writing a generational memoir that I can not wait for!):
“This is the thoughtful and brilliant work we’ve all been waiting for that will help readers grapple with our legacy of systemic racism- both past and present. A More Just Future expertly provides readers with indispensable practical and evidence-based tools to overcome the psychological barriers that impede us from truly reckoning with injustice.”— Uché Blackstock, MD, Founder and CEO, Advancing Health Equity, Author of Legacy
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If A MORE JUST FUTURE sounds like a book you’d like to read, please pre-order it now to help the publisher anticipate demand. And, stay tuned in for an exciting announcement in early September about how to join the book’s launch team.
I love connecting with Dear Good People readers so please feel free to click the icons below to send me a note and tell me what is on your bookshelf.
As always, my goal is to give you bite-sized, evidence-based, action-oriented, zeitgeisty tips on how to be more inclusive (check out past issues here and be sure to subscribe to receive Part 2 of these reading recommendations next month). Feel free to forward, post, and tweet the newsletter - links are below.
Thanks for growing with me,
 
Acknowledgements and Thanks: Many thanks to Anna McMullen and Katie Sutton for their hard work and enthusiasm in producing this newsletter.
Image Credits: Group picture of Linda Clifford, Martha Wash & Norma Jean Wright: First Ladies of Disco Show. Dolly and CJ: Personal family photos, Want your Book to Be Published Image: NY Times, Shared Sisterhood; Good Reads Dr. Tina Opie headshot. Dr. Beth A. Livingston headshot, Lecia Michelle and The White Allies Handbook: Good Reads, Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman Headshot: We Rep Stem, The Black Agenda: Good Reads, Jessica Nordell Headshot - Good Reads, The End of Bias, The Beginning. Book - Good Reads, Tara Jaye Frank headshot - SpeakerHub , Y-Vonne Hutchinson headshot - Ready Set co, How to Talk to Your Boss about Race Book- Good Reads, The Band of Sisters group photo: The Band of Sisters website, You Should Smile More: Good Reads, Deepa Purushothaman Headshot LinkedIn The First, The Few, The Only Book: Headshot of Ruchika Tulshyan, Inclusion on Purpose, The No Club Photo - MSNBC, The No Club, Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work Book- Goodreads, Good Reads, Uche Blackstock: twitter. Jennifer Brown Headshot: Forbes.com How to be an inclusive leader: Good Reads
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