Here are some great reads for 2025 that inspire us to turn us and them into WE in places where we live, work, serve, worship, and socialize.
Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen
If the title and author makes you go ‘Hmmmm…” then reading this book will make you go “WOW". With creativity, wit and brilliance by author Bob the Drag Queen, historical abolitionist Harriet Tubman magically comes back and wants to create a hip-hop album and live show about her life . She engages Darnell, a hip-hop producer and song writer who once was on the top of the charts until he is backstabbed in the industry. Together, Darnell and Harriet and her team of musicians remix history in a way that you will learn, laugh and be in awe.
This Thing of Ours by Frederick Joseph
This is a YA (young adult age 12-18) novel with themes that resonate with adults from 18 through seniors. Seventeen-year-old Ossie Brown, was once the future LeBron James at his affluent, predominately
White private school until a torn ACL ends his basketball career . With the help of a Black teacher he pivots to a prestigious Mark Twain Writing Program in the school. Told through powerful conversations and with scenes that put the reader in them, Ossie is deluged by the flood of anti-woke students and parents. The revolution and resolution will give you hope for the future and confidence in Generation Z.
Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me by Glory Edim
Great memoirs have a relatable narrator, a strong narrative arc, vivid scenes, and a clear thematic focus, all presented with honesty and vulnerability. Give Glory Edim an A+. Edim is the founder of Well Read Black Girl, a literary community dedicated to Black women. The anthology of the same name and her memoir resonate with anyone who is a book lover, has experienced the career challenges, gone through a few relationship issues, knows the ups and downs of parenting and just getting through life.,
The Power of Bridging: How to Build a World Where We All Belong by john a.powell
john a. powell, Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at U.S. Berkeley, describes bridging as “a salve for out fractured world.” In this instructive and inspiring book he shares his own journey to belonging, helps us to understand just exactly what is belonging. He makes a strong argument for the power of bridging and how to be a breeder in today’s polarizing society. This book could not be more aligned with Getting To We’s mission, vision and values.
Say I’m Dead: A Family Memoir of Race, Secrets, and Love by E. Dolores Johnson
Today, in the U.S., about 17% of newlyweds are in interracial marriages.. That’s 1 in 6, a significant increase from the time when Johnson’s parents married in 1942.. I have had this book on my shelf for years and picked it up now with the hope that it would have rich nuggets for how we come together across racial lines on an interpersonal level that would lead to a positive impact on a group and societal level. This book doesn’t disappoint. With instructions to say that she “was dead,” Johnson’s White mother reluctantly gives her permission to research the White side of her family in her effort to understand her racial identity as an adult biracial woman. Successful by every other marker in her adult developmental process, having this information is critical to her understanding of her full identity. Through her racial identity resolution process Johnson demonstrates the power of truth and reconciliation.
Belonging Without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World by john a.powell and Stephen Menendian
The subtitle says it all. A companion to The Power of Bridging, Powell is joined by colleague Memndian in a thorough and academically substantive understanding of justice in the context of belonging and othering. It is inspiring call to action for anyone interested in making a more just and inclusive society.