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Research shows that reading books can be beneficial to well-being (for instance, Serowik et al., 2020). It can be challenging to wade through the myriad offerings to find the gems that hold the complexity of both our internal and our external worlds and provide useful guidance for a meaningful, connective, values-based path forward in our own lives.
These three books are among my highlights from the past year; each of them really resonated with me and I think they have valuable voices that resonate with anyone who reads them. Each is based in scientific evidence, experience-based insights, contextual/structural awareness, and wisdom-based traditions, and all of them will provide readers with wise companions in navigating internal and interpersonal challenges.
Joyfully Just: Black Wisdom and Buddhist Insights for Liberated Living by Dr. Kamila Majied
In Joyfully Just, Dr. Majied skillfully weaves Black wisdom traditions, Buddhist contemplative practices, her clinical social work practice, with her own experience, into a heartfelt, inclusive guide to living with joy and in the service of justice. She takes readers on a journey through painful realities such as racism, discrimination, loss, and injustice, while simultaneously cultivating joy and connection. She shows a path that includes cultivating discomfort resilience (“the capacity to lean into discomfort with an interest in the growth to be gleaned from pain or difficulty”) and fierce compassion (in which “we want growth for ourselves and others, and we act in ways that facilitate that growth”). Dr. Majied provides sound information, wise perspective, and concrete practices to help anyone develop these qualities so that they can live a more liberated, more joyful life. Practices include meaningful reflections as well as activities like creating a joy playlist of songs you find energizing and uplifting. I recommend reading a little at a time so that you can truly savor the wisdom and compassion she shares, and spend as long as possible in relation to this wise guide who helps the reader simultaneously hold joy and pain.
Something in the Woods Loves You by Jarod K. Anderson
In this beautifully written, heartfelt memoir, writer and poet Jarod Anderson shares his experience with major depression, sharing his insights as he moves from being engulfed in the experience to better recognizing and understanding it, and to eventually engaging in his life while the reality of depressive episodes remains. As the title suggests, his journey partly involves a transformative connection to nature, but also includes learning about and making peace with medication, therapy, and societal forces that influence his thoughts and feelings. A nuanced, compassionate exploration of toxic masculinity and the positive aspects of masculine socialization is a particular highlight, making this a particularly excellent book for cis men. The audiobook, read by the author, is particularly excellent. His poem, “Not Okay,” captures the nuanced, inspiring contribution of the book:
I am not okay today.
So, in the absence of okay,What else can I be?
I can be gentle.
I can be unashamed.
I can turn my pain into connection.
I can be a student of stillness.
I can be awake to nature.
I can sharpen my empathy
against the stone of my discomfort.I am not okay,
but I am many worthy things.
Beyond Fragility: A Skllls-Based Guide to Effective Anti-Racist Allyship by Drs. Yara Mekawi, Natalie Watson-Singleton, & Danyelle Dawson
In Beyond Fragility, psychologists Dr. Mekawi, Dr. Watson-Singleton, and Dr. Dawson draw on their expertise in structural and interpersonal racism, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness skills (drawn from dialectical behavior therapy [DBT]), and extensive work with aspiring anti-racist allies to provide clear, informative, nuanced guidance in developing as an effective anti-racist ally. Their suggestions are grounded in evidence-based practice and balance awareness and recognition of understandable distress with encouragement to engage in meaningful actions regardless of discomfort, an essential component of anti-racist work. This book stands out for its fierce compassion. As they write:
“The more care and compassion you extend to your emotional experience, the more easily you will be able to navigate and recover from the intense emotional experiences that come up when doing anti-racism work. This can make your anti-racism journey truly a lifelong one that can be sustained no matter what setbacks you experience.”
This book provides concrete skills-building work in interpersonal communication for navigating painful exchanges. It will surely help well-intentioned people to more effectively act in line with their anti-racist values in ways that are emotionally resonant and connective.
Wishing everyone an emotionally resonant, connective New Year and hoping these books support you in your journey!
