Books like The Ugly Cry by Danielle Henderson

Between the World and Me is a memoir‑essay in letter form, where Ta‑Nehisi Coates addresses his teenage son about the history, violence, and ongoing reality of being Black in America.

Twin African American sisters flee their hometown after their father's murder—one chooses to pass as white while the other stays true to her identity, exploring race, family, and the complexities of self through generations.

A powerful memoir by Chanel Miller in which she reclaims her identity beyond the Emily Doe moniker, detailing her experience with Brock Turner, the legal aftermath, and the broader cultural and judicial challenges faced by rape survivors.

Michelle Obama chronicles her life from South Side Chicago to the White House, revealing the personal drive behind her public advocacy for women, families, and health.

A witty, self‑portrait anthology of Issa Rae’s everyday awkwardness, blending humor with sharp observations on Black identity, introversion, relationships, and cultural expectations.

A sharp, humorous collection of essays by sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom that interrogates black womanhood, body politics, and the lived experience of a Southern Black academic.

A powerful collection of essays that challenges mainstream feminism for overlooking basic needs—food, education, housing, wages, and healthcare—while highlighting how race, class, sexuality, and disability intersect with gender.

Lisa Brennan‑Jobs recounts a childhood in Silicon Valley, shaped by a distant father and a struggling mother, and the evolving family dynamics that framed her early life.

A witty, heartfelt collection of essays by comedian Phoebe Robinson that examines race, gender, and pop culture, blending sharp humor with personal insight.

306 pages ; 21 cm

289 pages ; 21 cm

An autobiographical memoir by Sarah Louise Delany that reflects on race relations and her life as an African American woman.

Austin Channing Brown's memoir chronicles her journey as a biracial author and activist, exposing how white evangelicalism has fueled racial hostility and urging institutions to align diversity with action.

Tells of Ellen Tarry's life in the South, her migration to New York City, her friendship with Claude McKay, and her deep commitment to Catholicism.

A candid memoir in which celebrated African‑American actress Cicely Tyson shares her journey through the world of film and stage, reflecting on her career, convictions, and the evolving landscape of American entertainment.

In her powerful new book, critically acclaimed author Melissa Febos examines the narratives women are told about what it means to be female and what it takes to free oneself from them. When her body began to change at eleven years old, Febos understood immediately that her meaning to other people had changed with it. By her teens, she defined herself based on these perceptions and by the romantic relationships she threw herself into headlong. Over time, Febos increasingly questioned the stories she'd been told about herself and the habits and defenses she'd developed over years of trying to meet others' expectations. The values she and so many other women had learned in girlhood did not prioritize their personal safety, happiness, or freedom, and she set out to reframe those values and beliefs. Blending investigative reporting, memoir, and scholarship, Febos charts how she and others like her have reimagined relationships and made room for the anger, grief, power, and pleasure women have long been taught to deny. Written with Febos' characteristic precision, lyricism, and insight, Girlhood is a philosophical treatise, an anthem for women, and a searing study of the transitions into and away from girlhood, toward a chosen self.