YES, I still read young adult fiction at 25! I know some people may find that lame, but honestly, I’ll read anything published. During my teens, authors Dana Davidson, Sharon M. Draper and Walter Dean Myers got me through. Recently, I’ve added the following young adult authors to my list of favorites: Angie Thomas, Elizabeth Acevedo, Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander and Tiffany Jackson. Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting a few of them at Maplewood High School’s Project LIT Summit.

You should note that I don’t judge books by their covers. I rely on titles. However, this next one threw me for a loop when its title didn’t give me what I expected, and not in a bad way, either. I thought it was going to be a high school drama type of book. Oh boy, was I WRONG!

In “With the Fire On High” by Elizabeth Acevedo, the main character is Emoni Santiago, a bi-racial, teenaged mother who has a passion for cooking. She takes old family recipes and puts her own spin on them. When eaten, her dishes transport people to their fondest memories. Mind you, she’s only a high school senior “burning” like so!

It isn’t until her high school offers a culinary course when Santiago is granted an opportunity to travel abroad and study under professional chefs. After years of conditioning her mind to what is practical versus allowing herself to dream, she undergoes mentality shifts in order to pursue her aspiration of becoming a chef. It is not an easy task for her but she manages to resume her confidence in her capabilities and goes for it. The second she chooses to invest in herself by taking the culinary course and traveling abroad, her life changes for the better.

It feels good to be reminded to keep dreaming. Sometimes, all it takes is for one thing to work out in your favor. That one thing can be an opportunity you planned to pass up out of doubt. We’ve all been there in our minds before, prioritizing bills and survival over dream chasing. But at some point, if what you want is out of reach, you have to sow seeds to manifest your dream into a reality.

No matter your age, this book will renew the right spirit within you of trusting and believing in a higher plan and purpose over your life. If for no other reason, I still love reading young adult fiction for the simplicity that still exists in explaining the most complex issues life affords us in adulthood that we can no longer explain in simple terms. I’d suggest you break from the heavy autobiographies and pickup this one for laughs and simple one-liners you can still use to date. Below are my favorite lines from the book:

Quotes from the Book
“You’re the author of your own life story” (Acevedo 18).

“And sometimes focusing on what you can control is the only way to lessen the pang in your chest when you think about the things you can’t” (Acevedo 28).

“The world is a turntable that never stops spinning; as humans we merely chooses the tracks we want to sit out and the ones that inspire us to dance” (Acevedo 60).

“I don’t reduce, homies. The whole of me is Black. The whole of me is whole” (Acevedo 70).

“Where we come from leaves its fingerprints all over us, and if you know how to read the signs of a place, you know a little bit more who someone is” (Acevedo 87).

“I look out the window at the clouds parting in the same way my bad mood is, sunlight peeking through both, and I know for a fact there’s more than one kind of magic in this world” (Acevedo 236).

“I don’t know what I am going to be, or who I am not; my own desires are thickly layered like the food on my plate, but I know that one day soon I’ll be a grown-ass woman. So, I let myself enjoy the meal, the moment and my own company” (Acevedo 274).

“We look beautiful and hood and excited to see the world, and none of us are hiding from this world seeing us. All of us shining despite what it took us to earn our way here” (Acevedo 278).

“And I tell myself the same thing: forward is the only direction to go in, turning back around is for the birds” (Acevedo 372).

“It’s infused with the people I come from. But it’s also a way for me to look forward: to watch the recipes that from my roots transform, grow, and feed the hungriest places inside of me” (Acevedo 382).

“And like a map I’ve been following without knowing the exact destination, I know now I’ve been equipping myself with tools from the journey to help me survive when I arrive” (Acevedo 382).


Until next time, go read!

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Remember “What Am I Reading?” is devoted to literacy awareness. Encourage others to read. The world depends on it! Share what you’re reading with me in the comments below or tag me in your current reads on my socials @UrbanThreads615 everywhere. Let’s finish 2019 strong by reading.

*If you need help learning to read, visit Nashville Adult Literacy Council (NALC). They love teaching literacy. For more information, visit their homepage or office at Nashville Adult Literacy Council.*

Since my rule is I’ll write a book review to each book I complete this year, it’s taking me longer than usual to complete them. Lately, I’ve been reading more articles than books. I’m making sure that changes this fall. 70 degrees and sunshine calls for an occasional date with a hammock and book! Who agrees?​

This next one is from a man I enjoyed seeing on the “Close Up” stage during the 2019 Country Music Association (CMA) Festival. I’m talking about the CEO of Franklin Entertainment, an award-winning producer, a preacher, motivator, soul mate of the acting goddess Megan Good and best-selling author Devon Franklin.

*No, this is not a review of his latest, “The Truth About Me.” I plan to read that one soon, though.*

This review goes to one of his earlier publications titled “The Success Commandments: Master the Ten Spiritual Principles to Achieve Your Destiny.”

​First off let me start by talking about the riveting introduction he gives in his book. It is an entire word, y’all. I reread it! So much of his introduction feels very personal to me. I related to his burning desire to be something bigger than his circumstance or himself. When that type of feeling hits you, it is unexplainable.

He opens by sharing his personal experience with spiritual validation from God as it pertained to starting his company, Franklin Entertainment, when he did. He talks about the employment battle all creatives face when they are striving to be the best creative they can be but compromising for financial stability in an unrelated, full-time job. It’s hard for creatives to part from steady cash flow in exchange for freelance work that is solely dependent on others’ investment in their artistry. Give this a like if you are a creative that knows the grind is real!

Secondly, Franklin talks about creatives that never leave their jobs or environment out of fear. Because of this, Franklin encourages leaving financial security. He believes personal fulfillment is required to live your calling. I couldn’t agree more. No monetary gain is more important than self-satisfaction. But we all need money, so where’s the compromise expected? When do we stay? When do we leave? How do we know when is the right time to pursue our interest? 

Franklin has the breakdown on all of this in “The Success Commandments: Master the Ten Spiritual Principles to Achieve Your Destiny.” Without giving too much away, I've highlighted my favorite parts of the book.

Highlights from the Book

1. THOU SHALL/THOU SHALT(S): I loved these in the book. They are listed at the end of each chapter as a reminder to apply what you read in the chapter to your daily routine. They were practical and easy to understand. You can tell he really took his time with these. 
2. FAVORITE QUOTES (Jeez, if you only had access to my phone notes of quotes from this book! I spared you) :
   1. “The moment you begin to exchange what makes you different for what makes you ordinary because you want to fit in, you give away that which God wants to use to elevate you and take you elsewhere extraordinary” (Franklin 174).
   2. “Conformity says, ‘Be like that person.’ Distinctiveness says, ‘I know what I have to do professionally and I’ll get it done, but I’m going to do it using my recipe, and I won’t change my recipe into someone else’s’” (Franklin 189).
   3. “God has given us a vision of who we are and what we’re supposed to be. Every day that we get closer to that, we’re happier. Every day that we move further from it, we feel it, consciously or subconsciously. When things happen that upsets us or delays us, or when we experience frustrations and setbacks, the challenge we face is to hold on to that vision, keep trusting and feeding the talent that we know we have, and not let our failures make us doubt who we are” (Franklin 194).
   4. “I’ve found that the most successful people…get back to work” (Franklin 196).
   5. Persistence becomes proficiency…IF you are doing what God has meant for you to do” (Franklin 206).
   6. “You don’t need to gain prominence at the expense of your peace. You don’t need to gain wealth at the expense of your health. You don’t need to gain notoriety and respect at the expense of fulfillment and gratitude. So, what does it profit you to gain everything yet lose your soul in the process? Answer: nothing” (Franklin 238).
   7. “True success is spiritual; it comes with material reward, but it’s really about peace, a sense of purpose and joy, and giving to others…At the end of the day, the peace that exists in your soul is the true barometer for your success. God will reward your good work with the peace that passes all understanding, and that peace cannot be achieved through material gain” (Franklin 239).

“The Success Commandments: Master the Ten Spiritual Principles to Achieve Your Destiny” was my first Devon Franklin read but it WILL NOT be my last. This book has moved in a way no other book has. At this point in my life, I’m looking for the “real” in everything so I couldn’t have read this at a better time. It was encouraging, uplifting, inspiring and so much more than I thought I’d get in an Amazon purchase. I highly recommend this book as it now holds a special place in my bookworm heart!

Until next time, go read!

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Remember “What Am I Reading?” is devoted to literacy awareness. Encourage others to read. The world depends on it! Share what you’re reading with me in the comments below or tag me in your reading posts on my socials @UrbanThreads615 everywhere. Let’s finish 2019 strong by reading.

*If you need help learning to read, visit Nashville Adult Literacy Council (NALC). They love teaching literacy. For more information, visit their homepage or office at Nashville Adult Literacy Council.*

It’s been awhile since I’ve completed an entire book but staying true to my word about writing these reviews is everything to me. So here’s my review of the second book I’ve read this year, “At Mama’s Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White” by April Ryan. It did not disappoint.

Well-renowned author and former White House correspondent April Ryan wrote this book that I think many should read to receive a more thorough examination of race in American and how mothers transfer messages of inspiration, diversity and wisdom to their children. Let’s be real for a second, we all know that most mothers play a significant role in how their children think and act. Being a mother herself, Ryan considered all that she’s learned from her own mother and what she has taught her daughters about race as problems arose in their environment. Being in Baltimore during the Freddie Gray incident is a prime example of one of those problems she had to discuss with her daughters; the aftermath involving the riots were another. Although Ryan was serving as a White House correspondent at time, none of her career advancements voided her and her children’s “blackness.” Because of her experiences, she posed a great question to America in her book. How do you save black kids from the harshness of this world?

In “At Mama’s Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White,” Ryan called for America to take a look at the lessons they are forcing people of color and black mothers to have to teach their children at far too early of ages. She analyzes the complexity of living in a racially divided world with children that are considered naturally unacceptable. The feeling of hopelessness I felt while reading this book for current and future black and brown children in this nation was partially resolved with practical applications offered by Ryan and her prominent peers such as former POTUS Barack Obama. I’m still quite nervous about having my own kids one day, but thanks, Ryan, for the insight!

To keep from giving much away (I HATE SPOILERS), here are only a few of my favorite quotes from the book and my personal annotation to them. Note: I limited my shared quotes to the ones from the earlier half of the book!

“Four hours of an adult being in a child’s life dramatically lowers their involvement in crime. Dramatically lowers their unsafe sex practices and dramatically elevates their success in school. But yet we have waiting lists all around the country of mother’s looking for mentors for their kids” (Ryan 43).

“‘If you’ve got one parent who loves you, that’s more than most people have. Cause some people have two parents, they’re not both good, or neither of them are good.’ Every child deserves someone pulling for them” (Ryan 31).

“Race can be legislated, but it is really a heart issue. As the Bible says, ‘As a man thinketh so is he.’ So who better to hep us navigate the waters of this sometimes-murky issue than mothers, as they are a child’s first teacher, nurturer, protector, and influencer? A mother’s love is awe-inspiring, but the power does not always have to come from the birth mother. You will read in these pages of women who have given birth and some who have not, but who still have helped in ‘the village and the sisterhood’ of mothers and how they can and do shape the mind-set of generations” (Ryan 2).

My annotation: I fully believe every child deserves love and guidance. In theory, both of these things should come from the child’s biological parents. However, we all know how life works. How about we make it our job to be a community leader that offers the love and guidance to those particular kids? We need to make it a point to not only follow them through school but keep up with them in life. If we all do our part, the world may actually start to look the way we desire it to look. At this time in my life, I’m learning that no one makes it in life alone. The human experience omits most forms of isolation. Eventually, everyone needs someone.

Secondly, I don’t understand why some of the most impoverished communities lack mentorship programs but the affluent ones have plenty. Systematically, it makes sense. It is the perfect way to keep one community down while another thrives. Whose job is it to disrupt this system, though? You could be the “one” for a child in need. Watch your actions and words around the kids you encounter. You never know what impression you’re leaving with them. If nothing else, transfer good energy!

JOIN THE CONVERSATION!

I’d love for y’all to give a response to one of the questions below:

1. How old were you when you first learned about racism?
2. How did your parents describe racism to you?
3. What practical applications were you given to counter racism?
4. How has their teachings about racism helped you when in diverse environments?
5. What does your mother mean to you?

Check out “At Mama’s Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White” by April Ryan at your nearest library branch. Hey, you can rack up on points for the Nashville Public Library’s Summer Challenge while you read, too!

Remember “What Am I Reading?” is devoted to literacy awareness. Encourage others to read. The world depends on it! Share what you’re reading with me in the comments below or tag me on my socials @UrbanThreads615 everywhere. Let’s make 2019 one heck of a reading year!

*If you need help learning to read, visit Nashville Adult Literacy Council (NALC) (http://nashvilleliteracy.org). They take pride in teaching everything literacy. For more information, visit their homepage or office at Nashville Adult Literacy Council (http://nashvilleliteracy.org).*

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It that's time of the year again, the Nashville Public Library's Summer Reading Challenge is in full swing! In case you haven't heard the Nashville Public Library is giving away fun prizes to readers in exchange for reading this summer. Basically, the more you read the better your chances are of winning devices and gift cards. However, every reader is rewarded after 600 recorded minutes. So why wait? Visit Nashville Public Library to sign up.

After you've signed up for the Summer Reading Challenge, remember to share your readings with other readers on social media. Use #nplsummer in your photo captions to have your image featured on NPL's site.

Again, "What Am I Reading" is devoted to literacy awareness. Encourage others to read. The world depends on it! Share what you're reading with me in the comments below or on my socials @UrbanThreads615 everywhere. Let's make 2019 one heck of a reading year!

*If you need help learning to read, visit Nashville Adult Literacy Council (NALC). They take pride in teaching everything literacy. Visit their homepage or office at Nashville Adult Literacy Council for more information.*

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Before I get started with this book review, allow me to give you a bit of a back story. This won’t always happen but I feel the need to share it with y’all. I was given this book by a local author named Jessie Lee Perez. A couple of weeks ago, she and I had agreed to meet at the Starbucks on Charlotte Avenue at a certain time and I showed up 45 minutes late. I felt horrible about my tardiness. The perfectionist in me shows up to everything 15 minutes early. However, this arranged meeting happened to fall on a day that I had the worst morning I could have. Because of it being such a horrible morning, I laid down to take a twenty-minute nap. What I thought was a twenty minute nap ended up being a two-hour sleep, spilling over into the time I had agreed to meet with her. I still feel horrible about it but learning to accept it.
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What I will say is this mishap was the turning point for me in dealing with a personal vice. It’s strange how life works. Sometimes the things we least expect to happen are what we need to happen in order to change our course of actions. Although I would have preferred to have been on time for our meeting, and I truly hate that I borderline stood her up, I can say I learned enough from that experience to get a head start on changing things about myself. Maybe one day I’ll go into details about what happened that morning, maybe not. Only time will tell. But for now, I hope you go buy her new book titled “Color by Design.” Just so y’all know, gold and green are my dominant colors. I know this is so from two different color-based personality tests I’ve taken, all of which aligned with the descriptions Perez provides in her book, too. Now for my review…

"Color by Design" by Jessie Lee Perez

When I first saw the cover of the book, I thought two things: (1) it was about socioeconomics and racial barriers and (2) “Oh God, not a kumbaya!” I was hesitant about reading it for the mere fact that I didn’t want to read anything political since I had recently finished “If He Hollers, Let Him Go” by Chester Himes. Too real, too deep, too soon!

After reading the book’s Amazon summary, I was relieved to find that “Colors by Design” was supposed to be more of an awareness book than anything else. Upon completing it, I can verify that it did not disappoint.

In the beginning of the book, participants’ feedback is shared from Perez’s personality workshop called True Colors. Participants were thrilled about identifying their temperament colors. They suggested that learning about their temperament colors allowed them to think of how they could better engage with others while remaining true to themselves. 

While reading this I reassessed my strengths and weaknesses. Anyone who knows me know that I do this a lot! In the midst of my turmoil, I couldn’t have read a better book. When I thought things weren’t adding up, reading this made it all make sense to me. I know that our temperament is how we are designed and molded by our life experiences. However, these color categories helped me in isolating certain behavioral patterns of my own. I believe understanding the why is crucial in resolving any confusion or conflicts. This book is a great way for people to learn and understand the variables involved in engaging with other people like or unlike themselves. If you ever wondered why some people in your life are easier to understand than others, their temperament colors may have a little something to do with that.

Lastly, Perez’s final thoughts are everything I strive to live by on a daily basis. When I reached her final thoughts in the book, I felt relieved to know that there was someone writing about diversity so close to home. Not only that, Perez provides a clear guide to understanding the way people think and respond to various situations due to their temperament. She uses her own real-life examples to further explain any abstract concepts from this continued study on temperament. I do believe this study is a way to unify individuals in a world full of differences. Get the book to fully understand what I’m talking about.

Three Favorite Lines in the Book:

“What do others need to be the best they can be, and how can I help give that to them” (Perez 96)?

“It is very often that misunderstandings and offenses come because people are oblivious to the expectations and needs of others” (Perez 96).

“Don’t let your enterprise, your family, and your nation, fail because diversity was superficial, or because it was a wedge instead of the unifier-adopt a culture of color. Learn to speak color today and become an agent for unity” (Perez 112).

“Colors by Design” (Amazon)

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Design-Think-about-About-ebook/dp/B07BMGK1F6/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=color+by+design+jessie+perez&qid=1551918244&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

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​Did you know that 14 percent of the nation’s adult population don’t read well enough to fill out a job application? About four years ago, NewChannel 5 reported that nearly one in eight Nashville adults couldn’t read. YIKES! I don’t know about you but I want every Nashville citizen performing at their best! Because of this, we have to be intentional about making something as vital as reading a part of our daily lives. Otherwise, our nation will lack strong leadership, optimal parenting and well-rounded adults. Let’s tackle this issue together!
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To encourage more reading, I am going to "kick it old school" and write a book review on every book I read this year. Maybe you’ll decide to read some of the ones I recommend. Also, I will post articles and any other useful information I cross pertaining to literacy in this new section called "What Am I Reading?".

Illiteracy will not win in our city. Share what you're reading with me in the comments below or on my socials @UrbanThreads615 everywhere. Let's make 2019 one heck of a reading year!

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*If you need help learning to read, visit Nashville Adult Literacy Council (NALC). They take pride in teaching everything literacy. Visit their homepage or office at Nashville Adult Literacy Council for more information.*