“A loving homage to all members of the African diaspora who strive to preserve their personal joy at all costs… Poetic… In a nod to the significant strength and bravery of those gone before her, Lewis-Giggetts etches a stunning personal map that follows in her ancestors’ footsteps and highlights their ability to take control of situational heartbreak and tragedy and make something better out of it… Hoping that readers embark on a quest for their own joyous preservation, she leaves us educated about the process and ready to work on the self-healing we all require… A simultaneously gorgeous and heartbreaking read.”
—Kirkus, starred review“
Black Joy meditates, and really levitates, the Black sensory and the Black sensual to stratospheric heights. Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts wields curiosity like a scalpel, revealing shards of liberation and unexpected heterotopias while loving us ferociously.”
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Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy and Long Division“
Black Joy is a necessary testimony on the magic and beauty of our capacity to live and love fully and out loud.”
—Kerry Washington“
Black Joy is a vulnerable declaration and embodied affirmation of Black love, Black liberation, and, of course, Blackity Black joy!”
—Rachel Ricketts, activist & author of Do Better: Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy“Black Joy is a glorious gift to Black folks. Intimate, engrossing, and deeply resonant, Lewis-Giggetts' essays form a loving blueprint for healing and nourishing our minds and our spirits. An essential read for all of us who are trying to get free.”
—Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Finalist - National Book Awards 2020 for Fiction“Evocative, honest and beautifully written,
Black Joy is a balm to the soul.”
—Bernice L. McFadden, author of Sugar“Ebullient essays showing how self-care and joy play out in the day-to-day lives of Black people… Lewis-Giggetts’ new tome adds a square to the quilt of Black radical imagination… Poetic and fun.”
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USA Today“Expanding on the author’s June 2020 article about the personal and political power of laughing with her daughter, these 36 essays counter the narrative that Black life consists only of struggle and trauma.”
—The New York Times Book Review“In an era that feels less than loving, Lewis-Giggetts reminds us that we have always been more than fighting against the forces that seek to undermine us. We have always possessed the paths to our own healing and light.”
— WJLA-TV’s Good Morning Washington
