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New Year, New You? Nope. New Year, New Us.Are you ready to be the change in 2021?
Maybe you've made your New Year's resolutions. You know, the ones you usually stick to enthusiastically until about mid-February. The ones that are only a vague memory by September. This year, we challenge you to start within yourself to create change that goes beyond yourself. This year more than ever we are craving more positivity, more community, and a better world. And we are the only ones who can create that. Let's make 2021 about commitment. Let's commit to growing ourselves, our friendships, our communities. To building a world has all the beautiful things we can imagine. To creating change that shows that we don't resolve to doing and being better, we commit to it. If you’re ready to cancel your resolution and commit to change, we are here to help! Over the next seven days, we want you to join us in celebrating the first woman of color elected to the White House, making a personal commitment to lasting change in putting an end to racism, and helping create empathy in the hearts and minds of teens by introducing them to new perspectives. These are all great places to start. But your choices don’t stop there—we have so many books, journals, calendars (and MORE!) to educate, enlighten and cultivate understanding, and celebrate the beauty of diversity in our society. And yes, we're giving some away! Join us in building a better community this year. It starts with you. |
Books to Help You Be The Change.
In no particular order, here are some of the best books, calendars, journals, and more to help you with your New Year's resolutions (ahem, commitments), whether you are focused on celebrating successes, building empathy, building community, and more.
If you're interested in browsing these books, we've included links to some of our retail partners here:
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1. 2021 The Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Wall Calendar: Her Words of Hope, Equality and Inspiration—A yearlong tribute to the notorious RBG
Celebrate a brilliant cultural icon with this inspiring wall art calendar! Pay tribute to the groundbreaking life and legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg! Filled with bold, dynamic art each month and the profound words of the notorious RBG, this incredible 2021 wall calendar is the perfect inspirational gift for women or anyone who admires the trailblazing defender of justice and equality. The 2021 Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Wall Calendar packs a powerful message and honors the woman who’s changed the world with her wisdom and dissent. Celebrate the extraordinary achievements of this unconventional hero all year and beyond! A significant portion of the profits from this calendar will benefit causes Ruth Bader Ginsburg believed in and supported throughout her life! Sourcebooks is proud to continue advocacy in her honor. |
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2. 2021 Madam Vice President Kamala Harris Wall Calendar: Inspiration from the First Woman in the White House
Commemorate the first Madam Vice President with this inspirational wall calendar! A tribute to a trailblazer! Celebrate history in the making and the groundbreaking work of Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman elected to the White House! Admire the MVP all year and beyond with this incredible 2021 wall calendar, featuring bright, dynamic art and Harris’ inspiring words of hope, truth, and equality. She may be the first, but she will not be the last! Honoring the woman who’s changed the world, the 2021 Madam Vice President Wall Calendar is the perfect feminist gift, inspirational gift for women, birthday gift for friends and family or gift anyone looking to commemorate this unprecedented leader! |
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3. Me and White Supremacy Book and Guided Journal: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor
"Layla Saad is one of the most important and valuable teachers we have right now on the subject of white supremacy and racial injustice."―New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert Author Layla F. Saad wrote Me and White Supremacy to encourage people who hold white privilege to examine their (often unconscious) racist thoughts and behaviors through a unique, twenty-eight day reflection process, complete with journaling prompts. This two-book bundle, which contains Me and White Supremacy and Me and White Supremacy: A Guided Journal, gives you all the tools you need to begin your antiracism journey. Awareness leads to action, and action leads to change. Create the change the world needs by creating change within yourself. For readers of White Fragility, White Rage, So You Want To Talk About Race, The New Jim Crow, How to Be an Anti-Racist and more who are ready to closely examine their own beliefs and biases and do the work it will take to create social change. “Her work is personal, practical, reflective, applicable, difficult, effective, and imperative. For the millions of us beginning to know where to begin—where to begin to counteract our ugly history, and where to stand during this historical moment of polarization and hate—Layla answers: Begin with me. Begin with you.” —Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed |
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4. I am The Rage
I am The Rage is a poetry collection that explores racial injustice from the raw, unfiltered viewpoint of a Black woman in America. Dr. Martina McGowan is a retired MD, a mother, grandmother, and a poet. Her poetry provides insights that no think piece on racism can; putting readers in the uncomfortable position of feeling, reflecting, and facing what it means to be a Black American. This entire collection was created during 2020, many shortly after the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, to name but a few. |
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5. I'm Not Dying With You Tonight
"An absolute page turner, I’m Not Dying with You Tonight is a compelling and powerful novel that is sure to make an impact. " —Angie Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give An NAACP Image Award Nominee, I’m Not Dying with You Tonight follows two teen girls—one black, one white—who have to confront their own assumptions about racial inequality as they rely on each other to get through the violent race riot that has set their city on fire with civil unrest. Lena has her killer style, her awesome boyfriend, and a plan. She knows she’s going to make it big. Campbell, on the other hand, is just trying to keep her head down and get through the year at her new school. When both girls attend the Friday-night football game, what neither expects is for everything to descend into sudden mass chaos. Chaos born from violence and hate. Chaos that unexpectedly throws them together. They aren’t friends. They hardly understand the other’s point of view. But none of that matters when the city is up in flames, and they only have each other to rely on if they’re going to survive the night. This book is perfect for: • Sparking conversations about prejudice and the racial tension that exists in America • Parents and educators looking for multicultural and African American books for teens • Fans of Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, and Jason Reynolds |
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6. Yesterday Is History
A romantic, heart-felt, and whimsical novel about letting go of the past, figuring out what you want in your future, and staying in the moment before it passes you by. Weeks ago, Andre Cobb received a much-needed liver transplant. He’s ready for his life to finally begin, until one night, when he passes out and wakes up somewhere totally unexpected…in 1969, where he connects with a magnetic boy named Michael. And then, just as suddenly as he arrived, he slips back to present-day Boston, where the family of his donor is waiting to explain that his new liver came with a side effect—the ability to time travel. And they’ve tasked their youngest son, Blake, with teaching Andre how to use his unexpected new gift. Andre splits his time bouncing between the past and future. Between Michael and Blake. Michael is everything Andre wishes he could be, and Blake, still reeling from the death of his brother, Andre’s donor, keeps him at arm’s length despite their obvious attraction to each other. Torn between two boys, one in the past and one in the present, Andre has to figure out where he belongs—and more importantly who he wants to be—before the consequences of jumping in time catch up to him and change his future for good. |
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7. Be Dazzled
Project Runway goes to Comic Con in an epic queer love story from the author of Reverie about creativity, passion, and finding the courage to be your most authentic self. Raffy has a passion for bedazzling. Not just bedazzling, but sewing, stitching, draping, pattern making—for creation. He’s always chosen his art over everything—and everyone— else and is determined to make his mark at this year's biggest cosplay competition. If he can wow there, it could lead to sponsorship, then art school, and finally earning real respect for his work. There’s only one small problem… Raffy’s ex-boyfriend, Luca, is his main competition. Raffy tried to make it work with Luca. They almost made the perfect team last year after serendipitously meeting in the rhinestone aisle at the local craft store--or at least Raffy thought they did. But Luca's insecurities and Raffy's insistence on crafting perfection caused their relationship to crash and burn. Now, Raffy is after the perfect comeback, one that Luca can't ruin. But when Raffy is forced to partner with Luca on his most ambitious build yet, he'll have to juggle unresolved feelings for the boy who broke his heart, and his own intense self-doubt, to get everything he's ever wanted: choosing his art, his way. |
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8. Of One Blood
An uncanny tale of identity, race, and spirituality by groundbreaking Black author Pauline Hopkins. When medical student Reuel Briggs reluctantly attends a performance by the beautiful singer Dianthe Lusk, he can’t help but fall for her. The very next day, their paths cross again when Dianthe’s train crashes. To bring her back from the brink of death, Reuel draws on an eerie power he can’t quite name. Soon, the two are engaged, and Reuel sets off on an archeological expedition to Africa to offset his debts before the wedding. But, in Ethiopia, unexpected danger and terror force him to confront the truth about his lineage, his power, and the history that lives in his very blood. First serialized in Colored American Magazine in 1902, this narrative exemplifies Pauline Hopkins’s incisive writing and interrogates issues of race and history that remain urgent today. This edition is presented by the Horror Writers Association and introduced by award-winning author Nisi Shawl. Includes notes, biographical information about the author, discussion questions for classroom use, and suggested further reading. |
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9 and 10. Off to See the Sea and Bedtime for Sweet Creatures
From Children’s Literature Legacy Award-winning author Nikki Grimes and acclaimed illustrator Elizabeth Zunon comes two adventurous stories. In Off to See the Sea, night has fallen and Mom and Dad need to get their little one in the tub. To make it more fun, Mom brings a magical adventure out at sea to life, where the faucet is a waterfall, a rubber ducky is a sea creature, and the splashing water is a raging sea! In their ocean journey, Mom and Dad manage to get their little one clean just in time to dock for bedtime. |
“Has the feel of an all-time great bedtime picture book” - The New York Times
In Bedtime for Sweet Creatures, it's bedtime. But Mommy's little one is not sleepy. He growls like a bear, he questions like an owl, he tosses his mane like a lion. He hunts for water like a sly wolf, and hides like a snake.
Mommy needs to wrangle her sweet creature in bed so that the whole family can sleep. From tigers to squirrels to snakes, the little boy dodges around his bedtime, until he is tired enough to finally sleep. His imaginative animal friends weave their way through the illustrations, eventually joining him in curling up for the night.
For those seeking children's books about diversity, this loving depiction of everyday shenanigans is sure to become a bedtime favorite. Bedtime for Sweet Creatures is an African American children's book that celebrates imagination, playful moments, and the love between a Black mother and child.
In Bedtime for Sweet Creatures, it's bedtime. But Mommy's little one is not sleepy. He growls like a bear, he questions like an owl, he tosses his mane like a lion. He hunts for water like a sly wolf, and hides like a snake.
Mommy needs to wrangle her sweet creature in bed so that the whole family can sleep. From tigers to squirrels to snakes, the little boy dodges around his bedtime, until he is tired enough to finally sleep. His imaginative animal friends weave their way through the illustrations, eventually joining him in curling up for the night.
For those seeking children's books about diversity, this loving depiction of everyday shenanigans is sure to become a bedtime favorite. Bedtime for Sweet Creatures is an African American children's book that celebrates imagination, playful moments, and the love between a Black mother and child.
