09/21/2026
Whats new on my bookshelf ✨
Are any of these on your tbr?
Wassup, My N***a by Hiram L. Smith
Thank you Georgetown University Press
The history and meaning of one of the most controversial words in American English
Few words in English are as charged as “nigga” and “n*gger.” While the slur “n*gger” is universally recognized as offensive, fierce debates continue over the use of “nigga”—who can say it, what it means, and whether it has been reclaimed as a term of endearment among Black people. Are these two words or one word with two pronunciations, and do they have different meanings?
Wassup, My N***a is the first book written by an African American linguist to explore the word’s origin, history, and usage. Drawing on sources across time, from nineteenth-century slave narratives and ex-slave recordings to contemporary conversations on social media, the book reveals how the word’s meanings vary according to context and across racial groups. It challenges myths about reclamation, explains why multiple pronunciations exist, and examines what the evidence really shows about how—and whether—meanings have changed over time.
Every Story is a Love Storu by Imbolo Mbue
Out 10/6 - thank you Random House
Three years ago, Wolo’s wife was killed in a tragic car accident. In an instant, the great love of his life was gone, and so was their beautiful future. In the face of a loss that seemed insurmountable, Wolo has slowly rebuilt a semblance of a life: he goes to work, hangs out with a small circle of friends, and fends off the matchmaking efforts of the older women in his family. The grief that dogged him has, with time, become a little gentler.
Until a letter arrives one day, unbidden, threatening to upend his life once again. It is from Victoria, the woman who was behind the wheel that terrible day. Wolo’s family pastor tells him the letter is the work of the devil; his mother expressly forbids him from making further mention of it; his father’s second wife calls, from Cameroon, to tell him to destroy it. But Wolo ponders it for days, and ultimately agrees to meet with the woman who kill
