Read Until You Understand by Farah Jasmine Griffin

This is a mixture of literary dissection and personal memoir. The author lost her father to a cerebral aneurism, and while his prognosis at the time of his cerebral event might not have been very good, the seared memory for the author is how law enforcement treated him. Let's just say they were not there to help, and it left an enduring mark on her young self that propelled her in life going forward. In addition to her father, who gave her her first exposure to black literature and all the richness it contains, her second biggest influence was Toni Morrison, whose reflections on mercy, justice, rage, death and beauty helped her to understand both herself and her history. There are other authors that are covered, from Phyllis Wheatley and Frederick Douglass to authors who are writing today, but the resounding message from this university professor of literature is something that her father taught her, which is to read and question and think until you understand what is there in all it's pain and beauty.