Over the past year, my career has taken me to numerous cities around the country. While many people (especially haters) presume that my hectic schedule prevents me from reading, the opposite is actually the case. The countless hours that I have spent riding and waiting for airplanes and trains have afforded me more time to read than ever before. This past year, I’ve had the opportunity to read dozens of wonderful books. If you haven’t had an opportunity to read them, put them on your summer list. Here they are, in no particular order:

T.D. Jakes America’s New Preacher by Shayne Lee

Whether you consider him T.D. Jakes the preacher or T.D. Fakes the hustler, Thomas Dexter Jakes is transforming American Christianity. In this thoughtful and accessible book, Shayne Lee examines Jakes’ meteoric rise and the conditions that enable his continued stranglehold on the public pulpit. Although he falls short of completely critiquing the capitalist forces that are assaulting the church, he provides an otherwise critical yet balanced analysis of America’s New Preacher

Prophets of the Hood by Imani Perry

Rutgers law professor Imani Perry provides one of the most rigorous contributions to the burgeoning field of hip-hop studies. Unlike many hip-hop texts, Prophets of the Hood moves beyond mere historical analysis and focuses on the lyrics. Such an analysis, she argues, reveals a quintessentially African American art form filled with underexamined aesthetic value. This book is indispensable for anyone interested in hip-hop culture and the rich cultural legacy to which it is inexorably connected.

Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has The Black Middle Class Lost Its Minds by Michael Eric Dyson
With 13 books in 13 years (3 in the last 12 months!!!) and a ubiquitious presence in the public sphere, Michael Eric Dyson has emerged as the towering Black public intellectual of the 21st century. While Reflecting Black was his most groundbreaking, and I May Not Get Here With You was his most timeless (and my favorite), Is Bill Cosby Right? is Dyson’s most important text. By taking on American heavyweight Bill Cosby for his attack on the Black poor, Dyson successfully intervened in a critical public conversation about individual responsibility, social inequality, and the possibilities for Black youth. This principled and persuasive defense of the Black, the poor, and the young epitomizes high quality public intellectual work.

New Black Man by Mark Anthony Neal

Few books literally change my life. Even fewer come from academics. After reading cultural critic Mark Anthony Neal’s most recent book, however, I was forced to reassess who I was and who I wanted to be in my personal and professional life. The book’s central claim, that traditional notions of black masculinity have been underwritten by vicious homophobic and sexist ideologies that divide our community and alienate our most vulnerable members, is supported through insightful cultural critique and revealing personal narratives. As a Black male feminist, queer theorist, and aspiring “New Black Man”, this book was a much needed intervention in my life.

Real Black: Adventures in Racial Sincerity by John L. Jackson Jr.

Like “superstar” in sports, “brilliant” is a term that is overused in academy. Far too often, really smart people with interesting ideas are given a title that should only be reserved for the best of the best. That said, John L. Jackson is brilliant. In Real Black, the second book of Jackson’s 5 year career, the anthropologist adds a needed layer of complexity to racial authenticity debates by introducing the notion of “racial sincerity.” Through rich ethnographic detail and engaging prose, Jackson raises the theoretical and empircal stakes for urban anthropology. Additionally, the book’s mix of vernacular writing, complex methodology (including visual and autoethnography), and the invocation of his alter-ego “Anthroman”, have the possibility of transforming the field. I wish I had written this book. I want to be John Jackson when I grow up!

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