The past few months, I’ve discovered that bloggers are listing my books on their sites. It’s a genuine honor to be recognized among so many other talented writers. Here’s a compilation of the lists I’ve landed on the last couple of months along with information about the websites and the lists themselves:
1. Reflektion Design listed Badass Black Girl among their 10 Books for Black Youth That Inspire + Spark Creativity. Along with Badass Black Girl, there are coloring books and other books that will help Black children, teens, and tweens nurture a creative spark. Anitra, the creative mind behind Reflection Design, started her company after a 2006 trip to Ghana, where she became interested in textile arts. Her blog is an offshoot of her online store which sells remarkable items for the home. Check it out!
2. Pretty Progressive included Badass Black Girl on their list of 14 Must-Read Books on Women’s Rights. Pretty Progressive is a platform for feminist issues and their list is filled with badass women of all kinds. It’s definitely worth checking out.
3. Badass Black Girl was also featured on Scotshill House blog. Torie from Scotshill House blog has created a beautiful website full of home design tips, recipes, and much more. If you haven’t seen her blog, check it out, it’s beautiful. For Black history month, she curated a list of 25 books that affirm Black identity for children and young adults and has featured Badass Black Girl on the list, along with 24 other titles that range from pre-school readerships to young adult. A working mom by day and a designer by night, Torie has put together an impressive blog with DIY tutorials, entertaining tips and much more. It’s an honor to be included in her list of must-read books for Black kids. Check out the list, and then check out the rest of the blog. You’ll be glad you did!
4. Hue Knew It added Badass Black Girl to their list of 13 Empowering Black History Books You Wish You Owned. This beauty website has tips for your face, skin, hair, etc. Your whole body would benefit from a visit to the website. This is a comprehensive list of titles every Black reader should pick up—all of them empowering.
5. mater mea included Badass Black Girl on a list of 45 Black History Month Books for Children (Tweens and Teens). This is a whopper of a list, and it’s good to see so many parenting guides for Black families in the market. Check out the website too. mater mea was founded by Tomi Akitunde in 2012 to help Black parents find information about parenting that will help their children thrive. There’s a plethora of useful advice and resources on their site.
6. Badass Black Girl also won an award! In February, The School Library Journal released its selections for the In the Margins Book Awards and their top ten lists, and Badass Black Girl took the top spot for YA nonfiction.
Here’s what they had to say about the book:
“Written in the style of journal entries, black girls and femme-identifying youth are provided with daily affirmations to help them tackle issues of friendship, identity, school, career, bullying, and stereotypes so they can push past the barriers that prevent them from turning their dreams into a future reality. Many of the passages are from well-known black female leaders, writers, and celebrities, as well as historical figures. Part celebration, part spiritual wish, part memoir, Fievre incorporates her Haitian roots into the book’s text by ending each chapter with Kempe [sic], a Creole word of encouragement that can be interpreted to mean hold firm or be strong. After reading the book, the committee came to a consensus that ‘while the book is written for black girls, girls of all diverse backgrounds will be able to gain insight from the advice, as well.’”
The In the Margins Book Awards is an annual award program that receives feedback on their selections from young readers. They write about the awards: “The committee’s charge is inclusive of youth living a marginalized existence, with specific focus on narratives and informational text that address the disproportionality of injustices experienced by BIPOC youth from the historical impact of cultural irrelevance and structural exclusion which often finds them living in poverty, in the streets, in custody, or a cycle of all three.”
It's an honor to receive this award. You can read more about the awards and the other titles that were selected here. I’m glad the book is getting noticed, especially from a source that recognizes it was written for a very specific, yet expansive readership. Now to celebrate!
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7. Beyond the Crib listed a book I co-wrote with Becca Anderson, Your Work from Home Life, on their list of perfect Mother’s Day books for mothers. Beyond the Crib is a parenting website that has crucial information for parents and/or grandparents.
8. This title was also listed in this article published in Spanish.
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9. A Day in Our Shoes has Empowered Black Girl on their list of 20 Best-Selling Books for Kids & Teens. This list is also a guide to resilience and has tips on building resilience in your children and teenagers. This website was designed for parents who have children with special needs. In addition to their blog posts, they have a live chat option to help parents of special needs children connect with other parents in a supportive community.
10. Brave Black Beautiful was featured on Coloring Book Addict’s Women of Color List. Gone are the days when Crayola had one pale skin color in their big box of crayons. Nowadays, there are a variety of skin color crayons that match the many shades of humans. We’re thrilled that the blog Coloring Book Addict has included my coloring book, Brave Black Beautiful, in their list of Women of Color coloring books. It’s a long list with many talented artists and designs, and it’s an honor to be included among the many artists whose designs range from realistic to sci-fi fantasy (Black princesses!), and all the subjects are Black. You can check out the list here.
11. Publishers Weekly recently published an article about BIPOC writers and religious books they’re publishing these days. There are so many of them! The article was fairly comprehensive and covered a variety of different religious traditions and the different backgrounds of the writers who wrote the books. In the article, they mention my forthcoming book (September 2021) Resilient Black Girl: 52 Weeks of Anti-racist Activities for Black Joy, which features techniques for growing resilience and joy. It’s always an honor to get a mention in Publishers Weekly. They are the industry standard for all news about publishing. I'm excited to hear more buzz around Resilient Black Girl in the upcoming months.
It was an absolute thrill to find my books listed along with so many other talented writers. I hope you’ll find something of value in these lists. Thank you to all the websites and bloggers who included me. You make me feel special.
Kenbe,
MJ
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A creator of safe spaces, and an initiator of difficult conversations, M.J. Fievre, B.S. Ed, spent much time building up her Black students, helping them feel comfortable in their skin, and affirming their identities. Her close relationships with parents and students led her to look more closely at how we can balance protecting our child’s innocence with preparing them for the realities of Black life. When―and how―do you approach racism with your children? How do you protect their physical and mental health while also preparing them for a country full of systemic racism? She began to research the issue and speak to school counselors and psychologists to find (and apply!) strategies parents and teachers can use with their children to broach uncomfortable but necessary topics.
M.J. is the author of Badass Black Girl, a daily dose of affirmations for Black Girls.
“You'll come away from Badass Black Girl feeling as if you've known the author your entire life, and it's a rare feat for any writer.” ―“Mike, the Poet,” author of Dear Woman and The Boyfriend Book
#1 Gift Idea in Teen & Young Adult Cultural Heritage Biographies, Publishers Weekly Select Title for Young Readers.
Affirmations for strong, fearless Black girls. Wisdom from Badass Black female trailblazers who accomplished remarkable things in literature, entertainment, education, STEM, business, military and government services, politics and law, activism, sports, spirituality, and more.
Explore the many facets of your identity through hundreds of big and small questions. In this journal designed for teenage Black girls, MJ Fievre tackles topics such as family and friends, school and careers, body image, and stereotypes. By reflecting on these topics, you will confront the issues that can hold you back from living your best life and discovering your Black girl bliss.
Embrace authenticity and celebrate who you are. Finding the courage to live as you are is not easy, so here’s a journal designed to help you nurture creativity, positive self-awareness and Black girl bliss. This journal honors the strength and spirit of Black girls.
Change the way you view the world. This journal provides words of encouragement that seek to inspire and ignite discussion. You are growing up in a world that tries to tell you how to look and act. MJ Fievre encourages you to fight the flow and determine for yourself who you want to be.
Badass Black Girl helps you to:
Build and boost your self-esteem with powerful affirmations
Learn more about yourself through insightful journaling
Become comfortable and confident in your authentic self
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