Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me

In this endearing debut ode to literary figures ranging from bell hooks to the Berenstain Bears, Edim, founder of the Well Read Black Girl network, eloquently explores the transformative power of literature in her life. Encouraged by her Nigerian immigrant mother to read voraciously, Edim spent her Virginia childhood making up stories with her younger brother. When her parents’ marriage faltered and her father returned to Nigeria in the early 1990s, Edim burrowed even deeper into the comforts of her bookshelf, finding particular solace in Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. As she catalogs her struggles through high school, her studies at Howard University, and caring for her mother as she battled with debilitating depression, Edim weaves in rapturous tributes to James Baldwin and Alice Walker (The Color Purple’s complicated family dynamics held special resonance), as well as Jamaica Kincaid and Sonia Sanchez (“If I could write like Sonia Sanchez... what words would I choose for my father?”). In the process, Edim beautifully illuminates how discovering or revisiting formative texts can confer all the warmth and wisdom of chatting with a clutch of aunties. This moving autobiography—complete with a reading list—will make a deep impression on book lovers. Agent: Emma Parry, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Oct.)