"Stop Waiting for Perfect: Step Out of Your Comfort Zone and Into Your Power"

Perfectionism might sound like a good thing, but in practice, it can perform more like procrastination – and waiting for perfect scenarios can prevent us from getting the credit and success we deserve. 

Archival footage of Martin Luther King Jr.

In the 55 years since his death, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is often quoted and revered, an icon. But in the new book “King: A Life,” author Jonathan Eig draws King as “a man, not a saint, not a symbol” — delivering far more nuance than history has allowed.

Author Francesca Royster appears on “Black Voices” on June 16, 2023. (WTTW News)

In her new book, DePaul University professor Francesca Royster describes the process of becoming a mother and building a family as a queer Black woman.

Author and DePaul University forensic accounting professor Kelly Richmond Pope appears on "Black Voices" on May 26, 2023. (WTTW News)

In “Fool Me Once: Scams, Stories, and Secrets from the Trillion-Dollar Fraud Industry,” DePaul University forensic accounting professor Kelly Richmond Pope explores the many forms fraud can take and the sometimes surprising stories of the people who perpetrate it.

Author Rachel Jamison Webster with her cousins and collaborators Edie Lee Harris, Robert Lett and Gwen Marable. (Adele Fammeree)

Americans are discovering family secrets every day thanks to DNA testing and online genealogy. But not everyone learns they have a luminary of Black American history as an ancestor.

“Chi Boy: Native Sons and Chicago Reckonings" by Keenan Norris.

For young Black boys and men, Chicago can be a cradle and a crucible, a place where they can encounter both endless inspiration and endless despair. In “Chi Boy: Native Sons and Chicago Reckonings,” author Keenan Norris draws connections between the experiences of literary giants and those of his own father.

The Rev. Otis Moss III. (WTTW News)

In days when the bonds holding the country together can feel fragile, it can be difficult to see past the worry and anger in order to work toward justice. In his new book, the Rev. Otis Moss III draws upon stories from his congregation, forebearers and family.

(WTTW News)

In “A Few Days of Trouble: Revelations on the Journey to Justice for My Cousin and Best Friend, Emmett Till,” the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. gives a firsthand account of those terrible days.

A page from “Stella Keeps the Sun Up” by Clothilde Ewing.

The children’s section at your local library is probably overflowing with books about figures in Black history and illustrations of the Black experience in America. While those depictions are important for children to see, they aren’t always — well fun. That was the experience of author Clothilde Ewing.

“When Blackness was Golden!: Observation from the front line” is a memoir by Pemon Rami. It’s a coming of age story that gives readers a look into the civil rights movement in Chicago and an era when Black culture and excellence were on the rise.

(Credit: Beacon Press)

Michael Hines’ book “A Worthy Piece of Work: The Untold Story of Madeline Morgan and the Fight for Black History in Schools” is the latest selection in our Black Voices Book Club Series. It tells the story of how Black history came to Chicago schools. 

(Courtesy of Jemar Tisby)

Helping young people figure out how to take a stand against racism is the topic of the latest selection in our Black Voices Book Club Series. “How to Fight Racism: A Guide to Standing Up for Racial Justice” aims to give young people information and tools to fight racism and effect change.

(WTTW)

Pandemic inequities and how health care systems contribute to them are the focus of the latest selection in our “Black Voices Book Club” series, “The Emergency: A year of Healing and Heartbreak in a Chicago ER.”

Getting to the why is the theme of the book in the latest installment of our Black Voices Book Club Series. “Hood Healing: Interviews With Some of Chicago’s Most Prolific Voices In Media and Black Culture” unpacks the generational trauma Black people experience and how that impacts communities.

(WTTW News)

The book “Energy Never Dies: Afro-Optimism and Creativity in Chicago” takes readers through different points in time in Chicago’s Black history and reflects on how those moments influence the creativity and achievements of entrepreneurs and artists today.

Sexual assault in hockey is just one topic explored in a new book titled “Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture and How to Fix It.”

Sexual assault in hockey is just one topic explored in “Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture and How to Fix It.”  It was written by Chicago author Evan Moore, who is now the press secretary for Chicago Public Schools.