Bloom How You Must

By: Tara Pringle Jefferson

Published by Amistad, 2025-12-02

The literary cousin to the popular Red Table Talk podcast--a self-empowering guide which expands on the current literature and places Black women front and center in the larger wellness conversation, giving them a blueprint to holistic wellness not found elsewhere. Self-care isn't a trend among Black women; it has always been a throughline in our heritage. Consider Coretta Scott King, who along with fellow activists Betty Shabazz and Myrlie Evers-Williams, would enjoy "girls' trips" to take a break from the stress of the Civil Rights Movement. Remember their contemporary Rosa Parks attended (and led) yoga classes while on the front lines for Black rights in Detroit. Think of the enduring friendship between Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, a sisterhood in which they have leaned on each other for nearly forty years while thriving in the glaring media and entertainment spotlight. Picture Toni Morrison's overflowing gardens and lush houseplants she tended while writing classics like Beloved and The Bluest Eye. Recall Audre Lord's enduring declaration written after her second cancer diagnosis: "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." Bloom How You Must explores and expands on this self-care legacy and shows how it can help every Black woman today. Tara Pringle Jefferson excavates the roots of self-care and community care as a sustaining force for generations of Black women and transforms her findings into a blueprint women can follow in their daily lives. A blend of guidebook and journal, Bloom How You Must explores distinct pillar of wellness, featuring: Research from leading wellness experts Interviews with women aged 19-99 Stories of personal experience Overviews and explanations of each component of self-care Dedicated pages for readers to reflect on each chapter Exercises to put wellness into practice Easy-to-follow explanatory graphics and sidebars With its diversity of insights,practical skills and multigenerational focus, Bloom How You Must is a love letter to the millions of Black women who want a less stressful life but don't know where to begin. Bloom How You Must gives them the tools they need to improve their health and their daily lives.