Books to Add to Your Reading List in 2016

ew year, new you-right? Start off 2016 by adding these titles to your library to strengthen your mind, expand your outlook and maybe add a few fresh laughs.

Year of Yes

By Shonda Rhimes

As the reason why you never leave home on Thursday nights-she’s the creator of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away With Murder-TV mastermind Rhimes has a lot on her plate at all times. In Yes, she explores how you can say “yes” to anything and still come out on top. Simon & Schuster, $24.99.

Nappy-Headed Negro Syndrome

By Oneita Jackson

Jackson first gained local notoriety as a columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Now a full-time taxi driver, Jackson offers satirical views on race, identity and privilege-all from a Motor City view. Dakota Avenue West Publishing, $25.55.

We Should All Be Feminists

By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Haven’t caught the buzz on this Nigerian author yet? Besides her stunning novels Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun and a guest appearance on Beyoncé’s most recent album, Adichie’s short-but-powerful Feminists is gaining traction as required reading in classrooms. Anchor, $7.95.

Reclaiming Integration and the Language of Race in the ‘Post-Racial’ Era

Edited by Curtis L. Ivery and Joshua A. Bassett

Ivery, chancellor of Wayne County Community College District, and Bassett, director of the district’s Institute of Social Progress, assemble a number of writers examining how far we’ve come in the aftermath of the civil rights era-particularly in Detroit. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, $42-$85.

My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle’s Journey to Alvin Ailey

By Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome

A beautifully illustrated children’s book that’s just as entertaining for adults, Journey details the story of Battle, who wore leg braces as a child but grew to become artistic director of the legendary dance theater. Simon & Schuster, $17.99

I Choose Happiness

By Greg Bowens

This local public relations veteran, who juggles work with leading the charge to establish an NAACP chapter in the Grosse Pointes, offers encouragement and wisdom in Happiness, which encourages readers to, very simply, decide to be happy. Self-published, $16.