Glory Edim founded the Well-Read Black Girl Book Club in 2015 as a way to honor her love of books, a passion that started during her childhood. What began as a small gathering has grown into a nonprofit that uses storytelling to drive activism and uplift diverse voices in literature.
“Far more than a book club, we celebrate the humanity and cultural expression of Black, Brown and Indigenous people,” the group’s site states. “Through literature, our intergenerational community addresses systemic inequalities and encourages civic engagement.”
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The mission continues: “Well-Read Black Girl goes beyond diversity. We are committed to honoring the stories of our ancestors. With each title selection, we shift narratives and move towards a more equitable publishing industry that ensures authentic representation & access for emerging authors.”
Glory Edim’s Love of Books Started in Childhood
Edim, who grew up in Arlington, Virginia, is the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. After her parents divorced, she and her brother, Maurice, spent time getting lost in stories like Corduroy, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Charlotte’s Web, often calling out “brother” and “sister” to find each other in the Arlington Public Library stacks, according to the Los Angeles Times.
As she got older and her family dynamic changed, Edim took on the role of caregiver for her siblings. Even through emotional and verbal abuse from a former stepfather and her mother’s battles with depression, books remained her sanctuary. She found comfort in the works of Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni and other Black poets and thinkers.
Literature Became Edim’s Tool for Resistance
Her high school AP English teacher, Mr. Burns, once criticized Angelou’s writing as “poor grammar.” But instead of dismissing Edim’s admiration for Angelou, he encouraged her to argue her perspective. That experience helped Edim recognize the power of critical thinking and solidified her voice in a world where white narratives often dominate.
In an interview with Elle, Edim called Angelou her “literary foremother in every sense” and cited I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings as one of her all-time favorite books—so much so that she might’ve never returned her copy to the library.
Books Helped Heal Her Family Ties
Reading also helped Edim rebuild family connections. After years apart, her father, who had moved back to Nigeria, re-entered her life. Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde helped her process her mother’s illness and the complexity of their relationship.
Eventually, both of her parents became present again in her life, and Edim continued to lean on books as a form of healing and empowerment.
Well-Read Black Girl’s Growing Impact
Today, Well-Read Black Girl has more than 435,000 Instagram followers, a podcast featuring celebrity guests, a partnership with Liveright, literary festivals and Camp Joy, a program designed to empower kids through books, according to Elle
Edim has also curated anthologies, including Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves and On Girlhood: 15 Stories From the Well-Read Black Girl Library.
Edim’s full journey is chronicled in her memoir, Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me. The book is a love letter to the stories and authors that shaped her—and a powerful reminder of how literature can transform lives.
