This Thread of Gold

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“Beautiful… A gift to ourselves and to the world.”— Mikki Kendall, New York Times bestselling author of Hood Feminism

From gender adviser to the UN Catherine Joy White comes This Thread of Gold, a lyrical celebration of the history of Black women who challenged stereotypes through film, politics, activism, and beyond.

This immersive and empowering read blends history, reporting, and personal stories to weave a gorgeous tapestry from the resilience of Black women. As White writes, “Black women are not victims. Black women are alchemists, spinning gold from a life of hardship. . . . This book is dedicated solely to Black women surviving, thriving, and glowing.”
 
White’s book features revolutionary women from across time and space, liberating them from reductive stereotypes like “the strong Black woman,” and allowing space for emotional nuance, individual motivation, and richness of expression. White offers fresh insights into the work of Beyoncé and Nina Simone, Shirley Chisholm and Meghan Markle, as well as the work of those who resisted in secret—in kitchens, in churches, and through trusted networks. By weaving these women together, White reveals new ways to understand Black womanhood and she is sure to inspire new generations of readers.“Gorgeously written, This Thread of Gold is a love letter to Black women everywhere, a recognition of the skills, sacrifices, and salvations we have offered each other and the world. Catherine Joy White weaves together a beautiful homage to the past, the present and even glimpses of the future of Black women and their communities around the world. It is a gift to ourselves and to the world.”
—Mikki Kendall, New York Times bestselling author of Hood Feminism

“An essential and overdue meditation on Black womanhood. In offering us this beautifully written work―part memoir, part paean, part call to arms―Catherine Joy White has done herself and our ancestors justice. It manages to be poetic yet punchy, enraging yet uplifting, and it transforms our mechanisms for survival and resistance into high art.”
―Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton

“Catherine Joy White does an exquisite job at weaving this narrative, much like her metaphor of a thread of gold. I saw so much grace and depth extended to Black woman in her own community as well as the larger community of Black women across time. I kept putting down the book just to reflect, and was constantly mesmerized by her storytelling. This is the type of book I wish I had written for my own communities. It is such a wonderful read.”
—Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, author of For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts

“I am still marveling at what Catherine Joy White has accomplished with This Thread of Gold. She recognizes the struggles, historical and contemporary, facing Black mujeres, and yet her focus is on celebration, on nourishment, on the kinds of stories I wish I had grown up hearing. This book will delight you, feed you, and sustain you in the years ahead.”
—Daisy Hernández, PEN Literary Award-winning author and co-editor of Colonize This!

“I was immediately captivated by the poetry in Catherine Joy White’s This Thread of Gold. Her words pulse with joy, legacy, and mischief.”
―Gugu Mbatha-Raw, actress
  
“Profiles a series of remarkable Black women in order to restore their place in the ‘dominant narrative.’”
―New Statesman
 
“Exuberant.”
―The Bookseller (Editors Choice)
 
“For centuries, Black women have been written out of the dominant narrative, their stories untold, their art appropriated. This Thread of Gold … attempts to correct the record and inspire the next generation of readers.”
―Camden New Journal
 
By turns fascinating, inspiring, and movingly written, this is an essential new book.
―iNews
 
“Catherine Joy White is an extraordinary writer, the kind who turns nonfiction into poetry. Her book This Thread of Gold reveals beautifully how the legacy of Black women’s writing across generations has woven itself into her heart and soul, and the power of their legacies. It’s a stunning debut from a young author, and yet feels, and reads, like it has been decades in the making.”
― Afua Hirsch, author of the Sunday Times bestseller Brit(ish)
 
“Catherine is not only an incredible writer but a much-needed voice in our current cultural landscape. This Thread of Gold shines a spotlight on previously untold stories with grace and nuance―I couldn’t put it down.”
―Ione Gamble, author of Poor Little Sick Girls
 
“From the moment I heard about this book, I was dying to read it, and when I got a hold of it I could not put it down. The passion of White’s words is infectious. I was constantly fascinated and moved by the way she interwove the stories of the Black women who came before her, with her own experiences and her reflections on the two. I know this book will find many loving readers and I am very excited for them all.”
―Okechukwu Nzelu, author of Here Again Now
 
“The stories Catherine weaves are enchanting and inspiring. To be held by her words is an absolute pleasure.”
―Ruby Rare, author of Sex Ed

“Utterly captivating from the first sentence, this celebration of Black Womanhood, joy and resistance celebrates revolutionary women from across time and space.”
―Laura Bates, author of Men Who Hate Women
 
“Monumental. A refusal to back down to an oppressive, reductive version of history. It’s even more radical to do this with a tone of pure unadulterated joy; smiling rather than screaming in the face of those who would try and whitewash a rich, beautiful, and momentous tapestry. What a fly kick in the face! Kill your masters one symphony at a time.”
―Nima Taleghani, actor and writer
 
“This book is a poetic journey through Black Womanhood. It is beautiful. And fragile. And worth its weight in gold. More, actually.”
―Parker Sawyers, actor

“In her astonishing celebration of Black Womanhood, Catherine Joy White celebrates life itself. Her debut book vividly unleashes the stories of little-known, remarkable Black women and we hear their voices crackle off the pages as if they are being channeled through her. Reading this book makes you want to be a part of a future which lengthens the Thread of Gold, making it last forever.”
―Angus Imrie, actor

“A poetic meditation on womanhood. A blending of the personal with the political, the magical with reality, and contemporary thinking with ancient stories. It has the spirit of hope and change but with a grounding in what we can learn from those who have walked the Earth before us.”
―Rhea Norwood, actressCatherine Joy White is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and founder and CEO of the award-winning Kusini Productions, a company established to champion the voices of Black women. She is a gender adviser to the United Nations, and she has been honored as a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2022. She starred in Amazon Prime’s Ten Percent (the UK adaptation of Call My Agent!) and worked on the latest season of Black Mirror alongside Salma Hayek Pinault. Her films have been funded by the BFI and the BBC, and have won awards at BAFTA and Oscar-qualifying festivals worldwide. She wrote and directed To My Daughter, a film starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, which was adapted from a chapter in This Thread of Gold. She has a master’s degree in women’s studies from the University of Oxford and an undergraduate degree from the University of Warwick. She lives in Oxford and this is her debut book.US

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