EBWH Resource Share: Must Reads for 2026

Five books I absolutely adore for challenging diet culture and reminding us to unapologetically take up space.

Nov 24, 2025

Barnes & Noble used to be my happy place growing up. My mom would settle into a Starbucks chair with a book and a latte, and I’d park myself on the floor in the YA section, inhaling one chapter after another. Since I didn’t have money to buy the book, and my mom wasn’t buying it either, I scribbled down my page number before leaving to prep for our next visit.

Looking back, it cracks me up because I could’ve just gone to the library. However, I’ve always loved the sense that the right book always shows up when you need it at a bookstore. That’s where my love of learning and later, my obsession with curating must-reads, really began.

If you’re in this community, I’m willing to bet you enjoy reading, or at least appreciate a well-curated list of must-reads that make the journey toward better health feel less overwhelming.

Over the past few years, several books have shaped how I think, write, and show up in conversations about Black women’s health. I’ve talked about some of them, but never in one place, and never with the whole story of why they struck me.

So today, I’m sharing a curated selection of EBWH must-read books that deserve space on your nightstand. Whether you’re closing out the year with intention or stepping into 2026 ready to deepen your relationship with your body, food, and overall well-being, these are the titles that I believe will shift your perspective on wellness.

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Here are five EBWH must-reads every human deserves in their wellness toolkit:

Live Nourished by Shana Minei Spence

Rejecting diet culture is hard enough, but doing so while navigating the layered expectations placed on Black women is a different kind of battle. That’s why I appreciate that Spence doesn’t just talk about making peace with food, but showing you how to unlearn the noise that tells you your worth is tied to shrinking yourself.

Through her lived experience, she makes it clear that nourishment isn’t about resigning yourself or “letting go.” It’s about reclaiming your intuition in a world that profits from your confusion. This book is a reset button for your relationship with nourishment, body trust, and the narratives you’ve inherited about health.

The Body Liberation Project by Chrissy King

This book is a mirror, a megaphone, and a history lesson all in one. King shows us that liberation from harmful beauty standards isn’t a mindset shift but a lifelong practice. It’s not just about “loving your body,” but unlearning white supremacy’s grip on our bodies.

What makes this book so powerful is how King ties personal healing to collective liberation. She breaks down the moments when we internalize shame, how appearance-based self-worth becomes a cage, and how we can rebuild self-acceptance on our own terms. This is a book you don’t just read, but return to from season to season.

Decolonizing Wellness by Dalia Kinsey

Kinsey does what mainstream wellness books have failed to do. They center intersectionality and shine a bright light on a community that is often left out of wellness conversations. Instead of speaking to a generic “everyone,” Kinsey talks directly to QTBIPOC folks who’ve been pushed to the margins of wellness conversations.

Kinsey dismantles the idea that health is a one-size-fits-all formula. They do this by breaking down how trauma, identity, systems of oppression, and cultural erasure shape everything from how we view food to how safe we feel in wellness spaces. This book fills the gaps mainstream wellness leaves behind, and hands you a framework built with QTBIPOC folks in mind.

Find Your Food Voice by Julie Duffy Dillon

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your hunger cues or confused about what “normal eating” even looks like, this is the book for you. Dillon speaks directly to that confusion. After years of dieting, many of us lose the ability to trust our bodies entirely, especially those conditioned to prioritize discipline and appearance over actual well-being.

Dillon gently guides you back to yourself, not by giving rules or meal plans, but by helping you name the narratives that made eating feel complicated in the first place. Her approach blends trauma-informed care, intuitive eating principles, and deep compassion. If you’re ready to stop battling food and start leaning inward, this book is your roadmap.

The Core 4 by Steph Gaudreau

For many women, especially Black women, strength has always been about survival, not self-celebration. Gaudreau reframes strength as something empowering, accessible, and deeply nourishing. She’s not selling a “summer body” or a bootcamp mentality. She’s teaching women how to fuel themselves, honor their energy, and approach movement without punishment.

What makes this book special is its simplicity. Gaudreau breaks down nutrition, movement, mindset, and recovery without the jargon or shame-based tactics that dominate fitness spaces. Her approach allows you to build strength because you deserve to feel powerful, not because your weight determines your worth. This book helps women reconnect to their physical power, without falling into the trap of equating power with thinness.

Together, these must-reads offer a fuller picture of what real wellness looks like when you center your lived experience rather than external rules or outdated health myths.

Which book would you add to this list of must-reads?

I’m always looking for titles that expand how we think about nourishment, community, and liberation. Drop your favorites in the comments below!