Introducing Victory Press Buddy Reads! This is our version of a virtual book club where we’ll choose a book relevant to our coverage and read it together. We’ll have reading timelines, discussion questions, and set days to go over those topics. We’re also hoping to have input from authors, giveaways and video components, as well.
Our first Buddy Read is going to be "Blackness is a Gift I Can Give Her" by Renee Hess. Renee is the founder of Black Girl Hockey Club, and a longtime friend of mine. I’m SO STOKED to read this book and discuss it with y’all. As someone who has been enjoying Renee’s writing for a very long time, I know we’re in for a treat.
The book just came out this week, so we’ll let everyone get their copy before we get started. I know my preorder just shipped from bookshop.org and hasn’t arrived yet. If you still need to purchase it, may I suggest going to bookshop.org and choosing a local bookstore to support with your purchase? There are other links for purchasing the book here.
Also, the audiobook, narrated by Renee herself (!!!) is available on multiple platforms.
The book is comprised of individual essays so we’ll read about four of them each week. Here is our reading schedule:
Week 1 (10/12-10/18)
Introduction
Baby’s First Hockey Game
Creating Our Own Narratives
Blackness Is a Gift I Can Give Her
Week 2 (10/19 - 10/25)
Three Times I Saw a Hockey Game in Pittsburgh and One Time I Didn’t
Lincoln and Saroya
Hockey Mamas
The Future Aces Creed
Week 3 (10/26 - 11/1)
On Being “The First”
WoHo and White Feminism
Changing the World Is Always Better with Friends
Road Fans
Week 4 (11/2 - 11/8)
Self-Care as Community Care. I’m Treating We Right!
We’re Black All Year Long, Not Just in February
A Good Day for Hockey
The White People Chapter
At the beginning of every week, we’ll open up channels in our Buddy Read forum on Discord, where we’ll post a discussion question or two to keep in mind while you’re reading. You can drop in and chat as you’re reading, that way you can go at your own pace.
We're thrilled to launch Buddy Reads with this book and we hope you'll join us.
We look forward to discussing this book with you!
