The Pacific Northwest likes to read, and what better way to get book suggestions than to ask around? In this monthly feature, we ask prominent Northwest residents what books they’re reading, rereading and recommending — and why.
This month: Vivian Phillips, a former commissioner for the Seattle Arts Commission and the founder of Arté Noir, a nonprofit organization in Seattle’s Central District that is focused on uplifting Black art and Black artists.
What book are you reading now?
I just reread Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem book, “For colored girls who have considered suicide/When the rainbow is enuf,” to celebrate the opening of the new run on Broadway.
What book have you reread the most?
“The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success” by Deepak Chopra.
What book do you recommend other people read and why?
I recommend “Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul” by Eddie Glaude Jr. In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his final manuscript, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community,” and Eddie Glaude Jr. has written an important installment to help us understand the complex and insidious nature of racism in America.
— compiled by Grace Gorenflo
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The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.