Notes from the book lady’s desk

When I tell the story of how The Noir Bookshop got its inspiration, Nipsey Hussle is mentioned from the start. A pillar in his community and a multi-hyphenate talent, Nipsey is one of the people whose dedication to curiosity continues to make me feel empowered.

As a writer who has interviewed musicians, especially Hip Hop artists, I am always curious to know what they’re reading. When some of my favorite rappers talk about their favorite books, my ears perk up. To be a writer, is to be a reader, whether that is a journalist, a poet, or gangster rapper.

I loved hearing Nipsey talk about books, and I’m even more elated that his love for literature is part of the legacy he’s remembered by. Nipsey shows us that despite, and perhaps because of where you come from, you can do amazing things. He showed that traditional education is not the most important measurement of success, and that’s something I hope we can all take comfort in. Nipsey Hussle made the effort to educate himself, leaving behind a legacy like no other, with a list of books that offer a glimpse into what inspired him most.

I hope through your own relationship with reading, you’ll find something on Nip’s reading list to inspire a life of your best possibilities. And I hope you continue running your own marathon, whatever that may be.

Ymani

“The Book Lady”

the complete nipsey hussle reading list

• A Macat Analysis of Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks by Rachele Dini

• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

• Blood In My Eye by George L. Jackson

• Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic

• Spirit of Business by John E. Mackey

• Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger

• Creative Selection: Inside Apple’s Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs by Ken Kocienda 

• Culture Vultures by Kenyatta Khari Griggs

• Decoded by Jay-Z

• Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

• Heal Thyself: For Health and Longevity by Queen Afua

• How to Eat to Live by Elijah Muhammad

• I Didn’t Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation by Michela Wrong

• Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior by Jonah Berger

• Law and Economics of Vertical Integration and Control by Roger D. Blair

• Manchild in the Promised Land by Claude Brown

• Message to the Blackman in America by Elijah Muhammad

• No Man Is an Island by Thomas Merton

• Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam M. Grant

• Political Economy: A Comparative Approach by Barry Clark

• Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins

• PowerNomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America by Claud Anderson

• Purple Cow by Seth Godin

• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

• Revolutionary Suicide by Huey P. Newton

• Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit by Queen Afua

• Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton by Bobby Seale

• Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

• The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene

• The Art of War by Sun Tzu

• The I Ching or Book of Changes by Anonymous