Yaba Blay Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

About Yaba Blay

The American author Yaba Blay is well known for her informative and socially conscious writing, reaching readers from all around the world. She’s a creative and interesting writer, understanding her craft perfectly, speaking to her audience directly through her work and writing. Working as an activist too, she’s outspoken on numerous different issues, largely centering around race and its place in modern America. Often looking at identity, she really examines what it means for people, studying its impact over the years, and how it’s developed.

A public speaker and scholar-activist too, Blay really understands her craft, as she’s a writer who really gets her points across. Speaking at a variety of different events, she’s also taught on a number of different occasions, lecturing students and passing on her own learning. This has seen her travel extensively, heading far and wide, speaking at a number of highly prestigious institutions and venues. She’s also worked with countless different brands too, as well as working closely with the #meToo movement in the past.

With her expertise in colorism, she looks at black racial and cultural identity, seeing how it’s transformed over the years. From her work in television to her writing, she’s created a voice for herself quite unlike any other, speaking in a direct manner. Analyzing the lived experience of Black women and girls, she aims to highlight the many different issues surrounding them in modern society. Many have lauded her for her work, as she’s seen as one of the leading figures currently working within her field today.

Setting herself apart she speaks for herself, with her unique and idiosyncratic perspective that really offers something new and different. At the same time she also speaks for countless others as well, seeking to highlight important topics, themes, and ideas. She’s a writer who definitely has a lot more to say in the future too, as her writing career carries on growing from strength-to-strength, into the foreseeable future.

Early and Personal Life

Born and raised in New Orleans in America, Yaba Blay would grow up with a keen passion for writing from an early age. This would develop throughout the years, as she would come to find her voice, both as an author and as a social activist. Attending Temple University, she would gain a Master of Arts, along with a PhD based in African American Studies, giving her a lot of insight.

She would also receive a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, as well as attending the University of New Orleans where she gained a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology. All of this would help her to becoming the author and social activist that she currently is today, working with a number of different companies and brands. Currently teaching herself as well as writing, she continues to put out work on a regular basis, and this will carry on for many years to follow.

Writing Career

In 2021 Yaba Blay would publish her first book, and it was a non-fiction titled ‘One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race.’ Focusing on the political and social implications surrounding race, it managed to cast a light for many different readers all over the world. Featured in a number of different publications, it would receive good reviews upon its release, showcasing Blay as writer with something important to say.

Working as a producer for television in the past, she’s worked for CNN producing documentaries including ‘Who is Black America’ in 2012. She’s also featured on numerous different outlets, such as NPR, MSNBC, BET, and the BBC, speaking out about a variety of issues. Gaining a lot of acclaim over the years, she has far more to come still, as she will carry on writing for a long time yet.

One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race

First published through the ‘Beacon Press’ publishing imprint in 2021, this would initially come out on the 16th of February. Introducing Yaba Blay as a writer to many for the first time, it managed to set her apart as someone with something of her own to say. Studying race, it’s relevant to readers from across the world, showing another viewpoint in an intelligent and articulate manner.

It’s a non-fiction book that studies being black, and Yaba Blay examines everything in an intelligent and concise manner. Looking at it all through her own eyes, she studies the wider picture, putting everything into full perspective for the reader. It’s a book with a lot to say, and it’s self-contained, not being a part of any larger series as such, providing Blay’s own unique insight.

This book looks at what blackness means, particularly in contemporary American society, analyzing the very concept of it. Looking at how ‘blackness’ is defined as a concept, Yaba Blay breaks it down, going over it in extremely fine detail, studying everything. Casting an eye back through history, she also examines the ancestry and where this modern idea came from and how it’s come to be. Using the political and the social landscape as its framework, Blay provides a complete portrait from her own extremely knowledgable viewpoint.

Written in a clear and concise manner, this book works on a number of different level, being both informative and engaging. Really understanding identity and what it means, the book is packed with insight, making for an extremely compelling debut title. There’s a lot here for the reader, as it’s definitely a worthwhile book, and really is a must for anyone interested in the subject.

Various Contributions

As an author, Yaba Blay has provided work to various different publications and books, further making a name for herself in the process. This included ‘How We Fight White Supremacy,’ which was released in 2019, and she’d feature in it alongside many other authors. Including well known names such as Ta-Nehisi Coates, the book would showcase numerous different essays, interviews and cartoons discussing the Black resistance. Blay’s work would reach many readers from around the world, allowing her to become a lot more prominent, and building a name for herself.