Journey 
In a fast-paced digital world where our attention is consistently pulled elsewhere, whether doomscrolling or consuming fragments, I’ve found myself returning to the grounding power of physical books. This past fall semester’s rotation has become less and less about checking titles off a list and more deeply about cultivating the practice of slow consumption, allowing words and phrases to linger and resonate with oneself beyond an ink-filled page.
The rotation that shaped my semester was focused on African American history, but through a deeper look, stories that have reshaped my understanding of the times in which we live. Times marked by heteronormative propaganda, the silencing of minorities, and the creative limiting of women of color.
Stamped by Jason Reynolds: I’d participated in a sit down keynote speaker discussion with NY Times bestseller Jason Reynolds, and afterwards received his literary work Stamped. As I’m currently still finishing, Reynolds wrote this remix of history not to water it down, but to make it accessible for all. Reynolds demands that we halt, confront, and reflect on the narratives we inherit. Reading it in print felt like I’d been holding a mirror, weighted, by all means necessary, and unavoidable.
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz: The Four Agreements is a text I could simply never become bored with. I’ve picked it up to re-read a plethora of times, and each time I gain a newfound sense of clarity. Ruiz emphasizes this idea of spaciousness, a book that holds wisdom that dares you to carry it, but only when read slowly (hence why I’ve re-read it so much). Each agreement is simple, yet a rewarding challenge to live by.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Offered through my Seminal writers course at Spelman, Hurston writes with an authentic and lively prose that’s inimitable. To rush through her protagonist’s journey ( Janie) would be to absolutely miss out on the cadence of her voice and narrative, and moreover, the intimacy of her becoming and actualization. I had the opportunity to write a reflective essay, “The Architecture of Unsolicited Advice,” on how community members may uplift us, while simultaneously bringing us down with projections of their fantasies, opinions, and or experiences. Beautifully read, I encourage every young Black woman to witness Hurston’s depiction of Janie’s evolution.
Reading these works, respectively, and in print, allowing me to physically turn the page, annotate passages, and hold the weight of the book in hand, slowly but surely began to feel like an act of resistance against digital life. Unlike the essence of an endless scroll, physical media asks us to pause. To breathe and sit with both beauty and ambiguity.
In our fast-paced digital world, I encourage all to find their way back home to intentional reading. And, if you’d never been an avid reader, I challenge you to begin! Pick apart genres that entice you, topics that keep you awake. I’m positive there’s always a genre or novel out there to satisfy curiosity.
Choose physical media not out of nostalgia but a genuine necessity. Books remind us that slowness is a strength, a way to reclaim our attention, time, and emotional lives.
By Journey Powell, Senior, Spelman College
Instagram: journeyaliah
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