A few months ago, Barbara A. Seals Nevergold and Peggy Brooks-Bertram of the Uncrowned Queens published a collection of heartfelt letters addressed to Michelle Obama. The letters were from African American women from around the world. Not only did the book touch the hearts of the readers, Nevergold and Bertram kept on receiving more letters. In merely months, the book is already on its 5th printing and has sold 10,000 copies to date. According to the SUNY press, this is their best selling book of all time.
The newly released audio version of the book is unabridged and expanded. Nevergold is delighted by the success of the book. When asked about the biggest surprise during this entire process, Nevergold admitted that she was expecting a great response, but she was shocked at "...the response to this book from women and men, especially men, of all ethnic backgrounds, who write to say how inspiring and uplifting the letters are; that they have bought the book to share, and they congratulate us on our creativity and foresight. The feedback from some of our contributors, who say that their participation in this book has impacted their lives positively, e.g. encouraging them to write; giving them more self-confidence and feelings of self-empowerment.
"We are continuing to receive requests for presentations and book signings; coming up we're going to Chicago, California, Cincinnati, NYC, Mississippi and Washington, D.C. and we anticipate more engagements ahead. The book has great potential as an academic text, in literature, sociology, women's studies, African American studies, etc. and we are pursuing getting the book into the secondary and post-secondary classroom. In addition, there have been requests to develop a dramatic reading of the letters for the stage; and a potential play."
The book can now be found at Talking Leaves in Buffalo, St. John Baptist Church's bookstore in Buffalo, Borders, and a few public libraries.
For dates of the book readings, check out the Go, Tell Michelle blog.
The most important aspect of this book is that it is to an African American from African Americans.