Bloom How You Must - by Tara Pringle Jefferson (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A self-empowering wellness guide that celebrates the roots of self-care and community care as a sustaining force for generations of Black women. Bloom How You Must is a love letter to the millions of Black women who want a less stressful life but don't know where to begin.

Self-care isn't a trend among Black women; it has always been a throughline in our heritage. Consider Coretta Scott King, who along with fellow activists Betty Shabazz and Myrlie Evers-Williams, would enjoy "girls' trips" to take a break from the stress of the Civil Rights Movement. Remember their contemporary Rosa Parks attended (and led) yoga classes while on the front lines for Black rights in Detroit.

Think of the enduring friendship between Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, a sisterhood in which they have leaned on each other for nearly forty years while thriving in the glaring media and entertainment spotlight.

Picture Toni Morrison's overflowing gardens and lush houseplants she tended while writing classics like Beloved and The Bluest Eye.

Recall Audre Lord's enduring declaration written after her second cancer diagnosis: "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."

Bloom How You Must explores and expands on this self-care legacy and shows how it can help every Black woman today.

Tara Pringle Jefferson excavates the roots of self-care and community care as a sustaining force for generations of Black women and transforms her findings into a blueprint women can follow in their daily lives. A blend of guidebook and journal, Bloom How You Must explores several distinct pillars of wellness, featuring:

Research from leading wellness expertsInterviews with women aged 19-99Stories of personal experienceOverviews and explanations of each component of self-careDedicated pages for readers to reflect on each chapterExercises to put wellness into practiceEasy-to-follow explanatory graphics and sidebars

With its diversity of insights, practical skills and multigenerational focus, Bloom How You Must is a love letter to the millions of Black women who want a less stressful life but don't know where to begin. Bloom How You Must gives them the tools they need to improve their health and their daily lives.

Review Quotes

Bloom How You Must reminds us that self-care is an integral part of Black women's legacy. It is ours, it always has been, and we must reclaim it. Through this book, Tara Pringle Jefferson walks you through her self-care legacy journey and practices, while helping you to begin and embrace yours. -- Oludara Adeeyo, bestselling author of Self-Care for Black Women

"Bloom How You Must is one of the most refreshing and affirming books I've come across in a long time. Thanks to Tara Pringle Jefferson for this necessary and useful guide." -- Camille Dungy, author of Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden

Bloom How You Must is equal parts balm and blueprint, reminding us that rest is not a reward and healing is our birthright. With care, clarity, and deep reverence for our lineage, Tara invites us to examine the stories we've inherited and imagine new ones rooted in joy, ease, and radical self-love. I saw myself on every page--and I know I'm not alone. -- L'Oreal Thompson Payton, author of Stop Waiting for Perfect

Bloom is a beautiful invitation for Black women to pause, notice how the doing is showing up in their bodies, and allow themselves the space to rest and just be. Bloom is a call to action for Black women to slow down - because our lives depend on it. -- Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler, Author of Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen: Emotional Lives of Black Women

Wow! Warm, witty, wise, and inspirational, Bloom How You Must draws on deep truths and provides a pathway to healing and wellness for Black women. A much-needed resource! -- Kumea Shorter-Gooden, Ph.D., Co-author, Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America

Overflowing with compassion and wisdom, Bloom How You Must is purpose-built to help readers take care of themselves in ways that echo forward and backward through generations. Whether you're trying to heal generational trauma, construct a safe space for self-care, or leave your daughters with a clean slate, Bloom How You Must is the perfect intergenerational tool to get you there
-- Kenrya Rankin, author, How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance

"Bloom How You Must offers readers a look into the rich history of self-care in the lives of Black women. Writing from her expertise as a breathwork facilitator and wellness educator, Tara Pringle Jefferson offers a unique blend of historical context, research, exercises, and journaling prompts to encourage Black women to care for themselves more deeply."
-- Spirituality and Health magazine