If you’ve spent any time on Bookstagram, then you’ve most likely come across Adriana Ladouceur’s account, Bring Me Books. Scrolling through her page, you’ll see her holding up a book to her smiling face as she tells you why her featured book should be on your must-read list.
Using social media to talk about books and promote Black authors is how Ladouceur has built a growing community of nearly 50,000 book lovers. Yet Ladouceur considers herself more of a cultural advocate than an influencer. Bring Me Books isn’t just a place to talk about books or get recommendations; it’s a platform on a mission to use literacy to build community and foster a love of reading for everyone.
Here’s how Ladouceur took her passion for reading and built a thriving community both virtually and in person.
Creating an Online Space for Book Lovers
Ladouceur ’s love for reading was something that slowly sprouted. Her interest in books was first piqued after constantly seeing her mother enthralled by a book. No matter how busy her mom got running the household, cooking, and cleaning, the image of her sitting on the couch with a book in her hands led Ladouceur to become curious about reading.
Yet it wasn’t until her teenage years that reading became an integral part of her life. “I came across the text My Brother’s Keeper by ReShonda Tate Billingsley,” Ladouceur shares. “I recognized what it feels like to be seen in a book, and from there, I’ve fallen in love with various genres.”
Since her teenage years, reading became more than just a hobby—it was a miniature escape when life became stressful and overwhelming. Reading was particularly comforting during the pandemic when Ladouceur was battling personal challenges and career changes on top of the world shutting down. “I was finding that reading was my home; it was my hub, it was my safe haven. But it was also isolating,” Ladouceur admits.
Wanting to share her love for reading within a community, she took her passion to the internet and started posting about books.
Her account started simple, with mostly photos of books and Ladouceur’s ratings in the captions. Yet the more she posted, the more she started to connect with other book lovers. Through comments and middle-of-the-night messages asking Ladouceur how far along in a book she was, people from across the country were connecting over their love of reading.
“I started this online community during the pandemic,” Ladouceur explains. “And it allowed me to find solace and comfort. And [now] it has grown past anything that I thought it was going to be.”
Growing Community Both Online and In Person
While people were virtually bonding over books, over time—and after the pandemic—Ladouceur decided to grow her community even further offline.
“I had the online space, and it was not a book club, so I partnered with this organization called Reading Rhythms, and we’ve fostered chapters in different cities,” Ladouceur explains. “We’ve had people travel hours to get to book club.”
During these two-hour sessions that can be described as a book party, book lovers come together not to discuss the same book like a typical book club, but to mingle and talk about the individual books they are reading. With time for silent reading and group discussion, everyone feels welcome and has the opportunity to create organic connections.
Book Recommendations from a Book-Loving Expert
On average, Ladouceur reads a little over 100 books a year, so of course she has top-tier recommendations.
“I’m not here for anything else outside of dismantling some of those disparaging narratives around Black and Brown people,” Ladouceur notes. Here are her top recommendations for Black female entrepreneurs:
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
For the entrepreneurs, or yet-to-be entrepreneurs, who are afraid to put themselves out there or bet on themselves. If you’ve watched shows like Grey’s Anatomy, you know Rhimes’ work. What you may not know is that before she was a household name and a guest on Oprah, she was afraid to step outside her comfort zone.
“She was afraid of putting herself out there in case someone was going to say no,” Ladouceur explains. “Then she decided in her life, what if one year I just say yes to everything? I say yes to all the things that scare me. I say yes to betting on myself. I say yes to daring to be great. And from then, her confidence exploded.”
The book shares how finding confidence within herself was a catalyst for new opportunities and expanding her career. If you’re someone who hasn’t started that business plan, sent in that grant proposal, or posted online because you’re afraid of rejection, Rhimes’ book will show you that without risk, there is no reward.
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
This book is for women who are leaders in their community or work, showing us that true leadership isn’t just about your individual success, but how you use your status to support others.
A nonfiction classic written about the Great Migration, it shares the journey of thousands of Black people traveling North for a better life. Yet when they arrive, they experience new hardships due to segregation and realize that the fight for their freedom isn’t over.
“Why I think that ties so directly to Black female entrepreneurship is because it’s a reminder that success and your striving towards success is ongoing,” Ladouceur shares.
It’s a reality check that singular success is great, but to support the liberation of Black people, your success must be harnessed to address ongoing injustices, particularly those Black women face.
Ladouceur connects to the book as she says it helps you question: “What does it look like for you to continue to propel yourself forward, to continue to leave that door open and bring a family member back through with you, or as an entrepreneur to leave that door open and bring another young Black woman through with you?”
The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
For the entrepreneur who has been fed the lie that you must step on others to succeed.
The book “reminds us that we are greater than the sum of our parts,” Ladouceur explains. “That we do not have to think about this crabs-in-a-barrel mentality, especially in the Black community. What’s better than one millionaire? Two.
McGhee’s book shows readers that keeping marginalized groups oppressed actually hurts everyone, and that by supporting marginalized communities, we can raise the socioeconomic well-being of all.
Reading More Black Stories Helps Uplift All Black Voices
Whether you’re a lover of fantasy, mystery, romance, or nonfiction, reading stories from Black authors can make a profound difference in your life. One of the reasons Ladouceur promotes books from marginalized communities is to show that Black people can be the main characters.
“You can be the star of the show. You do not deserve to be pushed to the periphery,” Ladouceur says. “When we think about reading books by Black authors, that is what we’re saying. We’re saying no: Black people are important. Black people deserve to be the main characters.”
And when you go to the library, bookstore, or Amazon to pick out a book for yourself, don’t feel intimidated or overwhelmed by what everyone else is reading. “ Quiet out all the outside voices telling you what to read,” Ladouceur suggests. Find out what you like, what stories speak to you, and expand your world by reading what you love.
