1. NO ONE GETS TO FALL APART by Sarah LaBrie 

In her stunning debut memoir, television writer and librettist LaBrie explores the complexities of mental illness, family, and creative ambition through her own lived experience. Raised in Houston’s Third Ward by a loving but mentally ill mother, LaBrie navigates a turbulent path through college and early adulthood, grappling with artistic aspirations and emotional challenges. Her journey is marked by moments of insight, such as the realization that her creative pursuits often echo her struggles. With a blend of unfiltered honesty and lyrical prose, LaBrie ultimately finds self-acceptance, weaving a poignant narrative on family trauma, self-discovery, and resilience.

2. GATHER ME: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me by Glory Edim

Drawing from her own life, Edim–who founded the international book community Well-Read Black Girl in 2015– reflects on the pivotal books that guided her through moments of personal struggle and discovery, beginning with her experiences as a child of Nigerian immigrants in Virginia. Through encounters with authors like Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, Edim discovered the voices that helped her understand her own identity and connect with others. Ultimately, her memoir is both a personal narrative and a tribute to literature’s ability to shape and empower lives, particularly within underrepresented communities.

3. WHO WILL BURY YOU? And Other Stories by Chido Muchemwa 

In their debut collection, Muchemwa explores the lives of Zimbabweans grappling with identity, family ties, and the complexities of leaving or staying connected to home. Set across Zimbabwe and Toronto, the twelve stories delve into personal and cultural struggles: a mother and daughter confront new dynamics after the daughter’s coming out, two sisters face their relationship after their grandmother’s passing, and a young woman born to serve as a river god’s wife finds herself in a heroic role. Throughout the collection, Muchemwa addresses themes of grief, resilience, and self-discovery, examining how migration, family expectations, and tradition shape identity and belonging. Each narrative poses profound questions about love, loss, and the meaning of home, creating a rich tapestry of modern Zimbabwean experiences.

4. WE’RE ALONE: Essays by Edwidge Danticat

Haitian literary juggernaut Danticat delivers a deeply reflective collection of essays that explores themes of solitude, resilience, and collective experience. Danticat examines both personal and societal traumas, touching on events like the death of George Floyd, the legacy of violence in Haiti, and her experiences as a mother and daughter. She skillfully interweaves her observations on grief, migration, and social justice with literary and cultural insights, evoking a shared human journey through her eloquent prose. Each essay invites readers to confront isolation while finding strength in community and heritage, making this work both poignant and universally resonant​.

5. WHO’S THAT GIRL? A Memoir by Eve

In Who’s That Girl?, Eve’s 2024 memoir co-written with journalist Kathy Iandoli, the rapper and actress delves into her journey from Philadelphia’s tough streets to stardom. Known as the “First Lady of Ruff Ryders,” Eve reveals the personal and professional challenges she faced, including issues with self-sabotage, finding peace in her relationship with husband Maximillion Cooper, and the joys of motherhood. Alongside stories of her career highlights—like becoming one of the first women to dominate in the rap industry—she reflects on the resilience required to break barriers in hip-hop culture.

6. LOVELY ONE by Ketanji Brown Jackson

7. BLOOD ON THE BRAIN by Esinam Bediako

Blood on the Brain follows the story of a young Ghanaian doctor, Ama, who returns to her homeland after years of studying abroad, only to face the harsh realities of the country’s healthcare system. Haunted by memories of her brother’s untimely death due to a lack of medical resources, Ama becomes determined to change things, even as she battles systemic corruption and her own emotional scars. She encounters allies and adversaries alike, each with personal stakes in the broken system. As she digs deeper, Ama finds herself caught between her ideals and the grim compromises that survival in this world demands. Blood on the Brain is a powerful exploration of resilience, grief, and the fight for justice in a place where hope and despair are inseparable.

Full episode here

Full episode here

Full episode here. 

Listen to the episode here.

As editor in chief of women’s lifestyle and culture publication The Cut, Lindsay Peoples has a career any magazine girl would envy: In 2018, she made history when, at age 28, she became editor in chief of Teen Vogue, the youngest top editor of any Condé Nast publication. Along with Sandrine Charles, Lindsay runs the Black in Fashion Council, an organization that aims to increase representation of Black creatives in the industry. When she’s not leading coverage or sitting front row at Paris Fashion Week, Lindsay is a badass…and First Born Daughter’s inaugural guest.

During our interview, Lindsay talks about what it’s like being at the top of an industry that has historically excluded Black and Brown creatives, her Midwest upbringing, her hopes for the future and more.

Listen to Lindsay’s episode in full here.

A Note from Adenike:

I am immensely proud to introduce FIRST BORN DAUGHTER, a podcast that examines Black women, labor and success. I’m a daughter, a sister, and a media entrepreneur who’s worked at international media organizations like the New York Times, Penguin, and HarperCollins and have started my own company –AYO Media, a digital first platform for Black women across the diaspora.

I’m all about facilitating community with women like me–Black, ambitious, seeking to live the biggest life possible–and forced to interrogate our increasingly complicated relationships with work and labor in a rapidly changing world. How much space do we give to work and separated from it, who are we, really?

For me, a lot of tension is rooted in being a first born daughter. It’s where I can see the seeds of my relationship to labor taking root–hence the title of this podcast.

And I have a feeling that for many Black women- who aren’t even necessarily first borns, their seedlings began early too. And so this is a podcast that maps out those origins of our ambition and the path it’s led us on along the way. I talk to amazing women across the diaspora like editor in chief of The Cut, Lindsay Peoples, French journalist and activist Rokhaya Diallo, Irish-Nigerian writer Emma Dabiri and media entrepreneur Tai Beauchamp.

You can find all episodes of FIRST BORN DAUGHTER here.

Thanks for listening,

Adenike