This Thread of Gold

A Celebration of Black Womanhood

By: Catherine Joy White

Narrated by: Catherine Joy White

Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

From gender adviser to the UN Catherine Joy White comes This Thread of Gold, a lyrical celebration of the history of Black women who challenged stereotypes through film, politics, activism, and beyond.

This immersive and empowering book blends history, reporting, and personal stories to weave a gorgeous tapestry from the resilience of Black women. As White writes, “Black women are not victims. Black women are alchemists, spinning gold from a life of hardship. . . . This book is dedicated solely to Black women surviving, thriving, and glowing.”

White’s book features revolutionary women from across time and space, liberating them from reductive stereotypes like “the strong Black woman,” and allowing space for emotional nuance, individual motivation, and richness of expression. White offers fresh insights into the work of Beyoncé and Nina Simone, Shirley Chisholm and Meghan Markle, as well as the work of those who resisted in secret—in kitchens, in churches, and through trusted networks. By weaving these women together, White reveals new ways to understand Black womanhood and she is sure to inspire new generations of listeners.

©2024 Catherine Joy White (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Gorgeously written, This Thread of Gold is a love letter to Black women everywhere, a recognition of the skills, sacrifices, and salvations we have offered each other and the world. Catherine Joy White weaves together a beautiful homage to the past, the present and even glimpses of the future of Black women and their communities around the world. It is a gift to ourselves and to the world.”
—Mikki Kendall, New York Times bestselling author of Hood Feminism

“An essential and overdue meditation on Black womanhood. In offering us this beautifully written work―part memoir, part paean, part call to arms―Catherine Joy White has done herself and our ancestors justice. It manages to be poetic yet punchy, enraging yet uplifting, and it transforms our mechanisms for survival and resistance into high art.”
―Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton

“Catherine Joy White does an exquisite job at weaving this narrative, much like her metaphor of a thread of gold. I saw so much grace and depth extended to Black woman in her own community as well as the larger community of Black women across time. I kept putting down the book just to reflect, and was constantly mesmerized by her storytelling. This is the type of book I wish I had written for my own communities. It is such a wonderful read.”
—Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, author of For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts

“I am still marveling at what Catherine Joy White has accomplished with This Thread of Gold. She recognizes the struggles, historical and contemporary, facing Black mujeres, and yet her focus is on celebration, on nourishment, on the kinds of stories I wish I had grown up hearing. This book will delight you, feed you, and sustain you in the years ahead.”
—Daisy Hernández, PEN Literary Award-winning author and co-editor of Colonize This!

“I was immediately captivated by the poetry in Catherine Joy White’s This Thread of Gold. Her words pulse with joy, legacy, and mischief.”
―Gugu Mbatha-Raw, actress