For Chinelo, reading is more than just a past time, it’s a reckoning, and a way of discovering. As a voracious reader, thoughtful critic, and voice within the online literary space, her taste is shaped by the sharp philosophy of Ingrid Robeyns alongside, to everyones favourite romance novel of Twilight; the interior spirals of Vivian from Post-Traumatic paired with the visionary writing of Toni Morrison and bell hooks. Her approach to books is generous, curious, and always honest, and driven by the belief that reading can be both intellectual pursuit and emotional refuge.
Most known on Substack and her Instagram as 'InterestedinBlackBooks', Chinelo has carved out a space that feels more like an intimate book club, or better known as part of bookstagram. Whether she’s sharing an annotated passage from Sister Outsider or musing on the ethical limits of wealth, Chinelo’s reflections on literature stretch beyond the page. For her, books are a means of inquiry, a way to ask better questions about identity, systems, and the stories we carry with us. With a bookshelf that spans Richard Wright to Atef Abu Saif, she reads books that align between self and society, past and future, prose and purpose.
Below, we speak with Chinelo about the authors who shaped her, the books she returns to, and the moments that made her a reader for life.
The last book I read...
Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine by Uche Blackstock. Part memoir about Dr. Blackstock's experience going to Harvard Medical School and working in emergency medicine (including during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic), part pure nonfiction about the health disparities affecting Black people in America. This book is both super readable and educational.
On my bedside table: I am currently reading...
Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth by Ingrid Robeyns. This is an economic philosophy book in which she makes her case that, for the health of our societies, there is an ethical ceiling we should impose on wealth per individual.
My favourite book of all time...
This is a harder question than most people think! I think it is only fair for me to categorize my favorites. In terms of guilty pleasure, I'll always maintain that Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is good and anyone who thinks it isn't good is not even half the writer Meyer is. In terms of my favourite of the current writing culture (plagued by that sort of disaffected, existential zillennial voice), I think Raven Leilani's Luster rises to the top and ushered in a unique writing voice for Black women. In terms of my favourite classics novel from all the books I read in high school, I think The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is top tier. Other books like Kindred by Octavia Butler; White Man Listen! by Richard Wright; The Drone Eats with Me by Atef Abu Saif, and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut come to mind - all of which I read before I even joined bookstagram. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid is reallllyyyyy good too.
The literary character I most identify with is...
Vivian in Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson. An attorney who constantly spirals about her friends, her family, and her dating life - yup, that's me! I also think Mizuki's yearning for something more in Fault Lines by Emily Itami is very relatable.
The book that changed my life is...
Not enough credit is given to the Junie B. Jones series for creating a generation of readers. In an alternate universe where Barbara Park never existed, I truly believe I never fell in love with reading.
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The best book I ever received is...
I received Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde two years ago. That takes the cake.
The book I would give as a gift is...
I actually remember giving an ex-boyfriend a copy of Communion: The Female Search for Love by bell hooks, thinking it would help our relationship. It obviously totally flopped. I also have given the Dune books as gifts. Hm, I'm not sure. I guess it depends on the person.
Growing up, the best book on my bookshelf was...
I'm tempted to say Twilight again...
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A writer I admire the most is...
Historically, I've always said Richard Wright. Very visceral, to the point writing. Having read James Baldwin recently, I might have to switch. Which is funny because Wright and Baldwin sort of had a literary spat.
My favourite living author is...
I don't have a favourite. Truly. If I did, I would say. I think a lot of authors are doing cool things and I think a lot of authors are not.
A book everyone should read at least once is...
Sula by Toni Morrison. It's not even my favourite book of all time (though I did really like it). I just think it truly is American literature at its finest.
