For this edition of “Black Book People,” we are spotlighting Helena James of @helenabythebook. James is a Black diasporic books, art and culture content creator based in Chicago. Her content spotlights classic and historic Black literature as far back as the late 1800s, and often connects those reads with more contemporary releases. Her love of Black cultural production doesn’t stop at books: James is often a great resource to find museum exhibits, theater performances and other cultural engagements in and around Chicago.
Why was it important for you to focus on spotlighting historic Black literature for your content, rather than solely new releases?
It was historical Black literature that made me truly fall in love with reading. Fantasy books got me into reading but it was The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston that made me understand the power of it. There’s a kind of catharsis that comes with seeing pieces of yourself on the page wrapped in brilliant and beautiful language.
This is why I focus on Black classic literature. They are more than just stories. I find that they operate as archives holding memory, resistance, beauty, and survival all at once. They are also a reminder of how much our past resembles our present. Spotlighting these texts is my way of honoring the foundation Black writers built that they’ve never gotten credit for. While I will continue to highlight new releases, I will return to books that have laid the groundwork for us.
What was a historic book, but new-to-you, find that you were most excited to share with your audience? Is there something you’re hoping to find soon to add to your collection?
There are so many, but one that stands out immediately is W.E.B. Du Bois’s Black Lives 1900: W. E. B. Du Bois at the Paris Exposition. As a data scientist in my day-to-day life, it felt like such a full-circle moment to discover a work that sits at the intersection of so many things I love. There’s Black history, analytics, and visual storytelling.
What made it even more special was how I found it. I first learned about W. E. B. Du Bois’s visualizations through the BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions documentary, which I saw at the Chicago Black Harvest Film Festival. From there, I went down a rabbit hole that eventually led me to the book. The entire experience, from film to research to discovery, felt incredibly aligned with who I am and how I engage with the world.
What’s a misconception folks who don’t make book content might have about what you do?
I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that I spend all day at home just reading, and while I wish I had that kind of time, it’s far from the reality. I have a full life outside of content creation, with a career, hobbies, and interests that all inform the way I engage with books. Reading is a meaningful part of my life, but it’s not the only part.
I also think visibility online can create the illusion that you know someone fully. In reality, I’m quite private. I share what feels aligned and intentional, and I think it’s important to remember that creators have the right to define those boundaries for themselves. What you see is real, but it’s still just a portion of a much fuller life.
Being a Black bookish content creator is to be part of a thriving ecosystem of other creators, readers, authors and more. What do you value most about this community?
Honestly, this is something I didn’t fully anticipate when I first started. I really thought I was just posting into a void. All I wanted to do was just talk about the books I was reading. I wasn’t expecting a community to form at all. So to now be part of such a thriving, intentional space feels incredibly meaningful. In many ways, it feels like the community I didn’t know I needed found me.
What I value most is the way we genuinely support one another. There’s a real sense of encouragement where we celebrate each other’s voices and amplify each other’s work. Everything feels rooted in a shared love of literature and storytelling.
What is your proudest accomplishment of your content creation so far? What’s something you hope to do with it in the future?
I’ve been blessed with many incredible experiences because of this community, but nothing compares to the feeling of receiving a message from someone who picked up a book I recommended and was deeply moved by it. Hearing that a story resonated with them or even shifted their perspective on life means everything to me. It’s a full-circle moment because I’ve had that same experience with so many of these books. It’s actually where my username is from: Helena by the book is me unfolding and learning more about myself with every book I read. To now play a small role in that for someone else feels incredibly meaningful.
Looking ahead, I want to continue sharing the books I genuinely love and building on that sense of connection. But beyond that, I hope to encourage people to engage more broadly with Black art in all its forms. Whether that’s literature, visual art, or performance, there’s so much richness there, and I want my platform to be a gateway into that world.
What have you read recently that made you think? What is something you are looking forward to reading soon?
Recently, I read The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elisa Williams, and it genuinely stayed with me. It’s such a layered and expansive story (my favorite types!). I walked away with so many thoughts around Black motherhood, ancestral inheritance, and the ways both gifts and trauma are passed down. It’s the kind of book that demands a reread, and I already know I’ll be returning to it.
What made the experience even more special is that I had the opportunity to interview the author, which added another layer of depth to how I engaged with the story. You can find that interview on my YouTube page under the same username.
As far as a book I’m looking forward to picking up, it would have to be Paradise by Toni Morrison. I have been intentionally reading her books in order slowly over the years and it’s the next one up!
*Helena James is a Chicago-based content creator with a deep love for historic Black literature and the arts. What began as a space to casually “yap” about books has grown into a platform centered on connection, reflection, and the power of storytelling. Her work highlights Black classics as living archives, stories that continue to shape how we understand ourselves and the world around us, while inviting her audience to engage more deeply with Black art in all its forms.
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