What I’m Reading: January 2020
This year one of the things I wanted to do more of was read. Since I’m already an audible user, I figured the very least I could do was use my account more. Over the past two years, while I’d defused my audible account pretty regularly — listening to way more books than I’m certain I would’ve actually read — I knew I wasn’t really getting my full money’s worth. So I challenged myself to listen to at least two books a month — one fiction, one nonfiction.
As an aside...
If you are interested in what I’m reading or want to keep up with my progress, let me know and I’ll do a blog series or share em via my IG stories. You can also always shop my amazon book list featuring some of my audible listens.
This month I’d already tackled my two books, both leftover from 2019 — “With The Fire On High” by Elizabeth Acevedo and “Dapper Dan: Made In Harlem” by Daniel R. Day. These are both books that I downloaded (I kid you not) back in November but I just never got around to listening to them. I started “With The Fire On High” last year & decided to finally finish it. It was a great listen — the story of a young teen mom finding her place in the world, juggling school, motherhood, and her passion for culinary arts.
Next up was a non fiction book...
Simply put, “Dapper Dan: Made In Harlem” tells the story of Dapper Dan’s life from his humble beginnings being born in Harlem to his current fame. To be honest, while I’d been familiar with the name (kinda) I couldn’t really tell you the first thing about Dapper Dan. I could tell you he’s in fashion. Dassit.
“Decade after decade, Dapper Dan discovered creative ways to flourish in a country designed to privilege certain Americans over others. He witnessed, profited from, and despised the rise of two drug epidemics. He invented stunningly bold credit card frauds that took him around the world. He paid neighborhood kids to jog with him in an effort to keep them out of the drug game. And when he turned his attention to fashion, he did so with the energy and curiosity with which he approaches all things...”
Rags to riches stories don’t wow me — as far as I’m concerned if you’ve heard one, you’ve heard em all — yet something about this story intrigued me...this man intrigued me. I was less than halfway through the memoir yet fully immersed because within his life story was more than inspiration — it was chock full of lessons.
You Can Read Your Way Through Any Problem
Early on in the book, Dapper Dan tells a story of going with his dad to shop for a suit. His dad couldn’t afford the suit and was offered a store credit card. Because young Dan could read, he was able to see and understand the terms of the card and keep his dad from getting it. That day was the day he realized there wasn’t a problem he couldn’t solve through research. This was a philosophy he applied throughout his life, well into adulthood, reading up on everything from how to gamble to screen printing for some of his first original designs.
As someone who throughly enjoys research, I can appreciate the way that he truly lived the saying “knowledge is power”.
Dress For The Person You Want People To See
Before he was Dapper Dan, he was Dancing Dan. What changed? Very early on he believed in the power of fashion — before people could see your money or hear you speak, what you wore could tell them everything about your status; and growing up in Harlem, he knew that status meant power.
His clothing gave him a certain level of status — aka power — in the eyes of peers and strangers alike, and this was something he was able to later leverage into creating his fashion legacy.
Never Underestimate Your Will To Overcome
Dapper Dan had to overcome a lot throughout his life — poverty, drugs, loss…to name a few — and yet with every challenge he was able to be reborn in a way. He had a will be be better, to grow, and to succeed, and that will was stronger than any drug addiction, jail sentence, or financial shortcoming.
Often he talks about how he retreated into himself, studying different philosophies, keeping his mind (and body) healthy…all so that he could always be on top of his game, no matter what life may throw at him. This will — while the hard work matters — is what I believed allowed him to continue to thrive even in the midst of what would’ve broken many others.
I could probably talk about all the nuggets in this book in far more detail but that would probably result in this being a ridiculously long blog post. What I can tell you in this — it’s worth the listen! Narrated by Dapper Dan and Omari Hardwick, it was a quick listen and it was a great way to kick off the New Year.