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Navigate Your Stars
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
30 posts | 22 read | 23 to read
A revelatory, uplifting, and gorgeously illustrated meditation on dedication, hard work, and the power of perseverance from the beloved, New York Times bestselling, and two-time National Book Awardwinning Jesmyn Ward. For Tulane Universitys 2018 commencement, Jesmyn Ward delivered a stirring speech about the value of hard work and the importance of respect for oneself and others. Speaking about the challenges she and her family overcame, Ward inspired everyone in the audience with her meditation on tenacity in the face of hardship. Now, in book form, Wards moving words will inspire readers as they prepare for the next chapter in their lives, whether, like Ward, they are the first in their families to graduate from college or are preceded by generations, or whether they are embarking on a different kind of journey later in life. Beautifully illustrated in full color by Gina Triplett, this gorgeous and profound book will charm a generation of studentsand their parents. Wards inimitable voice shines through as she shares her experience as a Southern black woman and addresses the themes of grit, adversity, and the importance of family bonds. Navigate Your Stars is a perfect gift for anyone in need of inspiration from the author of Salvage the Bones, Men We Reaped, and Sing, Unburied, Sing.
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Coffeymuse
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pictures don't do this justice! Lovely cover, lovely sentiment, and lovely illustrations.

#Aboutabook
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@Eggs

Eggs 🧡✨🩵 2mo
25 likes1 comment
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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“Success is not the result of making one good choice, of taking one step. Real success requires step, after step, after step, after step. It requires choice after choice, it demands life-long education and passion and commitment and persistence and hunger and patience.”

#Luckyinlove
#stars 💫

My beautiful elephant from my bestie 🤍 @Eggs

Eggs I‘m so glad you like it 🩶 🐘 🤍 9mo
Bklover Beautiful! 9mo
91 likes2 comments
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Coffeymuse
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Day off and I've got a stack of short books to get through. #goodtimes #bestday

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Kerrbearlib
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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“For most of us, there are no easy, singular ascents.”

“Success is not the result of making one good choice, of taking one step. Real success requires step, after step, after step, after step. It requires choice after choice, it demands life-long education and passion and commitment and persistence and hunger and patience.”

#success

10 likes1 stack add
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erzascarletbookgasm
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

‘Navigate Your Stars‘ is a reminder & inspiration to younger audiences that life is about hard work & resolve.The author reflects on her family, especially her grandmother, understanding now how she had misunderstood their choices in life. She now knows & appreciates how they did the best they could with what they had under circumstances. “Hold on to your dream tightly,” she advises, “and do everything to realize it within reason.”

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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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#Star
#WishesandBlessings

Love her!! 💫✨🌟

Eggs 💙🌟🤩💙 3y
60 likes1 comment
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Soubhiville
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

A beautifully illustrated very short book. This was a speech made by Jesmyn Ward at a graduation, and this little volume would be a great motivational gift to a grad.

Doesn‘t Igor look ready to reach for his dreams? 😸

GondorGirl Igor is in a box. Isn't that what all cats dream about? 😻 3y
Soubhiville @GondorGirl he loves when you put some tissue paper in the bottom of the box for a little crinkle factor 🤣. 3y
TheLudicReader That kitty totally suits his name. 3y
See All 7 Comments
Bette Igor has a great face. ❤️🐱 3y
ShelleyBooksie Igor is sooo handsome 3y
WJCintron ❤ ❤ ❤ 😍In love with your cat!!! 😍 3y
Hooked_on_books It looks like he‘s already achieved his dreams, in a box with tissue paper! 😆 3y
79 likes7 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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#Stars
#CuriousCovers
#TBR

✨✨✨✨✨

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Soubhiville
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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@Jee_HookedOnBookz look what was in my mailbox this morning! Thank you! This is the only Ward I didn‘t yet own, and it‘s a beautiful little illustrated edition. I did fall in love with her writing a couple months ago and I‘m very much looking forward to reading this. Thank you for thinking of me.

(You know there‘s nothing on your Litsy TBR? You should add a few things on there, your bday is coming up too!)

AmyG Hahaha…yes @Jee_HookedOnBookz! Add to the TBR. I thought the same thing, Soubhi. Does she still come on Litsy? I only write to her. (edited) 3y
Soubhiville @AmyG I‘m not sure, I didn‘t look at the last date of posting on her feed…. Im about to send a note so I‘ll mention there as well 😊. 3y
50 likes2 comments
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vlwelser
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

This is a speech that the author gave at a commencement at Tulane. It's inspiring. And she reads the#audiobook version herself. This should be the thing people are gifting to grads instead of that Dr Seuss book. Not that I've ever read that.

#AuthorAMonth with @Soubhiville
I have officially run out of Jesmyn Ward books. She'll just have to write some more.

#BookSpinBingo free space
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4y
41 likes1 comment
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

This is a very short audiobook, about 19 minutes, and the author reads a speech she gave (I‘m guessing at a graduation). It‘s so good, such great inspiration about following your inner star.

I‘d definitely recommend this short speech/essay to everyone in #SheSaid that enjoyed the essays about reading and writing that we found in A Well-Read Black Girl.

59 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Q84
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Just finished this for #AuthorAMonth
Super short and quick.

@Soubhiville

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Melismatic
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

Excellent speech/essay by this month‘s #AuthorAMonth. I loved some of prior work, I‘m so excited to read more from her. Inspiring, heartfelt, visceral.

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staci.reads
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

Ward gives a Commencement speech to college graduates that is inspiring but tempered with realism. Dreams don't come true because of education alone. They require patience, persistence, and continual learning, even after the degree is earned. I've read all Jesmyn Ward's books, so I picked this one up for #AuthorAMonth in April. I may also do a reread of Sing, Unburied, Sing if time permits. She is one of my favorite authors. @Soubhiville

SamAnne She is one of my favorite authors. This is the only books of hers I haven't read yet. 4y
78 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Eggs
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

For Tulane University‘s 2018 commencement, Jesmyn Ward delivered a stirring speech about the value of hard work and the importance of respect for oneself and others. An autobiographical account with beautiful illustrations 💙🌟💙

#authoramonth2021 @Soubhiville
#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks On my list!! I love her!! 4y
83 likes1 stack add3 comments
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actualdisneyprincess
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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actualdisneyprincess
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Just a tiny book in between keeping busy. I love Jesmyn Ward‘s style, and I‘m so glad we‘re expanding our library‘s collection to better represent more Black authors. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 #navigateyourstars #jesmynward #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory #blackgirlmagic #commencementspeech #tulaneuniversity

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Sharpeipup
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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“I realized education wasn‘t a one time choice; instead it‘s a lifetime‘s undertaking. “

CaffeineAndCandy 💜💜💜 4y
31 likes1 stack add1 comment
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megnews
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

Inspirational, quick read with some amazing illustrations.

Bookwormjillk That was quick! Glad you enjoyed it! 4y
28 likes1 comment
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Bookwormjillk
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

This short book was a nice pick me up just before bed last night. #ReadNoseReindeer #WinterGames2020 #BookspinBingo #ReadYourWay #CrushTheRush

megnews I didn‘t know about this! I love Ward! Just downloaded it from the library. Thanks! 4y
Bookwormjillk @megnews a great half hour read 4y
TheSpineView 🤩📚😊📖🎄 4y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick 🌠Sounds like a good one!🌠 4y
39 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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1) I usually keep them!!!
2) Navigate Your Stars by Jesmyn Ward I‘m still so sad over the passing of her husband at the age of 33 😓😓

#Two4TuesdayGiveaway

TheSpineView It is so hard to part with books! Good luck!🤩🤞 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you!!! 4y
67 likes2 comments
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coffees
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

We got this book at work and ITS SO BEAUTIFUL 😍😍 I later learned it's from a speech she made, very #inspirational about her family, roots, and journey with #education AND every page in the book is a beautiful illustration 😊 hopefully it's gone when I go back tomorrow 😉

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MsLeah8417
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

July 2020 Wrap Up
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Librarybelle
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

Ward‘s commencement speech for Tulane University promises hope and perseverance. In a personal address, she acknowledges the struggles she faced, along with the misperceptions she held as a young person when observing the choices made by family members. It‘s a deeply personal yet rewarding speech. The illustrations in this are fantastic and vibrant. Glad I picked this one up at the library.

Megabooks Definitely want to read! 4y
93 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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CoffeeK8
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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8 books finished this week
🎧 3 audiobooks
🏛 2 library books
🌸 7 books by women
🌺 3 BIPOC authors
#weeklyreading #bookreport

kspenmoll Great reading progress!!! 4y
41 likes1 comment
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Nitpickyabouttrains
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

This was a graduation speech ward gave in 2018. It‘s Shockingly timely now.

20 likes1 stack add
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Smrloomis
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

While this won‘t make you cry or tell you something you didn‘t already know, I enjoyed listening to this in Ward‘s voice.

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Rhondareads
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Gorgeous inspiring message about hard work commitment & respect .Beautiful personal speech at a college graduation by Jesmyn Ward ,she has won two national book awards for hr novels.Thanks @ScribnerBooks for my advance copy of this lovely stirring speech with lovely illustrations.

19 likes1 stack add
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DrexEdit
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

Today in #bookmail! I requested this ARC from a promo ad in Shelf Awareness. It's a very short illustrated book of the text of a commencement speech by Jesmyn Ward in 2018. It is delightfully illustrated by Gina Triplett. A wonderful story about hard choices and hard work to reach your goals. Perfect for any grads you might know! Looks like the planned publication is April.

41 likes2 stack adds
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Lisas.Library
Navigate Your Stars | Jesmyn Ward
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Pickpick

So much inspiration in a 64 page book! I think I will re-read this book often and share it with my daughters. I can‘t forget to mention how much I love the whimsical illustrations throughout.

Release date April 2020
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for my Advanced Readers Copy. My opinions are my own.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I can‘t wait to get this one!! 5y
82 likes3 stack adds1 comment