I Didn't Work This Hard Just to Get Married: Successful, Single Black Women Speak Out

Please pardon the intrusion. I am the author of a new book: I Didn't Work This Hard Just to Get Married: Successful Single Black Women Speak Out; it's a book that I think would be of interest to women of all races.


I Didn't Work This Hard Just to Get Married by Nika C. Beamon examines this trend through the eyes of single Black women. Statistics show that 70 percent of African American women live without a man, despite traditional expectations within the community this trend.

Here is a link to my latest interview about the project:

http://www.bvonbooks.com/2009/08/26/i-didn...




In I Didn't Work This Hard Just to Get Married, through lively and revealing interviews with women from various walks of life, Nika Beamon explores the challenges and issues affecting single black women who defy expectations. Single women like Actress/Comedian Kim Coles, Cheetah Girls creator Deborah Gregory, Interior Designer Sheila Bridges, etc candidly discuss aging without a man and reevaluate dating, single homeownership, career, and children. The book speaks directly to the black woman's experience, addressing unique challenges such as income discrepancies between genders, the high rate of male incarceration, and the Baby Momma Syndrome. The women discuss the false expectations they face from men, from families, and from friends.

Written in the best tradition of girlfriend talking to girlfriend, the book delivers tales of lessons learned, hard times and good times, told by women who found ways to achieve their dreams by defying convention.
Their conclusion: Singlehood, whether temporary or permanent, and though often challenging, is a fulfilling state.

"... Though written from black women's perspectives, this book has appeal for all women looking for a fresh take on being single.-- " Booklist Magazine, April 2009.

"What an incredibly liberating and inspiring collection of stories...about learning to be comfortable in your skin and what u got -and that we are not alone in our journey. Thank you Nika for this gift."

Terrie M. Williams, Author, Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting


"This is an exciting book that fully explores the option of single status and the lives of the women who choose it... Nika Beamon gives women making life choices a window into the thought processes of other
women who have made similar choices. It is an important addition to work on the lives and options of African American women, and it is an absorbing read."

Julianne Malveaux, President, Bennett College for Women

"Although I am an award-winning filmmaker, TV personality and author, many of my family members feel as though I lead a shallow and empty life because I choose to be unmarried without children. In this
well-researched and thoughtful tome, Nika Beamon has given a voice to true choice among women in this post-millennial era."

Abiola Abrams, BET host, Author of the novel, Dare

"Being a single woman who has never been married, I found it hard to put this book down once I started reading about other women and situations I can relate to. Nika Beamon has compiled examples of individuals who are living fulfiling lives as successful "single" women. She has also shed light on the trap "single" women fall into - waiting to get married to start their lives. I believe this book will help to liberate women as well as encourage them to get on with their lives knowing that a mate may or may not be in their future and that's ok. This book is truly an insightful gift for single women"



Pat Stevenson, CEO & Publisher, Harlem News Group, Inc.

"… Nika Beamon's fabulous book about single black women in this country reassures us (all women) through her story and the stories of others, that it's okay not to be married... And, that it's perfectly okay and perfectly acceptable to be single--"

Books in Review, Adrienne Petterson.





“…This book is for women of all ages; women who believe their clocks are ticking and are running out of time. Women who feel like they need a man to define them, you will definitely enjoy this book from cover-to-cover as you take this journey into finding yourself.”

Reviewed by: Cheryl Hayes, APOOO Book Club