Loneliness And Singlehood Don’t Have To Go Hand In Hand During The Holidays

More with author Nika C. Beamon and her book “I Didn’t Work This Hard Just To Get Married” from my interview with her and book review coming soon to affrodite.net!

A new book helps black women develop a positive self-image and combat the feeling of worthlessness that plague them and deal with their loneliness which is exacerbated during the holidays when they dwell on not having a significant other.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York— Dec 03, 2009 – Loneliness and singlehood don’t have to go hand in hand during the holidays.

While research shows the common belief that suicide rates and depression increase during the winter months is untrue, 2007 data from the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health shows many Americans frequently psychological distress. In the African American community, 3.7 percent of all blacks over the age of 18 have feelings of sadness; 1.9 percent feel hopeless, 1.3 percent feel worthless and 6.8 percent believe everything is an effort.

The numbers for African American women over 18 these numbers are even worse with 4.7 percent feeling sadness; 2.5 percent feeling hopeless; 1.7 percent feeling worthless and 7.9 percent feeling everything is a task. So, there is little doubt that being single during the holidays doesn’t help with these emotions.

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. Single women like Actress/Comedian Kim Coles, Cheetah Girls creator Deborah Gregory, Interior Designer Sheila Bridges, etc candidly discuss aging without a man and confronting the feelings of loneliness they’ve faced. 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. Moreover, the book speaks to all women facing the prospect of another holiday or year without a spouse; a fact that many compound their feelings of emotional distress.

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; a life which doesn’t have to be lonely simply because you are single.

The book has been featured on prominent radio shows like the Tom Joyner Morning Show:
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=ifyoumissedit

It’s also been profiled on several major websites:

http://hellobeautiful.com/
http://www.blackpearlsmagazine.com/home.html
http://www.theroot.com/blogs/single-black-women/i-didnt-work-hard-just-get-married.
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/10/from-the-time-we-can.php
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/10/black-women-single-and-happy.php

Advance Praise:

“… 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.”

Dr. Julianne Malveaux
President, Bennett College for Women

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