Women's History Month: Waiting to Exhale - 50 Years of Hip Hop era Books
Waiting to Exhale By Terry McMillan
Book signings with Terry McMillan were some of the best book signings that I have attended with my big sister, Faye, founder of Blackboard African American Bestsellers. Terry has a way of speaking that quickly makes you laugh and feel welcome to be in her presence.
Waiting to Exhale, by Terry McMillan, follows the lives of four African-American women in Phoenix, Arizona, navigating through relationship struggles, professional careers, and personal growth. For black women everywhere, it was refreshing to see a romantic comedy in a beautiful setting featuring four beautiful black women. The novel explores themes of women’s friendship, romance, and self-discovery as the characters navigate various challenges, seeking fulfillment and happiness in their lives.
In July 1992, The Chicago Tribune published the Blackboard Bestsellers List, and Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan was Number 1 on the Blackboard List as one of its top-selling African American books. In August 1992, the novel was on the New York Times Bestseller List for 11 weeks, and by 1995, it had sold over three million copies.
The film was released with Forrest Whittaker as Director in 1995, featuring Whitney Houston as Savannah, Lela Rochon as Robin, and Angela Bassett as Bernadine. The movie grossed 82 million at the box office. The soundtrack, produced by Whitney Houston and Babyface, sold over 12 million copies worldwide and won 11 Grammy nominations in 1997.
I am excited that there is more to come from Bestselling Author Terry McMillan with her recent announcement for a slate of original film projects with Lifetime.
Terry McMillan (l) Faye Childs (r) at Walter Mosley’s Black Betty reception hosted at Book Expo
Expo. Photo credit: Noreen Palmer
Faye Childs (l) Angela Bassett (M) Noreen Palmer (R) at a Blackboard African American Bestsellers Reception honoring Terry McMillan held in Los Angeles Photo credit: Charles Palmer