{"id":14023,"date":"2025-11-19T03:14:35","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T03:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=14023"},"modified":"2025-11-19T03:14:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T03:14:35","slug":"queen-latifah-reveals-the-3-books-she-rereads-every-summer-to-stay-grounded-and-grateful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=14023","title":{"rendered":"Queen Latifah Reveals the 3 Books She Rereads Every Summer to Stay Grounded and Grateful"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOLLYWOOD, CA<\/b> \u2014 For Queen Latifah<\/b>, success has never been defined by trophies or red carpets. The Grammy- and Emmy-winning star, whose vast influence stretches from pioneering hip-hop to executive leadership in Hollywood, says her true power stems from staying connected to the foundational lessons that built her career.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every summer, regardless of her location or schedule, she maintains a sacred ritual: rereading three specific books that, as she puts it, \u201ckeep me humble, thankful, and human.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey remind me where I came from,\u201d Latifah said with a warm smile during a recent interview. \u201cAnd where I\u2019m still trying to go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

A Tradition Born in the Days of Living Single<\/i><\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Those close to Latifah say this tradition began quietly in the 1990s, during the filming of her hit show Living Single<\/i>, when the first rush of fame threatened to pull her away from her roots. What started as an act of self-reflection soon became a lifelong habit\u2014a reliable way to stay grounded when the noise of celebrity grew loud.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my way of holding on to myself,\u201d she shared. \u201cThese books became a check-in with who I am.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

1. The Autobiography of Malcolm X<\/i> \u2014 by Malcolm X and Alex Haley<\/span><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Holding the worn, dog-eared cover, Latifah described the first book as her guide to resilience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThis one reminds me of strength,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery time I read it, I remember what it means to evolve\u2014to own your past and grow from it. Malcolm\u2019s journey wasn\u2019t about perfection; it was about progress. That hits me every time. You can fall, learn, and rise again\u2014that\u2019s the real revolution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings<\/i> \u2014 by Maya Angelou<\/span><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

The second book, Latifah says, speaks to her soul \u201clike a familiar song.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaya taught me that your voice has power\u2014even when people try to silence you,\u201d she shared, adding that reading Angelou reminds her of the \u201clittle girl from Newark who dreamed big and wasn\u2019t afraid to speak her truth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She even opened her copy during the interview to read a passage that still moves her to tears: \u201cBringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise.\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat right there\u2014that\u2019s everything,\u201d she concluded. \u201cThat\u2019s why I read them. They remind me I\u2019m part of something bigger\u2014a story that started long before me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

3. The Four Agreements<\/i> \u2014 by Don Miguel Ruiz<\/span><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Her third summer reread is what she affectionately calls her \u201cpeace manual.\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the world gets loud\u2014social media, politics, expectations\u2014this one helps me tune back into myself,\u201d Latifah said. \u201cIt\u2019s simple but powerful. Don\u2019t take things personally, don\u2019t make assumptions\u2014those two alone have saved me a lot of stress.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She likened the practice to spiritual maintenance. \u201cYou don\u2019t wait till you break down to take care of yourself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For a woman who\u2019s spent her life breaking barriers, Queen Latifah says the secret to staying grounded is no mystery. As she slipped the three books back into her bag, the message was clear: her crown comes not from fame or power, but from the pages that taught her how to rise.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HOLLYWOOD, CA \u2014 For Queen Latifah, success has never been defined by trophies or red carpets. The Grammy- and Emmy-winning star, whose vast influence stretches from pioneering hip-hop to executive leadership in Hollywood, says her true power stems from staying connected to the foundational lessons that built her career. Every summer, regardless of her location…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14023\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}