Hey, Beyoncé Fans, Here’s Your Lemonade Reading List

With the release of her “visual album” Lemonade, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has solidified her position as one of the greatest artists in modern times. No one else is operating at her level, combining on-point musical instincts and talent with a political and emotional awareness that’s almost supernatural. No one else combines catchy, golden pop hooks with lyrics that are confrontational, dense with allusion, and frequently hilarious and moving. And no one else packs as much import into both the music and visuals of her work.
In fact, there’s so much going on in Beyoncé’s Lemonade, both visually and sonically, that it’s one of those artistic expressions that should have everyone racing to the nearest bookstore in order to bone up on everything Bey just referenced, especially if it’s outside your experience. The following 10 books only scratch the surface of what’s going on in Lemonade, but they’re a start.

On Infidelity and Jay-Z: Becoming Beyoncé, by J. Randy Taraborelli
Out of the gate, the hot take on Lemonade is that it’s detailing Beyoncé’s struggles with a troubled marriage and a partner’s infidelity—the album even follows a clear dramatic structure, beginning with suspicion and following through with anger, bitterness, and, ultimately, resignation and fragile optimism for the future. But is it that personal and obvious? Reading about Beyoncé’s family and her own past, there are many other possible sources of inspiration. Artists don’t necessarily write directly from what’s happening to them in the moment; often they dig back into their past in order to find inspiration. Reading about how Bey became Bey might offer some extra insight into what Lemonade is actually about. Or maybe it’s totally Jay-Z. It’s totally Jay-Z, isn’t it?

The Quotes: Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth, by Warsan Shire
Beyoncé quotes from Kenyan-born Somali-British poet Warsan Shire throughout the film. Far from a sheltered poet living and working from an ivory tower, Shire exhibits a great sense of humor, loves trashy television, and is as likely to quote a rap song as a classic poem, and has been carving out a heavyweight rep as a modern poet well worth paying attention to. Her 2013 book Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth includes the poem “For Women Who Are Difficult to Love,” which is quoted extensively in the film and thus should be your first stop.

The Quotes, Part II: Malcom X Speaks, by George Breitman
Lemonade quotes from one of Malcom X’s most famous speeches, delivered in 1962 and urging black Americans to question “who taught you to hate yourself,” stating, as quoted in the film, “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.” It’s a powerful moment, and a reminder that Malcolm X was an eloquent speaker whose words are still powerful today.

The Bat: Pipilotti Rist, by Pipilotti Rist
The “Hold Up” sequence in the film, in which Beyoncé goes on a tear with her bat named Hot Sauce, is likely inspired by a video installation by Pipilotti Rist, created in 1997, called “Ever is Over All.” The original piece is just as jarring and powerful—perhaps more so because it lacks Lemonade’s polish—and knowing a bit more about the art that inspired Knowles will add to your appreciation of the album and film overall.

The Joke: Secret Societies and Clubs in American History, by Gordon Reavley
If you’re wondering what Beyoncé means when she growls “Y’all haters corny with that Illuminati mess,” the answer is simple, hilarious, and disturbing all at once: people think she and Jay-Z are part of a worldwide conspiracy, a secret society that runs everything. Whether you’re laughing at the idea or thinking that it explains everything, learning a little more about the many, many secret societies that supposedly run the country and the world is a fun way to dig in a little deeper—and maybe start seeing Illuminati symbols in music videos, too.

The Subtlest Detail: Make Magazine
The “Sandcastles” segment opens with a shot of a beautiful bowl that appears to have been repaired, badly. In fact, it’s what’s known as a Kintsugi bowl, a shattered piece of ceramic patched up using gold that makes the repairs very obvious instead of hidden. It’s a Japanese technique designed to prove that repairing something can make it even more beautiful than it was before. There is so much going on with that one image it basically requires that you learn more about Kintsugi. There aren’t many (read: any) books in English on the art, but Make Magazine has written about the technique.

That Becky with the Good Hair: Everyone Is Italian on Sunday, by Rachael Ray
The moment Lemonade hit, everyone wanted to know who the Becky with the good hair was, as it was immediately assumed this was who Jay-Z had an affair with. Suspicion fell on designer Rachel Roy due to an ill-advised tweet she sent out, and, hilariously, a lot of people confused her with celebrity chef Rachael Ray, who had to endure some hilariously misinformed grief. Throw Rachael Ray a bone and buy one of her books to make up for her fifteen seconds of infamy.

That Spirit Guide: I Put a Spell on You, by Nina Simone
At one point in the film you can hear Nina Simone singing in the background, and while it’s the lightest touch of a reference, it’s powerful. Simone remains one of the most fascinating black women in modern times, an incredible artist and a fiercely independent thinker. Simone, frankly, doesn’t get enough attention in general, so use this opportunity to read about her life in her own words, and you’ll find the words, music, and images of Lemonade more deeply shaded as a result.

That Tone: Literally Anything by Toni Morrison
If you’re looking for a literary accompaniment to Lemonade, start with Toni Morrison. Morrison’s emotionally powerful stories of love, loss, life, and struggle among black Americans are not only some of the finest novels ever written, they perfectly inform the fiercely emotional and courageous tone of Lemonade, which, among many other things, is about a smart, talented black woman in modern-day America daring to be independent and strong and hurt and insecure. If you’ve never read Morrison before, take this opportunity to get to know her work.

That Background: Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
It’s difficult for modern-day readers, especially those who aren’t people of color, to truly appreciate how amazing this book was when it was published in 1937. Some viewers think they see Hurston’s influence in the visuals and lyrics in Lemonade, and if you read Hurston’s work and watch the film you’ll see why. Hurston wrote frankly about black life in the south and black female sexuality at a time when even the black community was self-censoring such subjects in an effort to combat racist stereotypes, and Beyoncé’s celebration of her own creativity and sexuality can be seen to have a direct line to Hurst’s powerful writing.
We’re all now living in a post-Lemonade world. These books will help you get the most out of this incredible work of art, which inspires everyone who sees and listens to it—not to mention finally giving people a reason to sign up for Tidal.