By Meesha Martin // Black History Month // EEW Magazine Online

Viola Davis is a powerhouse in the film and television industry. But acting isn’t the only thing the Oscar winner loves to do. She’s an avid reader, too!

EEW Magazine Online’s interest was immediately piqued when the Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom star revealed her Top 3 books you should get into for Black History Month. If you’re looking for something to add to your reading collection, check these out.

Book #1: Wild Seed

Davis, 56, who shared her selections with Us Weekly, recommends author Octavia E. Butler’s book Wild Seed, the novel published in 1980 as part of the Patternist series. It follows two African immortals with unique powers. Their relationship spans multiple centuries and covers many themes with slavery as its backdrop.

“This book is so epic and truly shifted my life. It uses science fiction to see our world in a different way,” said the “How To Get Away With Murder” alum.

Davis loved the book so much, in fact, that her company, JuVee Productions, is adapting the sci-fi work for Amazon—something she said she is “very excited” about bringing to the small screen with her husband and co-producer, Julius Tennon.

Book #2: Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome

Next up on her list is Joy DeGruy’s “brilliant and impactful” Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome that breaks down the repercussions of ongoing trauma within the Black community from the days of slavery to the present day.

The Christian celebrity and hunger-fighting activist admitted the book is “hard to read in all the best ways.”

“It really shows the PTSD felt by Black Americans and how it impacts our lives, in the ways we’ve always been able to see but then opens up our minds to ways we couldn’t even see,” she added.

Book #3: Finding Me

Third on Davis’s list is her own story, Finding Me. Unfortunately, though, this highly anticipated memoir isn’t available until April. But when it hits shelves, readers are sure to be inspired by the life and wisdom of one the finest actors anywhere.

“I’m wildly proud of every word in the book,” David said.