This is Leah with the Sioux City Public Library, and you’re listening to Check It Out. Today, I’d like to recommend Putting Myself Together by Jamaica Kincaid.
Centered on personal reflection and growth, this essay collection is a perfect fit for the 2026 Summer Reading theme, “Plant a Seed: Read.” Kincaid—an Antiguan- American novelist, essayist, and passionate gardener—compiled over 50 samples of her nonfiction writing from 1974 through 2020 and stitched them together seamlessly. The collection has already garnered a PEN Award and showcases the sharp insight that has defined a standout career.
Throughout these essays, Kincaid reflects on everything from culture and colonialism to self-invention, complex family dynamics, and the natural world. Her writing is deeply observant and personal, capturing her reactions to the world around her with honesty and originality. One of the most compelling aspects of the collection, for me, is how consistent her voice remains over the decades—thoughtful, candid, and unmistakably her own.
Kincaid’s affinity for gardening pervades the book, and she references the natural world with particular care and intelligence. Many of the essays are short and approachable, making this book an easy one to “dip in and out of” a few pages at a time—perfect for summer reading– while sparking deeper thinking and compelling readers to be very present and conscious of the world around them. If you’re on the lookout for your next inspiring, thought-provoking read, check out Putting Myself Together by Jamaica Kincaid at the Sioux City Public Library.
Support for Check It Out on Siouxland Public Media comes from Avery Brothers.