Rachel Lindsay Shares Her Favorite Reads in 'Shelf Portrait'

Rachel Lindsay wears many hats—she's a former Bachelor contestant, the first Black Bachelorette, an attorney, a TV correspondent, and now a debut author (opens in new tab). In Marie Claire’s latest episode of Shelf Portrait (opens in new tab)—in which celebrities, influencers, and famous bookworms show off their personal libraries—Lindsay gave us a tour of her collection, one that's just as eclectic as she is.

Lindsay begins the video by sharing some of her childhood reads, including Anne Terry White's George Washington Carver (opens in new tab) and Mildred D. Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry (opens in new tab). She loves Trevor Noah's Born a Crime (opens in new tab)and Michelle Obama's Becoming (opens in new tab)—two biographies she's recently read—as well as Greg McKeown's Essentialism (opens in new tab) and Christina Dalcher's Vox (opens in new tab) (she says the latter is very relevant to what's going on in our society today). 

Two books Lindsay's received from exes that she still keeps on her bookshelf? Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People (opens in new tab) and Michael Eric Dyson's Mercy, Mercy, Me. (opens in new tab) Those are alongside one of her other favs—May Cobb's The Hunting Wives (opens in new tab) (she's obsessed with all-things housewives!)—as well as Isabel Wilkerson's Caste (opens in new tab) and Nikole Hannah-Jones's The 1619 Project (opens in new tab): two essential reads. 

Toward the end of the video, Lindsay opens up about writing her debut book, Miss Me With That (opens in new tab) (out January 25), and describes the process as "rigorous." "I knew I always wanted to do a book, especially after doing The Bachelorette," she says. "It's tough. There are so many things that you want to say, but then at the same time you have to be careful to tell your story and not tell someone else's business." It's the first time people will learn Lindsay's full, unedited story.

Watch Lindsay's Shelf Portrait video, below, and then order some of her favorite books for yourself. Lindsay's book, Miss Me With That (opens in new tab), is available for purchase now.