The Invisible Ache: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power

From an award-winning actor and a #1 bestselling author, a unique combination of moving memoir and practical tools that offers guidance for Black men seeking to reclaim their mental well-being-and, ultimately, to live wholeheartedly.

In America, we teach that strength means holding back tears and shaming your own feelings. In the Black community, these pressures are especially poignant. Poor mental health outcomes-- including diagnoses of depression and anxiety, reliance on prescription drugs, and suicide-have skyrocketed in the past decade.

In this book, actor Courtney B. Vance seeks to change this trajectory. Along with professional expertise from famed psychologist Dr. Robin L. Smith (popularly known as ＂Dr. Robin＂), Courtney B. Vance explores issues of grief, relationships, identity, and race through the telling of his own most formative experiences. Together, they provide a guide for Black men navigating life’s ups and downs, reclaiming mental well-being, and examining broken pieces to find whole, full-hearted living.

Self-care is an act of revolution. It’s time to revolutionize mental health in the Black community.

＂A thoughtful, wise, empathetic book that has the capacity to save lives. ＂ (Kirkus)

＂...an inspiring story of what [Black men] can achieve personally and professionally when they have the tools and support necessary to examine their pain and find their joy.＂ (New York Journal of Books)

Dr. Robin L. Smith is a licensed psychologist, bestselling author, and media personality who brings a uniquely healing and fearlessly truthful perspective to society’s most daunting mental health crises: from racism and racial violence, to grief and loss, to recovering as a nation after the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Warm and wise, nonjudgmental yet no-nonsense, Dr. Robin draws from her professional and personal experiences to help others transform trauma into triumph.

Courtney B. Vance has carefully cultivated an extraordinary career that showcases his passion, talent, and intellect. Known for successfully finding the dignity and honor in each character he explores; Vance is a Harvard scholar, a Yale School of Drama trained actor, and powerful presence on theatrical boards as well as the silver screen.