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African American ExperienceFebruary 2015
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"Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us." - Wilma Rudolph
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Men we reaped : a memoir
by Jesmyn Ward
A National Book Award winner recounts the loss of five young men in her life to drugs, accidents, suicide and the bad luck that can follow people who live in poverty, particularly black men, sharing her experiences of living through the dying as she searches through answers in her community.
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Up from the projects : an autobiography
by Walter E. Williams
"From his lower-middle-class beginnings in a mixed but predominantly black neighborhood in West Philadelphia to his department chairmanship at George Mason University, the life of Walter E. Williams is an "only in America" story of achievement. In Up from the Projects, this nationally syndicated columnist and prolific author recalls some of the highlights and turning points of his life"--Jacket p. [4]
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The souls of black folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois
Personal recollections are included in this work depicting the spirit, status, and problems of African Americans since emancipation and reflecting on the history of race and democracy in America
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Song of Solomon
by Toni Morrison
Macon Dead, Jr., called "Milkman," the son of the wealthiest African American in town, moves from childhood into early manhood, searching, among the disparate, mysterious members of his family, for his life and reality. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. Reader's Guide available. Reprint. 50,000 first printing.
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Maya Angelou's I know why the caged bird sings
by Harold Bloom
An overview of Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" features a biographical sketch of the author, a list of characters, a summary of the plot, and critical and analytical views of the work
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It worked for me : in life and leadership
by Colin L. Powell
Collecting lessons and personal anecdotes that have shaped the four star-general and former secretary of state's legendary career in public service, this powerful blueprint for leadership, based on his “13 Rules,” offers wise advice for succeeding the the workplace and beyond. 750,000 first printing.
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Things I should have told my daughter : lies, lessons & love affairs
by Pearl Cleage
The award-winning author of What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day reminisces on the art of balancing family, politics and a writing career during her pre-fame years in the 1970s and 1980s, tracing her rise from a small-time columnist and her friendships with such notables as Richard Pryor, Avery Brooks and Jesse Jackson.
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Life in Motion : An Unlikely Ballerina
by Misty Copeland
Documents the author's emotionally dynamic effort to become the third African-American soloist in the history of the American Ballet Theatre, describing the harsh family difficulties she overcame including her mother's highly publicized custody battle to halt her career.
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12 years a slave
by Solomon Northup
"A memoir of a black man who was born a citizen of New York, kidnapped and sold as a slave in 1841, and rescued from a cotton plantation in Louisiana in 1853"
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The street
by Ann Lane Petry
Explores the life and dreams of a young woman who struggles to raise her son in a suffocating ghetto world of racism, human degradation, and uncontrolled violence
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Fences : a play
by August Wilson
During the 1950s Troy Maxson struggles against racism and tries to preserve his feelings of pride in himself
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The girl who fell from the sky : a novel
by Heidi W. Durrow
After a family tragedy orphans her, Rachel, the daughter of a Danish mother and a black G.I., moves into her grandmother's mostly black community in the 1980s, where she must swallow her grief and confront her identity as a biracial woman in a world that wants to see her as either black or white. A first novel. Reprint.
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Your blues ain't like mine
by Bebe Moore Campbell
The racially motivated deadly beating of a black teenager in a small Mississippi town ripples through generations, changing forever the lives of everyone involved in the incident. Reissue.
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The color of water : a black man's tribute to his white mother
by James McBride
A young African-American man describes growing up in an all-black Brooklyn housing project, one of twelve children of a white mother and black father, and discusses his mother's contributions to his life and coming to terms with his confusion over his own identity. 75,000 first printing. $50,000 ad/promo. Tour.
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Go tell it on the mountain
by James Baldwin
While his family struggles with guilt, bitterness, and spiritual issues, John Grimes experiences a religious conversion in the Temple of the Fire Baptised
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___________________________________________________________________________________ “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world” – Harriet Tubman
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The Port Chicago 50 : disaster, mutiny, and the fight for civil rights
by Steve Sheinkin
The Newbery Award-winning and National Book Award finalist author of Bomb presents an account of the 1944 civil rights protest involving hundreds of African-American Navy servicemen who were unjustly charged with mutiny for refusing to work in unsafe conditions after the deadly Port Chicago explosion.
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The Freedom Summer murders
by Don Mitchell
Published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Summer murders, a young reader's introduction to the harrowing story traces the events surrounding the KKK lynching of three young civil rights activists who were trying to register African-Americans for the vote.
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Darius & Twig
by Walter Dean Myers
Two best friends, a writer and a runner, deal with bullies, family issues, social pressures, and their quest for success coming out of Harlem
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X
by Ilyasah Shabazz
Co-written by the best-selling author of Malcolm Little and daughter of Malcolm X, a novel based her father's formative years describes his father's murder, his mother's imprisonment and his challenging effort to pursue an education in law.
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We've got a job : the 1963 Birmingham Children's March
by Cynthia Levinson
We've Got a Job tells the little-known story of the 4,000 black elementary, middle and high school students who voluntarily went to jail in Birmingham, Alabama, in May 1963. Fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi's and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s precept to "fill the jails," the students succeeded in desegregating one of the most racially violent cities in America. The astonishing events surrounding the Children's March are retold here from the perspectives of four of the original participants.
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Mumbet's Declaration of Independence
by Gretchen Woelfle
Tells the story of a Massachusetts slave from the Revolutionary era who successfully used the new Massachusetts Constitution to make a legal case that she should be free
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Stella by starlight
by Sharon M. Draper
Growing up in the segregated South where they accept the disparities in how they are treated, Stella and her little brother witness a terrible event that compels them to fight back and trigger fundamental changes. By the Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of Out of My Mind.
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The crossover
by Kwame Alexander
A middle-grade novel in verse follows the experiences of twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan, who struggle with challenges on and off the court while their father ignores his declining health. 20,000 first printing.
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The Mighty Miss Malone
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Academically gifted Deza Malone and her family embark on a journey to find her job-seeking father when he goes missing and end up in a shanty town in Flint, Michigan. By the Newbery Medal- and Coretta Scott King Medal-winning author of Bud, Not Buddy and The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963.
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I, too, am America
by Langston Hughes
A sumptuously illustrated edition of Hughes' inspiring poem reflects his authentic call for equality while reminding readers that all Americans are united despite their differences, in a volume that features artwork by the Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator of Barack Obama.
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Under the same sun
by Sharon Robinson
The daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson presents a tale inspired by her family members in Tanzania, describing how she and Grandmother Bibi reconnect with loved ones during a safari in Serengeti National Park before visiting the ruins of a slave port through which their ancestors were forcibly relocated to America.
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All different now : Juneteenth, the first day of freedom
by Angela Johnson
A sumptuously illustrated tribute to the first observance of African American Emancipation Day is told through the eyes of a joyful little girl. By the three-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of The First Part Last and the Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator of Coming on Home Soon.
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Fresno County Public Library 2420 Mariposa St. Fresno, California 93721 559-600-READ (7323)www.fresnolibrary.org |
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