Black Literature
November 2022
In memory of
Half American : the epic story of African Americans fighting World War II at home and abroad
by Matthew F. Delmont

This history of World War II as told from the African American perspective looks at the bravery and patriotism of the one million black men and women who served in the face of unfathomable racism.
Glory in their spirit : how four black women took on the Army during World War II
by Sandra M. Bolzenius

"In 1945, four African American female privates who were members of the Women's Army Corps (WAC) participated in a strike at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, and opted to take a court martial rather than accept discriminatory work assignments. As the army prepared for the court-martial and civil rights activists investigated the circumstances, competing commentaries in African American and mainstream newspapers ignited a passionate public response across the country. Indeed, the insurrection, now little remembered, became the most publicized and recorded protest of Black WACs during World War II as story of how four African American women pushed the army's segregation system to its breaking point.Drawing on relevant scholarship, archival work, newspaper responses to the strike, and interviews with the strikers or their families, Sandra Bolzenius shows how the strike at Ft. Devens demonstrates that army regulations prioritized white men, segregated African Americans, highlighted white women's femininity, and overlooked the presence of African American women. In drawing attention to these issues, this book is able to shed light on the experiences and agency of World War II Black WACs who resisted racial discrimination and asserted their entitlements as female military personnel, analyze military policies and their effects on Army personnel, particularly Black WACs, and investigate the Army's determination to maintain the existing social order through the strict segmentation of its troops based on race, gender, and rank."--Provided by publisher
Sisters in arms : a novel of the daring black women who served during World War II
by Kaia Alderson

The first Black women allowed to serve in the army, Grace Steele and Eliza Jones, helping form the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, navigate their way through the segregated ranks, finally making it overseas where they do their parts for the country they love.
Immortal valor : the black Medal of Honor winners of World War II
by Robert Child

Tells the story of seven African-American soldiers in World War II who were finally awarded Medals of Honor for their service in 1993 based on the work of a research team at Shaw University in North Carolina. 20,000 first printing. Illustrations.
Waging a good war : a military history of the civil rights movement, 1954-1968
by Thomas E. Ricks

A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter offers a fresh perspective on the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and its legacy today, narrating its triumphs and defeats and highlighting lesser-known figures who played critical roles in fashioning nonviolence into an effective tool. 200,000 first printing. Illustrations.
The Black Panthers : a story of race, war, and courage
by Gina M. DiNicolo

Presents the full history of the first African American tank battalion to see combat in World War II, drawing on archival sources and interviews to detail the unit's training prodecures, deployment, combat operations, and notable soldiers
Buffalo soldiers in Alaska : Company L, Twenty-Fourth Infantry
by Brian G. Shellum

"Brian G. Shellum tells the story of Company L, which served in Skagway, Alaska, and was one of the two companies added to the all-Black Twenty-Fourth U.S. Infantry Regiment after war was declared on Spain in April 1898"
We return fighting : World War I and the shaping of modern Black identity
by Kinshasha Conwill

Commemorating the roles of African Americans in World War !, this book presents artifacts, medals and photographs alongside powerful essays that together highlight their efforts during the war, which laid the groundwork for later advances in the Civil Rights movement. Illustrations.
Mutiny of rage : the 1917 Camp Logan Riots and Buffalo Soldiers in Houston
by Jaime Salazar

"A detailed and gripping account of the 1917 Camp Logan riots, which left eleven civilians, five policemen, and four soldiers dead and created conditions that sparked a nationwide surge of wartime racial activism. The resulting trial was considered the trial of the century at the time, and resulted in the hanging of thirteen black soldiers"
American patriots : the story of Blacks in the military from the Revolution to Desert Storm
by Gail Lumet Buckley

Tracing the history of blacks in the American military, the author chronicles acts of bravery and patriotism among African-American soldiers from the American Revolution to the Gulf War and offers close-up portraits of some of America's finest patriots. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.
Freedom flyers : the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II
by J. Todd Moye

Chronicles America's first African American military pilots, who fought againt two enemies, the Axis powers of World War II and Jim Crow racism in the United States
Can't hurt me : master your mind and defy the odds
by David Goggins

"For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare - poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes"
Come all you brave soldiers : blacks in the Revolutionary War
by Clinton Cox

From the Boston Massacre and the battles at Lexington and Concord to the final British surrender at Yorktown, a compelling and informative study chronicles the contributions of African-American soldiers to the colonial struggle for freedom during the Revolutionary War. Reprint.
Fighting for America : black soldiers, the unsung heroes of World War II
by Christopher Paul Moore

Celebrates the contributions of African-American men and women to America's military efforts during World War II, citing their diverse roles in every theater of the war and the examining the systematic racism that plagued them at home and abroad despite their heroic exploits. 24,000 first printing.
Knocking down barriers : my fight for Black America
by Truman K. Gibson

Follows Gibson's career from his time as a member of President Truman's "Black Cabinet" to his struggle for civil rights in the military
Indianapolis Public Library
P.O. Box 211
Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-0211
317-275-4100
www.indypl.org/