African American Literature
February 2021
Celebrate African-American History Month!
The black cabinet : the untold story of African Americans and politics during the age of Roosevelt
by Jill Watts

Describes the group of African-Americans that joined the Roosevelt administration during the Great Depression, forming the Black Cabinet, who worked to devise and recommend solutions to the exclusion and racism they faced as part of the New Deal.
The African lookbook : a visual history of 100 years of African women
by Catherine E. McKinley

A curator and writer, drawing on her extensive collection of historical and contemporary photos, presents this unprecedented visual history of African women across centuries. 
A promised land
by Barack Obama

"In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both hispolitical education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency--a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil"
The butterfly effect : how Kendrick Lamar ignited the soul of black America
by Marcus J. Moore

A cultural portrait of the 13-time Grammy Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning rap superstar documents his coming-of-age as an artist, his genius as a lyricist and his profound impact on today’s racially fraught America. 
Overground railroad : the Green Book and the roots of Black travel in America
by Candacy A Taylor

Examines the important historical role of the “black travel guide to America” published from 1936 to 1966, celebrating the courage of black-safe businesses that advanced race relations by including themselves in Green Book listings. (United States history). 
Driving while black : African American travel and the road to civil rights
by Gretchen Sullivan Sorin

The true story behind the award-winning film of the same name explores the role of travel in civil rights, the specific impact of the automobile on African-American life and the cultural importance of Victor and Alma Green’s famous Green Book. 
Freedom : the overthrowing of the slave empires
by James Walvin

Describes how slave empires, which existed for three centuries following Columbus’ visit to the Americas, were disrupted and collapsed and how this historical upheaval was helped along by the enslaved people themselves, who used sabotage and uprisings to gain freedom. (general history).
The affirmative action puzzle : a living history from reconstruction to today
by Melvin I. Urofsky

The legal historian and author of Dissent in the Supreme Court examines the Supreme Court cases that upheld or struck down affirmative-action plans, exploring their impact on employment, education and the ongoing debates of today’s world. 
River of blood : American slavery from the people who lived it : interviews & photographs of formerly enslaved African Americans
by Richard Cahan

An updated edition of the Slave Narratives, collected in the 1930s by the federal government’s Works Progress Administration, incorporates hundreds of photographs that were omitted from the original interviews documenting the slave experience before and during the American Civil War. (United States history). 
Books You Might Have Missed
A black women's history of the United States
by Daina Ramey Berry

Two award-winning history professors and authors focus on the stories of African-American women slaves, civilians, religious leaders, artists, queer icons, activists and criminals in a celebration of black womanhood that demonstrates its indelible role in shaping America. (general history).
Black Magic : What Black Leaders Learned from Trauma and Triumph
by Chad Sanders

An evocative tribute to Black achievement in a discriminating world draws on interviews with black leaders, scientists, artists, activists and champions while exploring the author's own experiences of being forced to emulate white culture. 
Rosa Parks : In Her Own Words
by Susan Reyburn

A previously unpublished collection of personal writings and photographs by civil rights icon Rosa Parks draws on her private manuscripts and handwritten notes to reveal her inner thoughts, ongoing struggles and decision to become the person who stood up by sitting down.
Jubilee : recipes from two centuries of African American cooking
by Toni Tipton-Martin

Drawing from historical texts and rare African-American cookbooks, a collection of 125 recipes takes readers into the world of African-American cuisine made by enslaved master chefs, free caterers and black entrepreneurs and culinary stars that goes far beyond soul food. 
Mighty justice : my life in civil rights
by Dovey Johnson Roundtree

A timely portrait of the late trailblazing African-American civil rights attorney traces her inspirational story, from her role in helping overturn Jim Crow segregation laws to her ministry on behalf of the victims of urban violence. 
Making our way home : the Great Migration and the Black American dream
by Blair Imani

The author of Modern HERstory examines influences ranging from voting rights and segregation to activism and the arts in an illustrated history of the Great Migration that reveals its largely unrecognized impact on Black American identity. (United States history).
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