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Black Literature July 2024
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American Negra : a memoir
by Natasha S. Alford
An award-winning journalist, host and media executive recalls growing up as the daughter of an African American father and Puerto Rican mother in Upstate New York and the challenges she faced as a multiracial woman. 20,000 first printing.
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We're alone : essays
by Edwidge Danticat
"Tracing a loose arc from Edwidge Danticat's childhood to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent events in Haiti, the essays gathered in We're Alone include personal narrative, reportage, and tributes to mentors and heroes such as Toni Morrison, Paule Marshall, Gabriel Garcâia Mâarquez, and James Baldwin that explore several abiding themes: environmental catastrophe, the traumas of colonialism, motherhood, and the complexities of resilience. From hurricanes to political violence, from her days as a new studentat a Brooklyn elementary school knowing little English to her account of a shooting hoax at a Miami mall, Danticat has an extraordinary ability to move from the personal to the global and back again. Throughout, literature and art prove to be her reliable companions and guides in both tragedies and triumphs. Danticat is an irresistible presence on the page: full of heart, outrage, humor, clear thinking, and moral questioning, while reminding us of the possibilities of community. And so "we're alone" is both a fearsome admission and an intimate invitation-we're alone now, we can talk. We're Alone is a book that asks us to think through some of the world's intractable problems while deepening our understanding of one of the most significant novelists at work today"
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Searching for Dr. Harris : the life and times of a remarkable African American physician
by Margaret Humphreys
"This is the untold story of Dr. J.D. Harris, an African American physician whose life and career straddled enormous changes for Black professionals and the practice of medicine. Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Harris served as a contract physicianto the Union Army and transitioned to a similar post under the Freedmen's Bureau, treating Black troops and freemen in Virginia. Margaret Humphreys narrates not only what we know about Harris, but offers context to his remarkable journey, including how incredible it was that a young man born into freedom in a slave state learned to read when literacy for Black people was illegal. He was one of very few African Americans to become a doctor before Howard Medical School opened in the 1870s, a fact that reveals both the structural barriers to medical education for Black Americans and highlights how those structures weakened in the 1860s. Drawing on census records, court records, Civil War and Reconstruction documents from the National Archives, African American newspapers, and more, this book is a revealing look at not only the history of medicine in the Southern United States, but of race and citizenship during one of the nation's most tumultuous eras."
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Bits and Pieces : My Mother, My Brother, and Me
by Whoopi Goldberg
If it weren’t for Emma Johnson, Caryn Johnson would have never become Whoopi Goldberg. Emma gave her children the loving care and wisdom they needed to succeed in life, always encouraging them to be true to themselves. When Whoopi lost her mother in 2010—and then her older brother, Clyde, five years later—she felt deeply alone; the only people who truly knew her were gone. Emma raised her children not just to survive, but to thrive. In this intimate and heartfelt memoir, Whoopi shares many of the deeply personal stories of their lives together for the first time. Growing up in the projects in New York City, there were trips to Coney Island, the Ice Capades, and museums, and every Christmas was a magical experience. To this day, she doesn’t know how her mother was able to give them such an enriching childhood, despite the struggles they faced—and it wasn’t until she was well into adulthood that Whoopi learned just how traumatic some of those struggles were.
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Hip-hop is history
by Questlove
The renowned drummer from The Roots and New York Timesbest-selling author chronicles fifty years of hip-hop and how it has affected every aspect of our culture, from fashion and film to TV. 200,000 first printing.
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This thread of gold : a celebration of Black womanhood
by Catherine Joy White
"From gender adviser to the UN Catherine Joy White comes This Thread of Gold, a lyrical celebration of the history of Black women who challenged stereotypes through film, politics, activism, and beyond. This immersive and empowering read blends history, reporting, and personal stories to weave a gorgeous tapestry from the resilience of Black women. As White writes, "Black women are not victims. Black women are alchemists, spinning gold from a life of hardship. . . . This book is dedicated solely to Blackwomen surviving, thriving, and glowing." White's book features revolutionary women from across time and space, liberating them from reductive stereotypes like "the strong Black woman," and allowing space for emotional nuance, individual motivation, and richness of expression. White offers fresh insights into the work of Beyoncâe and Nina Simone, Shirley Chisholm and Meghan Markle, as well as the work of those who resisted in secret-in kitchens, in churches, and through trusted networks. By weaving these women together, White reveals new ways to understand Black womanhood and she is sure to inspire new generations of readers"
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Life's too short : a memoir
by Darius Rucker
The three-time Grammy award-winning, Diamond-album-selling lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish and country music star tells the story of his life through the music that made him and his own music with Hootie and as a solo artist, sharing stories of his road-hardened life that are raw, real, funny and deeply emotional. Illustrations.
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A Black girl in the middle : essays on (allegedly) figuring it all out
by Shenequa Golding
Tapping into life's wins and losses, the author, a first generation Jamaican American, breaks down the 10 levels of Black Girl Math; comes to terms with and heals from fraught relationships; and more, embracing everything she's learned with wit, heart and humility.
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Coming home
by Brittney Griner
From the nine-time women's basketball icon and two-time Olympic gold medalist comes a raw, revelatory account of her unfathomable detainment in Russia and her journey home.
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My black country : a journey through country music's black past, present, and future
by Alice Randall
The first black woman to cowrite a #1 country hit, Trisha Yearwood's“XXX's and OOO's,” offers a lyrical, introspective and unforgettable account of her past and her search for the first family of black country music, in this celebration of the radical joy in realizing the power of black influence on American culture.
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Indianapolis Public Library P.O. Box 211 Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-0211 317-275-4100www.indypl.org/ |
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