This month—and always, we’re sharing books that celebrate Black culture in all its forms.
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Celebrate Black Stories:
The Black Yearbook: Portraits and Stories by Adraint Khadafhi Bereal; Foreword by Kiese Laymon
A gripping exploration of the joys, hardships, and truths of Black students through intimate, honest dialogues and stunning photography, with a foreword by Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy.
“A radical, reverential, and restorative document of community.”—Rebecca Bengal, author of Strange Hours: Photography, Memory, and the Lives of Artists
“The Black Yearbook is a heart-healing, mind-blowing work of art . . . There is no book quite like The Black Yearbook, and there is no time more perfect for its arrival.”—Casey Gerald, author of There Will Be No Miracles Here
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir by Shayla Lawson
Poet and journalist Shayla Lawson follows their National Book Critics Circle finalist This Is Major with these daring and exquisitely crafted essays, where Lawson journeys across the globe, finds beauty in tumultuous times, and powerfully disrupts the constraints of race, gender, and disability.
“Phenomenal . . . This is a book to read, read again, and remember.”—Imani Perry, New York Times bestselling author of the National Book Award winner South to America
“Some writers have the gift of talent. Some writers’ talent is a gift to others, namely the reader. Then there are those writers who fall into both categories. Shayla Lawson is one such author. Thought provoking, raw, honest, funny, moving. This book is a treasure. Shayla is a marvel. I’m so grateful for what they and the book have given us.”—Phoebe Robinson, New York Times bestselling author of You Can’t Touch My Hair
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
A poignant, personal reflection on basketball, life, and home—from the author of the National Book Award finalist A Little Devil in America.
“Mesmerizing . . . not only the most original sports book I’ve ever read but one of the most moving books I’ve ever read, period.”—Steve James, director of Hoop Dreams
“Hanif Abdurraqib again shows us new ways to be a social critic, a dreamer, a historian, and a lover of hoop. But—and this feels especially moving—he shows us how he wonders about, and how he is transformed in the wondering about, what it means to belong to a place. And you know by place I mean the people, the memories, the sorrows, the tomorrows, who are that place. And you know by all that I mean the love.”—Ross Gay, author of The Book of Delights
Available March 26th in Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook.
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Call and Response: Stories by Gothataone Moeng
Richly drawn stories about the lives of ordinary families in contemporary Botswana as they navigate relationships, tradition and caretaking in a rapidly changing world.
“The publication of Call and Response is cause for celebration. Big-hearted and clear-eyed in their evocation of her beloved Botswana, these radiant stories contain the stuff of life: joys and sorrows, the wisdom of generations, the ceremonies of the everyday. A gorgeous, vital work of literature.”—Yoon Choi, author of Skinship
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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Celebrate Black Trailblazers:
Up Home: One Girl’s Journey by Ruth J. Simmons
An inspiring, indelible memoir from the daughter of sharecroppers in East Texas who became the first Black president of an Ivy League University—an uplifting story of girlhood and the power of family, community, and the classroom to transform one young person’s life.
“Simmons’s evocative account of her remarkable trajectory from Jim Crow Texas, where she was the youngest of twelve children in a sharecropping family, to the presidencies of Smith College and Brown University shines with tenderness and dignity.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A riveting work of literature, destined to take its place in the canon of great African American autobiographies.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life by Billy Dee Williams
A film legend recalls his remarkable life of nearly eight decades—a heralded actor who’s played the roles he wanted, from Brian’s Song to Lando in the Star Wars universe—unchecked by the racism and typecasting so rife in the mostly all-white industry in which he triumphed.
“The story of a legend, written by the legend himself! Impressive, inspiring, entertaining and endearing.” —J. J. Abrams
“Despite his own numerous issues with racism and discrimination, Williams has always maintained a cool head and used his experiences as a Black man to inform his art in a way that is relatable to all people . . . Williams makes it all sound fascinating.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Available February 13th in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are by Tariq Trotter
From one of our generation’s most powerful artists and incisive storytellers comes a brilliantly crafted work about the art—and war—of becoming who we are.
“One of hip-hop’s greatest MCs, unpacking his harrowing, remarkable journey in his own words, with enough insights for two lifetimes.”—Lin-Manuel Miranda, award-winning songwriter, producer, director, and creator of In the Heights and Hamilton
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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Black Women Taught Us: An Intimate History of Black Feminism by Jenn M. Jackson, PhD
A reclamation of essential history and a hopeful gesture toward a better political future, this is what listening to Black women looks like—from a professor of political science and columnist for Teen Vogue.
“Jenn M. Jackson is a beautiful writer and excellent scholar. In this book, they pay tribute to generations of Black women organizers and set forward a bold and courageous blueprint for our collective liberation.”—Imani Perry, author of South to America
“In a world deeply committed to ignoring, mishearing, and disregarding Black women, to forgetting them, this book will not let us forget. It demands we remember. And it buoys us, reminding us that in our quest for freedom, Black feminists have always known the way, or made one.”—Brittney Cooper, author of Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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Celebrate Black Language:
Historically Black Phrases: From “I Ain’t One of Your Lil’ Friends” to “Who All Gon’ Be There?” by jarrett hill and Tre’vell Anderson
A fun and thoughtful dictionary of Black language you didn’t know you needed, Historically Black Phrases is a love letter to the Black community and the ways it drives culture.
“This perfect blend of explanation, definition and social commentary will have you laughing while learning.”—George M. Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of All Boys Aren’t Blue and We Are Not Broken
“The endless creative contributions of the Black community continue to be written off and dismissed—yet Historically Black Phrases fearlessly challenges this pattern . . . With everything from pronunciation to the proper contextual usage, this book teaches readers how our community communicates—and has them laughing along the way.”—Blair Imani, author of Read This to Get Smarter
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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Celebrate Black Fashion:
Stepping Out: The Unapologetic Style of African Americans over Fifty by Connie Briscoe; Photographs by Milton Washington
An unapologetically bold, stimulating, and inspired collection of photographs and profiles celebrating the style of African Americans age 50+.
Long inspired by mature adults daring to express their creativity and individuality through their style choices, New York Times bestselling novelist Connie Briscoe shines a light on these often overlooked and underappreciated sharply attired individuals. Accompanied by the marvelously talented Milton Washington’s dazzling photographs, Briscoe’s vision comes alive in these pages. From intrepid to chic, and sophisticated to free-spirited—Stepping Out captures the very essences of a vibrant cross section of Black elders, showcasing their stories, their styles, and how their love of fashion was born and bred. This book contextualizes the cultural, spiritual, and historical influences on decades of Black style and testifies to this dynamic legacy for generations to come.
Available in Hardcover and eBook Editions.
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Celebrate Black Poetry:
Thick with Trouble by Amber McBride
From National Book Award finalist Amber McBride, a mystical, transcendent poetry collection about Black womanhood in the American South.
In Thick with Trouble, award-winning poet Amber McBride interrogates if being “trouble”—difficult, unruly, fearsome, defiant—is ultimately a weakness or an incomparable source of strength. Steeped in the Hoodoo spiritual tradition and organized via reimagined tarot cards, this collection becomes a chorus of unapologetic women who laugh, cry, mesmerize, and bring outsiders to their knees. Summoning the supernatural to examine death, rebirth, and life outside the male gaze, Amber McBride has crafted a haunting, spellbinding, and strikingly original collection of poems that reckon with the force and complexity of Black womanhood.
Available February 13th in Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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Magic Enuff: Poems by Tara M. Stringfellow
Radiant poems that celebrate Black Southern womanhood and the many ways magic lives in the bonds between mothers, daughters, and sisters, from the bestselling author of Memphis.
“These are lush poems full of radical love and strength. Tara Stringfellow is a guiding light of tenderness and power. Her words are a balm. Magic Enuff is a gorgeous collection exploring the bond and beauty of Black womanhood.”—Warsan Shire, author of Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head
Available June 25th in Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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Celebrate Black Cooking:
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks by Crystal Wilkinson
A lyrical culinary journey that explores the hidden legacy of Black Appalachians, through powerful storytelling alongside nearly forty comforting recipes, from the former poet laureate of Kentucky.
“With Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts, Crystal Wilkinson cements herself as one of the most dynamic book makers in our generation and a literary giant. Utter genius tastes like this.”—Kiese Laymon, author of the Carnegie Medal-winning Heavy
Available in Hardcover and eBook Editions.
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Celebrate Unforgettable Biographies About Black Women in History:
The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis by Maria Smilios
New York City, 1929. A sanatorium, a deadly disease, and a dire nursing shortage.
“Vivid . . . [An] indelible portrait of an era when this untreatable bane killed one American every 11 minutes . . . [The nurses’] tenacity in the face of harsh working conditions and pervasive racism is humbling and inspiring . . . Excellent . . . [A] book that deserves reading and remembering in the pandemic age.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Edna, Missouria, and Virginia answered a call for nurses and changed the world. These courageous women who desegregated hospitals and tamed an airborne killer at last receive necessary, poignant recognition in Maria Smilios’ exquisitely rendered history.”—Sarah Rose, author of D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice by Ben Rothenberg
A deeply reported, revealing biography of tennis phenomenon and activist Naomi Osaka, telling the untold story behind her Grand Slam-winning career, her headline-making advocacy for racial justice and mental health, and the challenges of a life in the international spotlight.
“A compelling, comprehensive biography of one of the most fascinating athletes of the past decade. Rothenberg provides essential context for both her on-courtsuccesses and off-court decisions. Even as someone who has covered Osaka’s entire career, I learned a lot.”—Tumaini Carayol, The Guardian
“What is the price of superstardom? Rothenberg had a front-row seat for Naomi Osaka’s rise from tennis curiosity to cultural icon and he beautifully captures the ups and downs of her riveting ride.”—Karen Crouse, author of Norwich: One Tiny Vermont Town’s Secret to Happiness and Excellence
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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Bitter Crop: The Heartache and Triumph of Billie Holiday’s Last Year by Paul Alexander
A revelatory look at the tumultuous life of a jazz legend and American cultural icon.
“The unfinished life of Billie Holiday haunts us. In Bitter Crop, Paul Alexander tells her story in a way that could put her soul and our questions to rest.”—Gloria Steinem, award-winning author and political activist
“Perhaps only in this century can we fully change the narrative of Billie Holiday. Billie was a trespasser of taboos, a woman of tenderness and terror, whose story is repeated again and again by working-class women of color. This is a heartfelt ballad of a book written as only one artist could view another, with insight and sincere compassion.”—Sandra Cisneros, bestselling author of Woman Without Shame
Available February 13th in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History by Karen Valby
The forgotten story of a pioneering group of five Black ballerinas and their fifty-year sisterhood, a legacy erased from history—until now.
“Karen Valby’s The Swans of Harlem brings to life the stories of Black dancers whose contributions to the world of ballet were silenced, marginalized, and otherwise erased. Karen introduces readers to important figures of our past, while inspiring us to courageously chase our dreams. This is the kind of history I wish I learned as a child dreaming of the stage!”—Misty Copeland, New York Times bestselling author of Black Ballerinas: My Journey To Our Legacy
Available April 30th in Hardcover, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.
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An Inspiring Young Adult Listen:
American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky by Sherri L. Smith and Elizabeth Wein
From the acclaimed author of Flygirl and the bestselling author of Code Name Verity comes the thrilling and inspiring true story of the desegregation of the skies.
“This beautiful and brilliant history of not only what it means to be Black and dream of flying but to, against every odd, do so, completely blew me away.”—Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award Winner for Brown Girl Dreaming
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
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