Celebrate Black History Month with a curated reading list from TBBL staff!
Civil Rights Movement
Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream and You, DB093511, by Carole Boston Weatherford
Presents key moments of Dr. King's life and encourages young people to be more like him by standing for peace, having a dream, and other acts. For grades K-3. 2018.
Let the Children March, DB093652 and BR022512, by Monica Clark-Robinson and Frank Morrison
Under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, children and teenagers march against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2018.
Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement, DB112389, by Angela Joy
The story of the mother of Emmett Till, and how she channeled grief over her son's death into a call to action for the civil rights movement.
John Steptoe Award. For grades 2-4. 2022.
I am Rosa Parks, DB050384, by Rosa Parks and James Haskins
Famous activist describes her role in the civil rights movement. In 1955, fed up with unequal treatment, Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. Her arrest led to a yearlong boycott by blacks of Montgomery, Alabama, buses. For grades 2-4. 1997.
Rosa, DB118993and BR016045, by Nikki Giovanni and Bryan Collier
"More than 50 years after her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, Mrs. Rosa Parks is the subject of this picture-book tribute to
her courageous action and the events that followed." -- Provided by publisher. -- Commercial audiobook. For grades 3-6.
Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly, BR013616, by Walter Dean Myers
A short biography of the controversial twentieth-century African American leader. Describes the crucial stages in Malcolm X's life. Includes quotes from his speeches and writings, and a chronology. For grades 4-7 and older readers. 2000.
In the Name of Emmett Till: How the Children of the Mississippi Freedom Struggle Tore Down Yesterday and Showed Us Tomorrow, DBC09695, by Robert H. Mayer
Vividly explains how the brutal killing in 1955 of a fourteen-year-old boy in the Mississippi Delta inspired a generation of young people to fight for Black freedom. Details how the courageous activism of scores of Mississippi youth in the decade after Till's murder played a decisive role in dismantling the state's system of racial apartheid. Some violence and strong language. For grades 6-9. 2023.
Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation, DB104331, by John Lewis
A collection of memories, advice, reflections, and beliefs from the late congressman and pivotal figure of the civil rights movement. Topics include justice, courage, faith, mentorship, activism, and more. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2021.
Reporting Civil Rights: American Journalism 1941-1963, DB097413
Presents firsthand accounts drawn from newspapers, magazines, and book excerpts of the civil rights movement in the United States. Contributors include Ralph Ellison, Langston Hughes, George S. Schuyler, James Baldwin, John Steinbeck, George W. Collins, and more. Violence. 2003.
Freedom's Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970, DB052736, by Lynne Olson
A journalist highlights women's contributions to the struggle for civil rights in the United States. Beginning with the antislavery movements of the South, through the Civil Rights era, to contemporary feminist issues, Olson describes the works of both black and white women who fought for freedom and equality. 2001.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X, DB065510 and DB101533 and BR017499, by Alex Haley and Malcolm X
The life of African American religious leader Malcolm X (1925-1965). The author describes his boyhood in Lansing, Michigan, street life in Harlem, conversion to the Black Muslim movement while imprisoned for robbery, and evolution into a high-profile spokesman for black dignity, power, and separatism. Foreword by Alex Haley. 1964.
Contemporary Titles
When We Say Black Lives Matter, DB109330, by Maxine Beneba Clarke
In this exuberant exploration of the Black Lives Matter motto, a loving narrator relays to a young Black child the strength and resonance behind the words. For grades K-3.
All Rise: The Story of Ketanji Brown Jackson, DB113938,
by Carole Boston Weatherford
For every brown-skinned girl and every Black woman who was ever overlooked or underestimated when opportunities were doled out, Ketanji Brown Jackson rose. Through hard-work and self-belief, she excelled and graduated from Harvard Law School and later became a federal judge. In 2016, Leila Jackson advocated for her mother, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, to be nominated for the United States Supreme Court. In 2022, President Joe Biden nominated her, making her the first Black female Supreme Court justice in the country. Commercial audiobook. For grades K-3. 2023.
Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice, DB102000, by Nikki Grimes
Award-winning poet and author chronicles the formative moments of Kamala Harris, a daughter of immigrants who would grow up to be the first woman, first Black person, and first South Asian American ever elected Vice President of the United States. For grades K-3. 2020.
Call and Response: The Story of Black Lives Matter, DB106994, by Veronica Chambers and Jennifer Harlan
Journalists explore the history of Black Lives Matter in the wake of high-profile wrongful deaths of Black people. From the founders to watershed moments, Chambers and Harlan follow the activists and organizers on their journeys and discover how protest has been fundamental to American democracy, eventually making meaningful change. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. For junior and senior high readers. 2022.
The Black President: Hope and Fury in the Age of Obama, DB108441,
by Claude A. Clegg
Claude A. Clegg III's comprehensive history of Barack Obama's presidency offers a unique perspective on the dynamic and contentious political context. He highlights the America that enabled Obama's presidency and the America that resisted the idea of a Black chief executive, making it possible for the ascent of the most unlikely successor. The book also explores the Obama presidency's impact on African Americans, who were his staunchest supporters and experienced both triumphs and shortcomings of his presidency. The Black President is essential reading for historians, politics junkies, and Obama fans and for anyone seeking to understand America's contemporary struggles with inequality, prejudice, and fear. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.
His Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice, DBC26540, by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa
Drawing upon hundreds of interviews, Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa offer a poignant and moving exploration of George Floyd's life. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2022.
My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir, DB065396, by Clarence Thomas
Autobiography of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas (born 1948), who reminisces about being raised by his maternal grandfather, a strict Catholic, in segregated Georgia. Describes his education, graduation from Yale Law School, and professional career up to his controversial 1991 ascent to the high court. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2007.
Haben: the Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, DB096188 and BR022702, by Haben Girma
The autobiography of the first deaf-blind graduate of Harvard Law School. Girma describes her childhood, world travels, development of a text-to-braille communication system, and time at Harvard Law, as well as the ways she uses her talents to advocate for those with disabilities. 2019.
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir, DB090119, by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
Khan-Cullors, a cofounder of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, recounts her experiences as an artist and activist. Describes her personal history growing up in Los Angeles and the founding of BLM after the murder of Trayvon Martin. Presents calls to action to combat racism in America. Some violence and strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2018.
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, DB043877 and BR018106, by Barack Obama
Obama, his father a Kenyan student and his mother a white Kansan, struggles with issues of identity and ethnicity. A Harvard Law School graduate, community organizer, and civil rights lawyer, Obama recounts a life-changing pilgrimage to Kenya to meet relatives from his father's other marriages. Some strong language. Bestseller. 1995.
Miriam's Song: A Memoir, BR015575, by Mark Mathabane and Miriam Mathabane
Mark Mathabane describes in his sister Miriam's voice her coming of age as a poor black female in 1980s apartheid South Africa. Before leaving to study nursing in the U.S., she endures an abusive and poor quality education. Depicts a resilient family. 2000.
Entertainment and Literature
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, BR023730,
by Carole Boston Weatherford and Frank Morrison
Short biography of the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin, an award-winning singer, songwriter, pianist, actor, and activist. Coretta Scott King Award. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2020
Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou, DB106579, by Bethany Hegedus
A biography of African American writer, performer, and activist Maya Angelou, who rose above a childhood of trauma and emotional pain to become one of the most inspiring voices of our lifetime. Includes a foreword by her grandson Colin Johnson. Commercial audiobook. For grades 3-6. 2019.
Mary Carter Smith, African American Storyteller, DBC12241, by Babs Bell Hajdusiewicz
A biography of the Afro-American woman who gained fame as a storyteller and became "America's Mother Griot" or official storyteller of African stories. For grades 4-7. 2021.
The Dream Keeper and Other Poems, DB030158 and BR015321, by Langston Hughes
Collection of sixty-six poems chosen by the author for young readers. Selections include lyrical poems, songs, and blues, many exploring the African American experience. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 1932.
Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul, DB059603, by Craig Hansen Werner
Professor of African American culture traces the interconnectedness of soul music, spirituality, and the civil rights movement during the 1960s and 1970s. In the process he relates the personal narratives of Wonder, Franklin, and Mayfield, leading artists of the period. 2004.
A Choice of Weapons, DBC24745, by Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks -- photographer for 'Life' magazine, writer, composer, artist, and filmmaker -- was only 16 in 1928 when he moved from Kansas to St. Paul, Minnesota, after his mother's death. There, homeless and hungry, he began his fight to survive the brutal Minnesota winter, to educate himself, and to 'prove my worth.' Working at a succession of jobs from janitor to railroad porter to busboy to musician to professional basketball player, in such places as St. Paul, Chicago, and New York, Parks struggled against poverty and racism, not just to avoid failure but to achieve success. He taught himself photography with a secondhand camera, worked for local newspapers serving the black community, and began to document the poverty among blacks on Chicago's South Side. His portfolio won him a year-long fellowship, which he spent with the Farm Security Administration. Unrated.
Magical Negro: Poems, DB095008, by Morgan Parker
Collection of forty poems exploring the everyday black experience in America. Themes include loneliness, displacement, grief, ancestral trauma, and objectification. Also examines tropes and stereotypes of black Americans. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.
Richard Potter: America's First Black Celebrity, DB097226, by John A. Hodgson
Biography of a man who was born the son of a slave in 1783 and went on to become the most popular entertainer in America. Examines both his public life as a magician and ventriloquist and his experiences as a black man in pre-Civil War America. 2018.
Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin, DB079771, by David Ritz
Ritz, author of Ray Charles (DB 46564) and coauthor of When I Left Home (DB 75698), examines the life of legendary singer Aretha Franklin (born 1942). Discusses her childhood in Detroit, her personal struggles impacted by phenomenal career success, and her legacy to the music industry. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2014.
I Am Not Your Negro, DB088630 and BR021879, by James Baldwin
A compilation of passages from unpublished and previously published books, essays, letters, notes, and interviews used in the creation of the 2016 Oscar-nominated documentary of the same name. Explores Baldwin's unwritten book concept profiling Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2017.
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered: The Soulful Journey of Stevie Wonder, DBC03442 and BR018996, by Mark Ribowsky
Portrait of the legendary blind Motown musician (born 1950) from his impoverished childhood to his sixtieth year. Traces his musical development; his long relationship with Motown Records, which began when he was eleven; and his political activism, womanizing, and descents into depression. Some strong language. 2010.
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, DB081242 and BR020766, by Issa Rae
Creator of the YouTube comedy series Awkward Black Girl discusses a childhood spent in Los Angeles, Senegal, and Maryland; family relationships; career ambitions; and her experience of blackness. Humorously analyzes racial, cultural, and personality stereotypes. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. 2015.
Historical
Before She was Harriet, BR022041, by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome
A lyrical biography of Harriet Tubman, written in verse. Honors the life of the well-known African American woman of humble origins whose courage, determination, and compassion made her an American icon. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2017.
Frederick Douglass: A Noble Life, BR019255, by David A. Adler
Biography of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), a fugitive slave who became an author, lecturer, and advisor to President Lincoln. Discusses slavery in America and Douglass's escape, emancipation activities, support of women's rights, world travels, and writing career. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2010.
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America,1619-2019, DB102425 and BR023615, by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
A "community" history of African Americans spanning the four centuries between 1619 and 2019 that contains pieces from ninety writers, each covering the span of a few years. Each period of time is explored in a variety of ways, including essays, short stories, vignettes, and polemics. Some strong language. 2021.