| Julian Bond's Time to Teach: A History of the Southern Civil Rights Movement by Julian BondWhat it is: an incisive collection of college course lectures delivered by professor, social activist, and civil rights leader Julian Bond (1940-2015).
Why you might like it: Photographs, intimate firsthand accounts, and detailed historical context enrich this detailed you-are-there chronicle of many of the civil rights era's pivotal moments.
Who it's for: This accessible work will enlighten and inspire history buffs, general readers, and activists alike. |
|
| Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham (editors)What it is: an inventive and nonlinear mixed-media anthology that asks: "What does it mean to be Black and alive right now?"
What's inside: poetry, artwork, essays, memes, recipes, and interviews.
Contributors include: Ta-Nehisi Coates; Zadie Smith; Kiese Laymon; Samantha Irby; Hanif Abdurraqib; Ziwe Fumudoh. |
|
| Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Andrea Pitzer1594 Netherlands: Dutch navigator William Barents embarked on the first of three Arctic expeditions seeking a northern route to China.
But then... during the third expedition, Barents and his crew became icebound in Nova Zembla, where they spent a year battling the elements, hungry polar bears, and disease.
Read it for: a dramatic, vividly recreated survival story aided by journal entries, archival materials, and the author's own travels to the Arctic. |
|
|
America and Iran : a history, 1720 to the present
by John H. Ghazvinian
A portrait of the two-centuries-long entwined histories of Iran and America, and the first book to examine, in all its aspects, the rich and fraught relations between these two powers—once allies, now adversaries.
Author John Ghazinian was born in Iran and raised in London and Los Angeles. He has a doctorate in history from Oxford University.
|
|
| Unsinkable: Five Men and the Indomitable Run of the USS Plunkett by James SullivanWhat it's about: the USS Plunkett, the United States Navy destroyer that played a crucial role in the Allied war effort.
Why you might like it: This richly detailed history chronicles daily crew life as much as it does the ship's more dramatic wartime exploits.
Featuring: well-researched accounts of five crew members' experiences, including those of John Gallagher, the author's great-uncle. |
|
| A Black Women's History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole GrossWhat it is: a sweeping yet concise history prioritizing the experiences of Black women whose "everyday heroism" shaped America.
What's inside: profiles of 11 lesser known Black women whose stories provide illuminating context for the Atlantic slave trade, the Great Migration, Jim Crow laws, protest movements, and more.
Try this next: Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall. |
|
| Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong DunbarHow it began: In 1796, on the eve of being "gifted" to one of George and Martha Washington's granddaughters, lifelong Washington family slave and seamstress Ona Judge made a daring escape to freedom.
What happened next: Pursued by Washington for years, Judge settled in New Hampshire, where she lived freely for the next half century.
Book buzz: This thought-provoking National Book Award Finalist offers an eye-opening perspective on the legacy of America's first president. |
|
| What Truth Sounds Like: Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished... by Michael Eric DysonWhat it's about: the fateful May 1963 meeting organized by attorney general Robert F. Kennedy and James Baldwin to discuss race relations.
In attendance: Lorraine Hansberry, Harry Belafonte, Lena Horne, psychologist Kenneth Clark, and Freedom Rider Jerome Smith.
Why it matters: This "watershed moment in American politics" jump-started difficult conversations that continue to resonate today. |
|
| Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.What it is: a sobering history of America's Reconstruction era and Jim Crow legislation that offers striking parallels to contemporary white supremacy movements.
Topics include: eugenics and scientific racism; mass produced stereotypes and blackface; the emergence of the "New Negro."
Reviewers say: "indispensable for understanding American history" (Publishers Weekly). |
|
| Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights by Gretchen SorinWhat it is: an accessible and engaging history of the freedoms (and limitations) of 20th-century Black mobility.
Why you might like it: Featuring photos, interviews, and author Gretchen Sorin's own memories of family car trips, Driving While Black spotlights the ways in which Black travel signaled Black resistance.
Further reading: Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America by Candacy Taylor. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|