African American History Month 2007

African-American History Booklists

My Story, Their Story

And I Haven’t Had a Bad Day Since: From the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress
by Charles B. Rangel and Leon Wynter

From high school dropout to law school student to newly appointed chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rangel has learned the benefits of a positive attitude and a willingness not to alienate colleagues. Inspiring and often funny. B Rangel, C

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by Barack Obama

Democratic presidential hopeful Obama sets forth his vision for America and encourages us to work together to move beyond divisiveness so we can tackle the many problems facing our country today. B Obama, B

Black Maestro: The Epic Life of an American Legend
by Joe Drape

From the mid-to-late 1800’s, horse racing was the leading American sport. This is the dramatic story of Jimmy Winkfield, the premier black jockey of the time. Winkfield fled to Europe after encountering threats from the powerful KKK, and had a successful racing career there as well. After WWII he returned to the United States where he encountered, as he had throughout his life and career, the challenges of racism. B Winkfield, J

The Bond: Three Young Men Learn to Forgive and Reconnect with their Fathers
by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt with Margaret Bernstein

Sequel to the bestselling book, “The Pact.” An honest and moving account of how three doctors re-established connections with their fathers, and how the absence of the fathers during their youth affected them. 306.8742 Da

Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life
by James Blake with Andrew Friedman

Blake was a rising young tennis star with a brilliant future ahead of him when he sustained a neck fracture in a freak accident on the tennis court in 2004. Blow two came a few months later when his father, who had inspired him as Blake worked to recover from his injury, died. Then Blake developed a rare virus that partially paralyzed his face. This book is the story of the year after these tragedies, and proves that through courage and perseverance, Blake demonstrated the traits of a true champion. B Blake, J

Coretta: The Story of Coretta Scott King
by Octavia B. Vivian

Commemorative edition of the only biography of Coretta Scott King. Written by her friend and fellow activist, Octavia Vivian. B King, C

The Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Super Freak
by Rick James

Posthumous memoir of Grammy Award-winning funk musician, Rick James. James tells all – including his problems with drugs and the law – in this gripping book. B James, R

Diana Ross: An Unauthorized Biography
by J. Randy Taraborrelli

In this book, Taraborrelli updates and expands his 1989 work, “Call her Miss Ross.” Lots of photos, thoughtful interviews, and a refusal to create one-dimensional characters make this a truly definitive biography. B Ross, D

Friends: A Love Story
by Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance
with Hilary Beard

This is the love story of two people who looked for love in all the wrong places before finding one another. Love, faith and determination keeps them together despite the challenges of life and stardom. 791.43 Ba

Grace Will Lead Me Home
by Robin Givens

Givens, best known for her abusive relationship with fighter Mike Tyson, reveals the legacy of life-threatening violence that has haunted her family for three generations. How she overcame this background and has created a successful life makes for an inspiring read. B Givens, R

Great Black Way: L.A. in the 1940s and the Lost African-American Renaissance
by R.J. Smith
History of the 1940s Jazz scene on Los Angeles’ Central Avenue. A vivid portrayal of a forgotten era. 305.896 Sm

Harlem Speaks: A Living History of the Harlem Renaissance
edited by Cary D.Wintz

Essays by experts in their fields discuss the writers, artists, musicians, political leaders and performers of the Harlem Renaissance era. The text is accompanied by two full-length CDs. 810.9896 Ha

Harriet Tubman: Imagining a Life
by Beverly Lowry

Lowry brings Tubman to life by going beyond the usual stories to present her in lively imagined vignettes that illustrate her life as an escaped slave, lumberjack, laundress, raid leader, nurse, fund-raiser, cook, intelligence-gatherer, Underground Railroad organizer and abolitionist. B Tubman, H

I Got Your Back: A Father and Son Keep It Real about Love, Fatherhood, Family, and Friendship
by Eddie Levert, Sr. and Gerald Levert with Lyah Beth LeFlore

This is an intimate profile of these two fine musicians. The love and strong sense of values has kept their family supportive of one another and unified through the years. 305.38 Le

In Praise of Black Women, Volume 2: Heroines of the Slavery Era
by Simone Schwarz-Bart with André Schwarz-Bart

This lavishly illustrated book profiles the lives of fourteen remarkable African and African-American women who managed to rise above the degradations of slavery to place themselves in the history books for all time. 305.48 Sc

No Ordinary Love: A True Story of Marriage and Basketball
by Doug and Jackie Christie with Michael Levin

This 14-year NBA player and his former fashion-model wife share the secrets of their successful marriage. B Christie, D

Obama: From Promise to Power
by David Mendell

This is the story of Barry, a boy who was inspired by his hard-working parents to excel and to win in the cut-throat game of politics. B Obama, B

Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season
by Jonathan Eig

Fine portrait of the man who integrated major-league baseball and helped launch the Civil Rights era. B Robinson, J

Oscar Micheaux, the Great and Only: The Life of America’s First Great Black Filmmaker
by Patrick McGilligan

This is the vibrant life story of the son of freed slaves who overcame many obstacles to become the Jackie Robinson of the film industry. B Micheaux, O

Quiet Strength: A Memoir
by Tony Dungy with Nathan Whitaker

This Super Bowl-winning coach talks about how to lead his players with dignity, respect, and a strong faith in God and family. B Dungy, T

Ralph Ellison: A Biography
by Arnold Rampersad

Rampersad has used his advantage as the first scholar to obtain complete access to Ellison’s papers to create this portrait of one of the most important writers and intellectuals of the twentieth century. B Ellison, R

Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell
by Karen DeYoung

This is the first full biography of one of America’s most trusted and admired men. Powell went from humble origins to the heights of power as a military leader and diplomat, and has given a lifetime of service to his country. B Powell, C

Third and A Mile: The Trials and Triumphs of the Black Quarterback
by William C. Rhoden

Long after Jackie Robinson’s integration of major league baseball in 1947 and a shake-up in basketball when Texas Western beat Kentucky in 1966, black players who wanted to be quarterbacks on major teams were sidelined or relegated to other positions. Through personal anecdotes and memories several former football greats remember their struggles to break through the racial barrier. 796.332 Rh

Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics
by Jeremy Schaap

In 1936, against the backdrop of swastikas and storm troopers, this sharecropper’s son swept the Olympic Games with 4 gold medals, destroying the myth of Aryan supremacy put forth by Adolf Hitler. Schaap illustrates what happens when politics and sports collide on a world stage. B Owens, J

Will You Die with Me?: My Life and the Black Panther Party
by Flores A. Forbes

This is the very personal story of Forbes, who went from being an angry youth in San Diego to one of the leaders of the Black Panther Party and a major figure in the black liberation movement. B Forbes, F

Telling It Like It Is...

All Aunt Hagar’s Children
by Edward P. Jones

Short stories about individuals who are caught between the old ways of the South and the temptations that await them in the city.

Blonde Faith
by Walter Mosley

The tenth thriller in the Easy Rawlins series features Easy's two most dangerous friends, Raymond Mouse Alexander and Christmas Black. Both have disappeared and are being hunted. Easy must find them before those who want to destroy them do.

Casanegra: A Tennyson Hardwick Story
by Blair Underwood with Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes

Readers will like Casanegra because it is a fun, hip, page-turner that borrows from today's entertainment headlines blending the right amount of suspense and action.

Deliver Me from Evil
by Mary Monroe

Greed, betrayal and murder intersect as Wade Eddie Fisher, who looks like a low-income Lenny Kravitz, and Christine Thurman, the wife of super-successful video store entrepreneur J.R. Thurman, devise a plan to fake her kidnapping, collect $500,000 and get her out of her marriage.

The First Lady
by Carl Weber

Another scintillating slice of church politics as a Queens preacher is forced to decide who will be his church's new first lady after his wife dies.

From My Soul to Yours
by Dywane D. Birch

This sequel to Shattered Souls, invites readers back into the lives of four close friends who continue to struggle with their desires and explosive decisions.

Grace After Midnight: A Memoir
by Felicia “Snoop” Pearson

A powerful story of someone trying to find her way in a dark world, realizing she can still choose her life's direction even in tremendously difficult circumstances.

Other People’s Skin: Four Novellas
by Tracy Price-Thompson

Thompson, along with three other authors including Saginaw’s own Elizabeth Atkins Bowman, take on one of the most controversial topics within the African-American community: …skin tone and hair texture. In other words, the skin/hair thang among Black women.

The Last Street Novel
by Omar Tyree

A beloved African-American romance author strays from his comfort zone in order to write a gritty street novel. This work will offer an interesting look at the growing popularity of urban fiction and one man’s struggle to figure out where he fits in that market.

Red River
by Lalita Tademy

Three generations of two African-American families lives intertwine in the aftermath of the Civil War as newly freed slaves struggle to build new lives in The Bottom, a poor settlement just down Red River from Colfax, Louisiana.

Someone Knows My Name
by Lawrence Hill

Abducted from Africa as a child and enslaved in South Carolina, Aminata Diallo thinks only of freedom—and of the knowledge she needs to get home. This captivating story of one woman's remarkable experience spans six decades and three continents and brings to life a crucial chapter in world history.

Ms. Etta’s Fast House
by Victor McGlothin

The year is 1947, and Ms. Etta's Fast House is the hottest nightclub this side of Chicago. A stirring novel about a player who's down on his luck only to receive help from the most unlikely source—the very women whose hearts he broke.

Them: A Novel
by Nathan McCall

The Fourth Ward is one of Atlanta’s most historic neighborhoods, a onetime center of the Civil Rights movement whose residents included Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The author’s use of dialect, well-developed characters and detailed setting makes this an excellent thought-provoking read.

Waking With Enemies
by Eric Jerome Dickey

From the back streets of London to Amsterdam’s red light district, this rapid-fire sequel to Sleeping with Strangers, is an international game of cat and mouse, in which Gideon must protect those he loves and face the possibility of his own death.

Watercolored Pearls: A Novel
by Stacy Hawkins Adams

Three women, each at different stages in their lives, find themselves at the same cross roads, looking to God and to each other for answers on how to find beauty in themselves and in their journey.

Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns
by J. California Cooper

Set in small towns and urban centers, these simple stories shine the spotlight on the lives of invisible women and their personal struggles.