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Black History Books for Adults
The month of February has whipped by so fast that you almost missed it.
“The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir” by D. Watkins
Everything has a price. You say you’ll never sell your granddad’s watch, your dream car, or that collectible you coveted because it’s priceless – until it’s not, because everything is for sale. But in “The Cook-Up” by D. Watkins, it may cost your entire life.
"Never Caught” by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
Some days, it feels like that’s all you do. Run the kids to school, dash to work, rush with errands, and run yourself ragged before bed. You’re always on the go, always moving, and in the new book “Never Caught” by Erica Armstrong Dunbar, your breath isn’t the only thing to catch.
“Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away” by Ketch Secor, illustrated by Higgins Bond
The flash-flash-flash was bad enough. And then you heard the grrrrrrumble, the wind howled, and you were afraid. But it was okay: it was only a thunderstorm. As you’ll see in the new book “Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away” by Ketch Secor, illustrated by Higgins Bond, when it’s over, the sun – among other things – will shine bright.
“Remembrance” by Mary Monroe
For weeks, you’ve been scouring the stores. You have a lot to give. Most of it is wrapped up colorfully, beribboned and bowed. Some gifts are in bags with shiny trim, while others are tucked away in closets. You have a lot to give this holiday season, but in the new novel, “Remembrance” by Mary Monroe, when you give of yourself, you also get.
“Harriet Gets Carried Away” by Jessie Sima c.2018, Simon & Schuster
You wear Mommy’s shoes, too. You love that clomping around, the wiggly-wobbly feel, and the fun of pretending that you’re someone else. Dressing up is great but be careful. As in the new book, “Harriet Gets Carried Away by Jessie Sima, things could quickly get out of hand.
“Don’t Touch My Hair!” by Sharee Miller
May I have that, please? That’s what you say when you want something, and people are impressed by your manners. You’re a kid who never just takes, you always ask first because you want the same kind of manners back. But in the new book “Don’t Touch My Hair!” by Sharee Miller, you might have to ask for them, too.
“Tech Boss Lady: How to Start-Up, Disrupt & Thrive as a Female Founder” by Adriana Gascoigne
One foot in front of the other. That’s how you get anywhere: whether it’s a toe-sliding shuffle or a one-two-three-waltz, the only way forward is step by step. Slow-walk it if you must, but you have to keep going and in “Tech Boss Lady” by Adriana Gascoigne, you’ll find helpful business shoe-prints to follow.
“Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century” by Lorene Cary
You were their hope for the future. For your elders, your birth represented things they wished would happen but that they’d never know. It was a joy for them to see you come into the world but for you, as in the new book “Ladysitting” by Lorene Cary, it’s harder to see them go.
“The God Groove: A Blues Journey to Faith” by David Ritz
One thing leads to another. Isn’t that how it goes? You start somewhere and a door is opened. You enter that door and see a window. The window takes you elsewhere and each new place teaches you something different. Isn’t that the way life is – and in the new book “The God Groove” by David Ritz, isn’t that the way faith is?
“What Set Me Free” by Brian Banks (with Mark Dagostino)
You saw it happen. Every second of it, every sound, it’s burned in your memory. You can recall how it made you feel, how time seemed to slow down, how there was no room for anything else in your mind. It happened. Or – as in the new book “What Set Me Free” by Brian Banks (with Mark Dagostino) – did it?
“Delivered by Midwives: African American Midwifery in the Twentieth-Century South” by Jenny M. Luke c.2018, University Press of Mississippi $30.00 / higher in Canada 193 pages
The mailman’s come and gone for today. He never brings you much anymore anyhow, just a few bills and a card sometimes; now and then, you might get a box of something you purchased and that’s always fun. You know, though, that the mailman doesn’t always bring you what you ordered. As in “Delivered by Midwives” by Jenny M. Luke, someone else brings a different kind of package.
So You Want to Talk about Race” by Ijeoma Oluo
It’s all there in front of you. Plain as day. Plain as the nose on your face with nothing left to tell, it’s all in black and white – or is it? When it comes to racism, says author Ijeoma Oluo, it’s complicated and in her new book “So You Want to Talk about Race,” there may be shades of gray.
“I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons” by Kevin Hart
You can pretend all you want. Hide your head in the sand and say it ain’t so. Cover your ears and yell “LaLaLaLaLa” until everyone thinks you’re five years old. You can deny, deny, deny, but listen up: some things are factual, so read “I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons” by Kevin Hart, and you may learn something.
“Lab Rats: How Silicon Valley Made Work Miserable for the Rest of Us” by Dan Lyons c.2018, Hachette
Round and round and round. That’s how your week goes. Monday morning up, breakfast, work, home, dinner, fall into bed, sleep, do it again ‘til Friday, like a five-day circle. If you’re lucky, those days feel like minutes. If not, well, read the new book “Lab Rats” by Dan Lyons, and you’ll know why they call it the Rat Race.
“Black Fortunes” by Shomari Wills
A dollar doesn’t buy as much as it used to. Once upon a time, you could get a good steak and a drink for under ten bucks. You could buy a house for less than five figures, and it was big enough to raise a good-sized family in it. A dollar used to stretch farther, last longer, buy more, and in the new book “Black Fortunes” by Shomari Wills, it took fewer dollars to make someone rich.
"Southwest Sunrise" by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Wendell Minor
You don't wanna. Your favorite toys are in a box and you don't wanna leave them there. All your games, your stuffies, your outside toys, packed away. You said goodbye to your friends and teachers because your family is moving and you don't wanna. But as in the new book "Southwest Sunrise" by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Wendell Minor, just wait. When you get there, you might see things in a different color.
"Odetta: A Life in Music and Protest" by Ian Zack
The first note had your foot tapping. It didn't stop until the set was over or the LP needed flipping. The song moved you; those words meant everything. And the singer of those tunes? She was the entire reason those notes were worth listening to. In the new book "Odetta" by Ian Zack, you'll find out why so few know her name.
“Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America” by W. Caleb McDaniel
Home Sweet Home. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like it. It’s where your family is, where you hang your coat, where you keep your stuff. Even the word “home” equals safety and comfort, and in the new book “Sweet Taste of Liberty” by W. Caleb McDaniel, getting home could mean payback, too.
"To Walk About in Freedom: The Long Emancipation of Priscilla Joyner" by Carole Emberton
You are not confined to your chair. If you want to get up and move around, in fact, you can. Stand up, stretch, wiggle your toes, shake out the knots. Step out and drop in on the space next door or down the street and it's okay. You're not stuck in your chair or this room or even this building, and in "To Walk About in Freedom" by Carole Emberton, you'll get a new appreciation for that ability.
