Getting Ready for Black History Month

Celebrate Black History Month with these new and forthcoming books:

A BOUND WOMAN IS A DANGEROUS THING: The Incarceration of African American Women from Harriet Tubman to Sandra Bland by DaMaris Hill
A revelatory work in the tradition of Claudia Rankine’s CITIZEN, DaMaris Hill’s searing and powerful narrative-in-verse bears witness to American women of color burdened by incarceration.

QUEEN BEY: A Celebration of the Power and Creativity of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter by Veronica Chambers
“With such a dynamic ensemble of opinions and reflections, the collection will be sweet reading not just for Beyoncé’s superfans, but also for activists, feminists, and budding vocalists. An uplifting and resounding ovation.”—Kirkus Reviews 

“Entertaining and illuminating, this essay collection will please readers no matter their Beyoncé fan status level.”—Publishers Weekly

DRESSED IN DREAMS: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion by Tanisha C. Ford
From sneakers to leather jackets, a bold, witty, and deeply personal dive into Black America’s closet.

GO HIGH: The Unstoppable Presence and Poise of Michelle Obama by M. Sweeney
A photographic celebration of the former first lady’s elegance and strength.

THE PATH MADE CLEAR: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose by Oprah Winfrey
“Insisting that everyone has a purpose, Winfrey proclaims that ‘Your real job in life is to figure out as soon as possible what that is, who you are meant to be, and begin to honor your calling in the best way possible.’ But where to start? Here she offers her own lessons and personal stories to help you launch toward a better life. With four-page color photographs throughout.”–Library Journal, Pre-Pub Alert

LEAD FROM THE OUTSIDE: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change by Stacey Abrams
“Here, [Stacey Abrams] shows readers from any marginalized population how to become their own advocates, proactively using their otherness while recognizing their fears. Not just local appeal; there are audiences out there that could really, really benefit from this book.”–Library Journal 

“Although there are many books on networking and achieving political and entrepreneurial success, Abrams’ is geared toward helping those who are on the fringes, especially African American women, find pathways to success and power…this is an excellent guide that addresses setbacks and pitfalls and identifies strategies to overcome them.”—Booklist

WHEN THEY CALL YOU A TERRORIST: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele
Three starred reviews!
Library Journal Best Book of 2018
School Library Journal Best Adult Book 4 Teens
A poetic and powerful memoir about what it means to be a Black woman in America–and the co-founding of a movement that demands justice for all in the land of the free.

GRACE WILL LEAD US HOME: The Charleston Church Massacre and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness by Jennifer Berry Hawes
“Pulitzer Prize winner Hawes shows us what happened after Dylann Roof slaughtered nine people on June 17, 2015, at the historically black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. Survivors struggled to heal, relatives of the dead rose at Roof’s hearing to say, ‘I forgive you,’ and the city faced its racist past.”–Library Journal, Pre-Pub Alert

WE CAN’T BREATHE: On Black Lives, White Lies, and the Art of Survival by Jabari Asim
Two starred reviews!
“An insightful, compact volume featuring eight pivotal essays that redress African American history and culture as it’s commonly represented in America today… A highly accessible book that would serve high school and college classrooms well in continuing the conversation about civil rights and social justice.”—Library Journal, starred review

IN WEST MILLS by De’Shawn Charles Winslow
For readers of THE TWELVE TRIBES OF HATTIE and THE TURNER HOUSE, an intimately told story about a woman living by her own rules and the rural community that struggles to understand her.

BROWN WHITE BLACK: An American Family at the Intersection of Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Religion by Nishta J. Mehra
Two starred reviews!
“Mehra, a teacher, reflects on her experience as a lesbian daughter of Indian immigrants with an interracial family in this thoughtful memoir-in-essays… She looks at experience in a measured, nuanced way, empathizing with both marginalized people and the dismayed parents of gay kids who have just come out, and notably with her father, who wanted her to have long hair and marry a man. This insightful, searching book will appeal to anyone contemplating race, family, or growing into oneself.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review