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SJPL Picks: Black History Essentials

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SJPL_AdultPicks

San José Public Library

Staff-created list

Essential reading for Black History, with classic fiction and non-fiction to help you educate and celebrate a rich history

By:

SJPL_AdultPicks

San José Public Library

22 items

22 items

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

by X, Malcolm

Book - 1999

"In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, ...Show more "In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement. The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never completed but whose message is timeless." - Publisher provided Show less

"In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, ...Show more "In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement. The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never completed but whose message is timeless." - Publisher provided Show less

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Beloved

Beloved

A Novel

by Morrison, Toni

Book - 2004

"Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a ...Show more "Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope, Beloved" is a towering achievement." - Publisher provided Show less

"Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a ...Show more "Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope, Beloved" is a towering achievement." - Publisher provided Show less

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Between the World and Me

Between the World and Me

by Coates, Ta-Nehisi

Book - 2015

"Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bo...Show more "Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?" - Publisher provided Show less

"Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bo...Show more "Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?" - Publisher provided Show less

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Brown Girl Dreaming

Brown Girl Dreaming

by Woodson, Jacqueline

Book - 2014

This is a middle grade book that will appeal to adult readers. "Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place...Show more This is a middle grade book that will appeal to adult readers. "Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement." - Publisher provided Show less

This is a middle grade book that will appeal to adult readers. "Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place...Show more This is a middle grade book that will appeal to adult readers. "Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement." - Publisher provided Show less

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Where Do We Go From Here

Where Do We Go From Here

Chaos or Community?

by King, Martin Luther

Book - 2010

"In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., isolated himself from the demands of the civil rights movement, rented a house in Jamaica with no telephone, a...Show more "In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., isolated himself from the demands of the civil rights movement, rented a house in Jamaica with no telephone, and labored over his final manuscript. In this prophetic work, he lays out his thoughts, plans, and dreams for America's future, including the need for better jobs, higher wages, decent housing, and quality education. With a universal message of hope that continues to resonate, King demanded an end to global suffering, asserting that humankind-for the first time-has the resources and technology to eradicate poverty." Show less

"In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., isolated himself from the demands of the civil rights movement, rented a house in Jamaica with no telephone, a...Show more "In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., isolated himself from the demands of the civil rights movement, rented a house in Jamaica with no telephone, and labored over his final manuscript. In this prophetic work, he lays out his thoughts, plans, and dreams for America's future, including the need for better jobs, higher wages, decent housing, and quality education. With a universal message of hope that continues to resonate, King demanded an end to global suffering, asserting that humankind-for the first time-has the resources and technology to eradicate poverty." Show less

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The Color Purple

The Color Purple

by Walker, Alice

Book - 2003

"The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and...Show more "The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery. Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker’s epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love." - Publisher provided Show less

"The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and...Show more "The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery. Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker’s epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love." - Publisher provided Show less

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Go Tell It on the Mountain

Go Tell It on the Mountain

by Baldwin, James

Book - 2013

"This haunting coming-of-age story, based in part on James Baldwin’s childhood in Harlem, is an American classic. Originally published in 1953, Go Te...Show more "This haunting coming-of-age story, based in part on James Baldwin’s childhood in Harlem, is an American classic. Originally published in 1953, Go Tell It on the Mountain was Baldwin’s first major work. In prose that mingles gritty vernacular cadences with exalted biblical rhythms, Baldwin’s rendering of his young protagonist’s struggle to invent himself pioneered new possibilities in American language and literature. " - Publisher provided Show less

"This haunting coming-of-age story, based in part on James Baldwin’s childhood in Harlem, is an American classic. Originally published in 1953, Go Te...Show more "This haunting coming-of-age story, based in part on James Baldwin’s childhood in Harlem, is an American classic. Originally published in 1953, Go Tell It on the Mountain was Baldwin’s first major work. In prose that mingles gritty vernacular cadences with exalted biblical rhythms, Baldwin’s rendering of his young protagonist’s struggle to invent himself pioneered new possibilities in American language and literature. " - Publisher provided Show less

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The 1619 Project

The 1619 Project

A New Origin Story

Book - 2021

"The animating idea of The 1619 Project is that our national narrative is more accurately told if we begin not on July 4, 1776, but in late August of...Show more "The animating idea of The 1619 Project is that our national narrative is more accurately told if we begin not on July 4, 1776, but in late August of 1619, when a ship arrived in Jamestown bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa. Their arrival inaugurated a barbaric and unprecedented system of chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the country's original sin, but it is more than that: It is the country's very origin. The 1619 Project tells this new origin story, placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are as a country." Show less

"The animating idea of The 1619 Project is that our national narrative is more accurately told if we begin not on July 4, 1776, but in late August of...Show more "The animating idea of The 1619 Project is that our national narrative is more accurately told if we begin not on July 4, 1776, but in late August of 1619, when a ship arrived in Jamestown bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa. Their arrival inaugurated a barbaric and unprecedented system of chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the country's original sin, but it is more than that: It is the country's very origin. The 1619 Project tells this new origin story, placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are as a country." Show less

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Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures

The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

by Lee Shetterly, Margot

Book - 2016

"The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America's greatest achievements in space." - Publisher provided "The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America's greatest achievements in space." - Publisher provided Show less

"The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America's greatest achievements in space." - Publisher provided "The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America's greatest achievements in space." - Publisher provided Show less

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

by Angelou, Maya

Book - 2009

"Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a modern American classic that will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read" - Publisher provided "Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a modern American classic that will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read" - Publisher provided Show less

"Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a modern American classic that will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read" - Publisher provided "Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a modern American classic that will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read" - Publisher provided Show less

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If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk

A Novel

by Baldwin, James

Book - 2006

"In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. In a love story that evokes the ...Show more "In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche." - Publisher provided Show less

"In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. In a love story that evokes the ...Show more "In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche." - Publisher provided Show less

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Skloot, Rebecca

Book - 2011

"Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestor...Show more "Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences." -Publisher provided Show less

"Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestor...Show more "Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences." -Publisher provided Show less

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Invisible Man

Invisible Man

by Ellison, Ralph

Book - 1995

"Invisible Man is a milestone in American literature, a book that has continued to engage readers since its appearance in 1952. A first novel by an ...Show more "Invisible Man is a milestone in American literature, a book that has continued to engage readers since its appearance in 1952. A first novel by an unknown writer, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks, won the National Book Award for fiction, and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century." -Publisher provided Show less

"Invisible Man is a milestone in American literature, a book that has continued to engage readers since its appearance in 1952. A first novel by an ...Show more "Invisible Man is a milestone in American literature, a book that has continued to engage readers since its appearance in 1952. A first novel by an unknown writer, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks, won the National Book Award for fiction, and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century." -Publisher provided Show less

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Kindred

Kindred

by Butler, Octavia E.

Book - 2003

"The visionary author’s masterpiece pulls us—along with her Black female hero—through time to face the horrors of slavery and explore the impacts of racism, sexism, and white supremacy then and now." -Publisher provided "The visionary author’s masterpiece pulls us—along with her Black female hero—through time to face the horrors of slavery and explore the impacts of racism, sexism, and white supremacy then and now." -Publisher provided Show less

"The visionary author’s masterpiece pulls us—along with her Black female hero—through time to face the horrors of slavery and explore the impacts of racism, sexism, and white supremacy then and now." -Publisher provided "The visionary author’s masterpiece pulls us—along with her Black female hero—through time to face the horrors of slavery and explore the impacts of racism, sexism, and white supremacy then and now." -Publisher provided Show less

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The New Jim Crow

The New Jim Crow

Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

by Alexander, Michelle

Book - 2010

"Once in a great while a book comes along that changes the way we see the world and helps to fuel a nationwide social movement. The New Jim Crow is s...Show more "Once in a great while a book comes along that changes the way we see the world and helps to fuel a nationwide social movement. The New Jim Crow is such a book. Called "stunning" by Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David Levering Lewis, "invaluable" by the Daily Kos, "explosive" by Kirkus, and "profoundly necessary" by the Miami Herald, this is a must-read for all people of conscience." -Publisher provided Show less

"Once in a great while a book comes along that changes the way we see the world and helps to fuel a nationwide social movement. The New Jim Crow is s...Show more "Once in a great while a book comes along that changes the way we see the world and helps to fuel a nationwide social movement. The New Jim Crow is such a book. Called "stunning" by Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David Levering Lewis, "invaluable" by the Daily Kos, "explosive" by Kirkus, and "profoundly necessary" by the Miami Herald, this is a must-read for all people of conscience." -Publisher provided Show less

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A Raisin in the Sun

A Raisin in the Sun

by Hansberry, Lorraine

Book - 1994

"When it was first produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun was awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for that season and hailed as a watershe...Show more "When it was first produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun was awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for that season and hailed as a watershed in American drama. A pioneering work by an African-American playwright, the play was a radically new representation of black life. "A play that changed American theater forever." - Publisher provided Show less

"When it was first produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun was awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for that season and hailed as a watershe...Show more "When it was first produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun was awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for that season and hailed as a watershed in American drama. A pioneering work by an African-American playwright, the play was a radically new representation of black life. "A play that changed American theater forever." - Publisher provided Show less

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Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God

by Hurston, Zora Neale

Book - 2006

"One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wi...Show more "One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences’ rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston’s classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature." - Publisher provided Show less

"One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wi...Show more "One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences’ rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston’s classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature." - Publisher provided Show less

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Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart

by Achebe, Chinua

Book - 1994

"Things Fall Apart tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. It ...Show more "Things Fall Apart tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. It is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within." - Publisher provided Show less

"Things Fall Apart tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. It ...Show more "Things Fall Apart tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. It is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within." - Publisher provided Show less

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The Weary Blues

The Weary Blues

by Hughes, Langston

Book - 2015

"Nearly ninety years after its first publication, this celebratory edition of The Weary Blues reminds us of the stunning achievement of Langston Hugh...Show more "Nearly ninety years after its first publication, this celebratory edition of The Weary Blues reminds us of the stunning achievement of Langston Hughes, who was just twenty-four at its first appearance. In a new introduction to the work, the poet and editor Kevin Young suggests that Hughes from this very first moment is "celebrating, critiquing, and completing the American dream," and that he manages to take Walt Whitman's American "I" and write himself into it. We find here not only such classics as "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and the great twentieth-century anthem that begins "I, too, sing America," but also the poet's shorter lyrics and fancies, which dream just as deeply." Show less

"Nearly ninety years after its first publication, this celebratory edition of The Weary Blues reminds us of the stunning achievement of Langston Hugh...Show more "Nearly ninety years after its first publication, this celebratory edition of The Weary Blues reminds us of the stunning achievement of Langston Hughes, who was just twenty-four at its first appearance. In a new introduction to the work, the poet and editor Kevin Young suggests that Hughes from this very first moment is "celebrating, critiquing, and completing the American dream," and that he manages to take Walt Whitman's American "I" and write himself into it. We find here not only such classics as "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and the great twentieth-century anthem that begins "I, too, sing America," but also the poet's shorter lyrics and fancies, which dream just as deeply." Show less

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Fences

Fences

by Wilson, August

Book - 2016

"The protagonist of Fences (part of Wilson's ten-part Pittsburgh Cycle plays), Troy Maxson, is a strong man, a hard man. He has had to be to survive....Show more "The protagonist of Fences (part of Wilson's ten-part Pittsburgh Cycle plays), Troy Maxson, is a strong man, a hard man. He has had to be to survive. Troy Maxson has gone through life in an America where to be proud and black is to face pressures that could crush a man, body and soul. But the 1950s are yielding to the new spirit of liberation in the 1960s, a spirit that is changing the world Troy Maxson has learned to deal with the only way he can, a spirit that is making him a stranger, angry and afraid, in a world he never knew and to a wife and son he understands less and less." Show less

"The protagonist of Fences (part of Wilson's ten-part Pittsburgh Cycle plays), Troy Maxson, is a strong man, a hard man. He has had to be to survive....Show more "The protagonist of Fences (part of Wilson's ten-part Pittsburgh Cycle plays), Troy Maxson, is a strong man, a hard man. He has had to be to survive. Troy Maxson has gone through life in an America where to be proud and black is to face pressures that could crush a man, body and soul. But the 1950s are yielding to the new spirit of liberation in the 1960s, a spirit that is changing the world Troy Maxson has learned to deal with the only way he can, a spirit that is making him a stranger, angry and afraid, in a world he never knew and to a wife and son he understands less and less." Show less

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave

by Douglass, Frederick

Book - 2009

"Frederick Douglass's Narrative, first published in 1845, is an enlightening and incendiary text. Born into slavery, Douglass became the preeminent s...Show more "Frederick Douglass's Narrative, first published in 1845, is an enlightening and incendiary text. Born into slavery, Douglass became the preeminent spokesman for his people during his life; his narrative is an unparalleled account of the dehumanizing effects of slavery and Douglass's own triumph over it." Show less

"Frederick Douglass's Narrative, first published in 1845, is an enlightening and incendiary text. Born into slavery, Douglass became the preeminent s...Show more "Frederick Douglass's Narrative, first published in 1845, is an enlightening and incendiary text. Born into slavery, Douglass became the preeminent spokesman for his people during his life; his narrative is an unparalleled account of the dehumanizing effects of slavery and Douglass's own triumph over it." Show less

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The Black Panther Party

The Black Panther Party

A Graphic Novel History

by Walker, David

Book - 2021

"A bold and fascinating graphic novel history of the Black Panther Party" "A bold and fascinating graphic novel history of the Black Panther Party" Show less

"A bold and fascinating graphic novel history of the Black Panther Party" "A bold and fascinating graphic novel history of the Black Panther Party" Show less

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