"After World War II, the United States used international sport to promote democratic values and its image of an ideal citizen. But African American women excelling in track and field upset such notions. Cat M. Ariail examines how athletes such as Alice Coachman, Mae Faggs, and Wilma Rudolph forced American sport cultures-both white and Black-to reckon with the athleticism of African American women. Marginalized still further in a low-profile sport, young Black women nonetheless bypassed barriers to represent their country.
"From gender adviser to the UN Catherine Joy White comes This Thread of Gold, a lyrical celebration of the history of Black women who challenged stereotypes through film, politics, activism, and beyond. This immersive and empowering read blends history, reporting, and personal stories to weave a gorgeous tapestry from the resilience of Black women. As White writes, "Black women are not victims. Black women are alchemists, spinning gold from a life of hardship.
In the year 2024, the country is marred by unattended environmental and economic crises that lead to social chaos. Lauren Olamina, a preacher's daughter living in Los Angeles, is protected from danger by the walls of her gated community. However, in a night of fire and death, what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny . . . and the birth of a new faith.
While working toward the grand opening of their Black-owned bookstore, four best friends are each told four little words that upend their lives, forcing them to lean on each other-and the books they love-to navigate the changes or risking losing the business and their friendships.
"Billed as the Little Girl with the Big Voice, blues singer Lucille Arnetta Love always dreamed of life under the lights. From traveling family gospel band to lead singer in a riotous vaudeville troupe, Lucille is on the rise. But a devastating family secret, one that's poised to shatter every dream she's ever had, casts an inescapable shadow over Lucille's career. Decades ago, a botched robbery ended in a suspicious death--and all signs point to Lucille's own father as the culprit. It's a secret that Lucille's family is determined to keep buried--even from Lucille herself.
"Billed as the Little Girl with the Big Voice, blues singer Lucille Arnetta Love always dreamed of life under the lights. From traveling family gospel band to lead singer in a riotous vaudeville troupe, Lucille is on the rise. But a devastating family secret, one that's poised to shatter every dream she's ever had, casts an inescapable shadow over Lucille's career. Decades ago, a botched robbery ended in a suspicious death--and all signs point to Lucille's own father as the culprit. It's a secret that Lucille's family is determined to keep buried--even from Lucille herself.
A magnificent, foundational reckoning with how Black Americans have used the written word to define and redefine themselves, in resistance to the lies of racism and often in heated disagreement with each other, over the course of the country's history. Distilled over many years from Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s legendary Harvard introductory course in African American Studies, The Black Box: Writing the Race, is the story of Black self-definition in America through the prism of the writers who have led the way. From Phillis Wheatley and Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T.
Atlas is defined by Merriam-Webster as:
1. capitalized: a Titan who for his part in the Titan's revolt against the gods is forced by Zeus to support the heavens on his shoulders
2. capitalized: one who bears a heavy burden, and
3(a): a bound collection of maps often including illustrations, informative tables, or textual matter.
Jason Reynolds's take on a teen romance is unlike anything I was expecting and more than I ever imagined. For starters, it's told from the perspective of a 17-year-old boy named Neon. It tackles the difficult subject of intimacy as Neon freaks out in a bathroom, cycling through the timeline of his entire romantic relationship.
An American Story, illustrated by Dare Coulter and written by Kwame Alexander, is the winner of the 2024 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for outstanding illustrations by an African American artist.
In the author's note, Alexander shares that he wrote this book after realizing that his daughter's teacher had a fear of teaching kids about slavery- she had never been taught how.
This American story opens with the question, "How do you tell a story that starts in Africa and ends in horror?"
