#paperback #nonfiction #fiction #12yearsaslave #massmarketpaperbac #autobiography #biography #africanamerican #slavery #blackauthors 

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Florida

A Memoir of Kidnap, Slavery and Liberation

"First published in the United States of America by Derby and Miller, 1853"--T.p. verso.

12 Years a Slave

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#paperback #poetry #langstonhughes #diverse #black #africanamerican #classic #livingbook #poems #harlemrenaissance 

Oregon

The Dream Keeper and Other Poems

First edition, first printing. Pages clean and sturdy with no writing. Bumped at top and bottom of spine, including dust jacket (see photo). Dust jacket shows typical rubbing. Book measures 7.75” x 5.25”. This book was published in 1994 when the sisters were ages 103 and 105. After the publication of their first book, readers had many questions; the sisters provide answers to these questions and many others in this book. The authors are sisters born in the late 1800s. The second and third of ten children, they grew up in Raleigh, NC. Their father, who was born into slavery, became America’s first elected black Episcopal bishop. His daughters were among the first African American women professionals in New York City - Sadie as a schoolteacher and Bessie as a dentist. #hardcover #africanamerican #lifeskills #firstedition #inspirational #nonfiction (Shelf 1B)

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

New Jersey

The authors offer counseling on sane living in today's world, advise on how to stay active, and stress the importance of faith, love, dignity, and self-reliance

The Delany Sisters' Book of Everyday Wisdom

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#paperback #africanamerican #angel #fiction #terriwoods #urban 

Delaware

With a tormenting secret from her past haunting her every step, the once sweet and innocent Kareemah El-Amin's delicate mind snaps, sending her on a darkened path that will transform her into her deadly alter ego, Angel. With nothing to lose and the world to gain, she embarks on a quest to rule the gritty streets of our nation's capital, by taking over the rough and rugged D.C. drug trade.Guile, cunning, and ruthlessness are her tools, while death, destruction and deception are her trade. Her quest to conquer the shady underworld is brought to a cataclysmic halt by a horrendous act against the one person who brought her any semblance of sanity, her baby sister.With revenge on her mind, Angel sets out on a bloodthirsty quest to avenge the one person in life whom she truly loved. The clock is ticking, the police are on her trail, and a shocking betrayal threatens to send her to prison for life. Will Angel avenge her sister's shocking torture and manage to escape the clutches of the determined detective Sean Jones? Will she find out who her betrayers are, before it's too late? Will she get her life together and move on? Or will she suffer the same fate that she has dealt to so many others?The stakes are high, the players are ruthless, and the result of failure is death.

Angel

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#hardcover #firstedition #africanamerican #novel 

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Illinois

Philadelphia Fire

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The setting is a town in Ohio where relatives gather on a Sunday at Willie Bea's grandparents' house--the day is full of fun and fraught with incidents, overshadowed by Aunt Leah's hysteria when she hears Orson Welles's broadcast of the tale of Martians that have landed.

Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed

Four women--Patricia, Zuma, Faye, and Sandy--search for happiness in their daily lives as they struggle with such difficult issues as adoption, infertility, abortion, child discipline, and female bonding. 60,000 first printing. Tour.

Blessings

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#hardcover #memoir #nonfiction #theyellowhouse #neworleans #heartfelt #africanamerican #bipoc 

Pennsylvania

A brilliant, haunting and unforgettable memoir from a stunning new talent about the inexorable pull of home and family, set in a shotgun house in New Orleans East.

The Yellow House

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#fiction #paperback #contemporary #relationships #courtroom #historicalfiction #africanamerican #drama #family 

Texas

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race, Small Great Things is the stunning new page-turner from Jodi Picoult. SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE "[Picoult] offers a thought-provoking examination of racism in America today, both overt and subtle. Her many readers will find much to discuss in the pages of this topical, moving book."--Booklist (starred review) Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene? Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy's counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family--especially her teenage son--as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other's trust, and come to see that what they've been taught their whole lives about others--and themselves--might be wrong. With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion--and doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game. Praise for Small Great Things "Small Great Things is the most important novel Jodi Picoult has ever written. . . . It will challenge her readers . . . [and] expand our cultural conversation about race and prejudice."--The Washington Post "A novel that puts its finger on the very pulse of the nation that we live in today . . . a fantastic read from beginning to end, as can always be expected from Picoult, this novel maintains a steady, page-turning pace that makes it hard for readers to put down."--San Francisco Book Review "A gripping courtroom drama . . . Given the current political climate it is quite prescient and worthwhile. . . . This is a writer who understands her characters inside and out."--Roxane Gay, The New York Times Book Review "I couldn't put it down. Her best yet!"--New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman "A compelling, can't-put-it-down drama with a trademark [Jodi] Picoult twist."--Good Housekeeping "It's Jodi Picoult, the prime provider of literary soul food. This riveting drama is sure to be supremely satisfying and a bravely thought-provoking tale on the dangers of prejudice."--Redbook "Jodi Picoult is never afraid to take on hot topics, and in Small Great Things, she tackles race and discrimination in a way that will grab hold of you and refuse to let you go. . . . This page-turner is perfect for book clubs."--Popsugar

Small Great Things

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#hardcover #new #countryromance #love #romance #africanamerican #black

An uplifting story about finding true love and a true voice—with a fresh spin on Pygmalion—from the bestselling author whose novels top 300,000 copies in print.Yolanda Joe has wowed thousands of fans with her lively storylines and savvy heroines. Now she introduces Imani, a rising star whose dreams and challenges will capture the hearts of thousands more.Talented, ambitious, and just twenty-two years old, Imani is surrounded by men with advice about her singing career. Her father, who owns a struggling nightclub, sees Imani’s future as a chance to fulfill his own failed dreams. Her boyfriend, Taz, is determined to become a mega-producer, with Imani’s street rapping as his ticket to fame. But Professor Orenthal Hopson, who teaches in the music department of a historically black college, has his own designs on her: he struck a bet with a colleague requiring him to transform Imani from a hip-hop hopeful into a traditional jazz singer. Like a modern-day Eliza Doolittle, Imani finds herself caught up in a musical makeover that causes her to question who she really wants to become. As Professor Hopson begins to sweep her off her feet, she also has to decide whether to stand by Taz, the man she’s cared about since childhood, or let herself fall for the dashing intellectual.A delight on every page, My Fine Ladypresents the dilemmas of romance, family, and career with Yolanda Joe’s signature wit and flair.

My Fine Lady

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#hardcover #fiction #historicalfiction #historical #conjurewomen #africanamerican #civilwar 

Utah

A Novel

"Conjure Women is a sweeping story that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life. Spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women: Miss May Belle, a wise healing woman; her precocious and observant daughter Rue, who is reluctant to follow in her mother's footsteps as a midwife; and their master's daughter Varina. The secrets and bonds among these women and their community come to a head at the beginning of a war and at the birth of an accursed child, who sets the townspeople alight with fear and a spreading superstition that threatens their newly won, tenuous freedom."--Publisher's description.

Conjure Women

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#fiction #romance #love #hardcover #africanamerican #kaylaperrin

Maryland

Say You Need Me

#paperback #livingbook #livingbooks #history #africanamerican #picturebook #kids 

Illus. in full color. "Winter's story begins with a peg-leg sailor who aids slaves on their escape on the Underground Railroad. While working for plantation owners, Peg Leg Joe teaches the slaves a song about the drinking gourd (the Big Dipper). A couple, their son, and two others make their escape by following the song's directions. Rich paintings interpret the strong story in a clean, primitive style enhanced by bold colors. The rhythmic compositions have an energetic presence that's compelling. A fine rendering of history in picturebook format."--(starred) Booklist.nbsp;nbsp;

Follow the Drinking Gourd

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#hardcover #africanamerican #fiction #novel 

Ohio

With each succeeding mystery featuring his reluctant detective (and natural-born existentialist) Easy Rawlins, Walter Mosley gains new fans and builds on what is now recognized as a permanent addition to American crime writing. His current book is A Little Yellow Dog--another instant classic of suspense, style, and shrewd social observation.It's 1964. Easy Rawlins has given up the street life that has brought him so much trouble and grief. He's taken on a job as supervising custodian of Sojourner Truth Junior High School in Watts. For two years he's been getting up early and going off to work. He wears nice clothes and puts all his energy-and love-into his job and his adopted children. Easy likes his new life, even though he feels empty and a little bored sometimes. But all that is about to change.Easy comes in early one morning to find one of the teachers already in her classroom. She has a dog with her and a story about a husband gone mad. Before Easy knows what's happening, the teacher is in his arms. Before the day is over the teacher is gone, leaving Easy with her dog, and the handsomest corpse Easy has ever seen is found in the school garden. That night a second corpse turns up.Easy may have left the streets but he hasn't been forgotten. The world is changing faster than he can keep up. The police believe that Easy is involved in the murders. Old enemies are waiting to get even. The principal of the school wants to fire him. His old friends aren't the same and his new friends might be his death. Easy wants back into his careful little life, but that door is closed. A murderer is running loose somewhere. And a little yellow dog plots revenge.

A Little Yellow Dog

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#paperback #abuse #push #bestseller #fiction #adult #africanamerican #movie 

California

A courageous and determined young teacher opens up a new world of hope and redemption for sixteen-year-old Precious Jones, an abused young African-American girl living in Harlem, who was raped and left pregnant by her father. Reprint. 75,000 first printing.

Push

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Has dust jacket perfectly intact #hardcover #fiction #romance #erotica #africanamerican #adult #drama

Colorado

Total Eclipse of the Heart

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#hardcover #fiction #fantasy #juvenilefiction #mythology #adventure #middlegrade #africanamerican

Arizona

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Kwame Mbalia's epic fantasy, a middle grade American Gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods. Seventh grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he's going to spend on his grandparents' farm in Alabama, where he's being sent to heal from the tragedy. But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie's notebook. Tristan chases after it--is that a doll?--and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature's hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left black American folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. But bartering with the trickster Anansi always comes at a price. Can Tristan save this world before he loses more of the things he loves?

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

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#paperback #nonfiction #fiction #adventurestories #religion #truestory #africanamerican #classic 

Michigan

A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together

The co-author relates how he was held under plantation-style slavery until he fled in the 1960s and suffered homelessness for an additional eighteen years before the wife of the other co-author, an art dealer accustomed to privilege, intervened.

Same Kind of Different as Me

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#hardcover #postapocalyptic #fiction #africanamerican 

In a post-apocalyptic world decimated by zombies, survivor efforts to rebuild are focused on Manhattan, where civilian team member Mark Spitz works to eliminate remaining infected stragglers and remembers his horrifying experiences at the height of the zombie plague. By the Whiting Writers' Award-winning author of Sag Harbor.

Zone One

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#paperback #williamfredrickcooper #theresalwaysareason #africanamerican #sequel Sequel to Six Days in January 

Louisiana

This deeply emotional sequel to William Fredrick Cooper's wildly acclaimed debut novel, Six Days in January, is a powerful, heartfelt tale that will resonate with readers everywhere.

In Six Days in January, William Fredrick Cooper shed light on the insecurities and fears of African American men through the experiences of his enigmatic protagonist William McCall. As There's Always a Reason opens, William has experienced another emotional heartbreak at the hands of a woman. When he loses his job, too, William finds himself battling just to survive. Then he meets Linda Woodson, who begins to restore his faith in all areas of life, illustrating through example that a woman of enormous strength can teach a man the true meaning of love. There's Always a Reason is an uplifting and emotional journey into the complex workings of the human heart and its ability to triumph over despair.

There's Always a Reason

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Bertice Berry follows her finely pitchedBlackboardbestselling debut novel,Redemption Song, with a mesmerizing cautionary tale about urban hip hop culture. In ancient West Africa, the drum was more than a musical instrument, it was a vehicle of communication-it conveyed information, told stories, and passed on the wisdom of generations. The magic of the drum remains alive in Africa today, and with her magnificent second novel, Berry brings those powerful beats to the streets of Harlem. Harry "Freedom" Hudson is the hottest hip-hop producer in New York City, earning unbelievable fees for his tunes and the innovative sound that puts his artists on the top of the charts. Harry is used to getting what he wants, so when he's irresistibly drawn to a house in Harlem, he assumes he'll be moving in as soon as the papers can be drawn up. The house, after all, has been abandoned for years. Or has it? Rumors are rife in the neighborhood that the house is haunted; that mysterious music, shouts, and sobbing can be heard late at night. Ava, Harry's strong-willed, no-nonsense agent, dismisses it all as "old folks" tales-until she opens the door and finds an eerie, silent group of black people, young and old, all gathered around a man holding an ancient African drum. They are waiting for Harry and bear a warning that touches his very soul: "We gave the drum back to your generation in the form of rap, but it's being used to send the wrong message." The Haunting of Hip Hopis a reminder of the importance of honoring the past as a means of moving safely and firmly into the future. It is sure to raise eyebrows and stir up controversy about the impact, good and bad, of rap culture.

The Haunting of Hip Hop

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#hardcover #fiction #youngadult #awardwinningauthor #africanamerican #africanamericans #botm #relationships 

Georgia

"A searing and profound Southern odyssey through Mississippi's past and present"--

Sing, Unburied, Sing

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#relationships #incarceration #love #africanamerican #oprahsbookclub #bestseller #popular #hardback#hardcover #fiction #family 

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

A NEW YORK TIMES AND WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK A 2018 BEST OF THE YEAR SELECTION OF NPR * TIME * BUSTLE * O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE * THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS * AMAZON.COM OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB 2018 SELECTION WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION WINNER OF THE 2019 ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE WINNER OF THE 2019 NAACP IMAGE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORK—FICTION LONGLISTED FOR THE 2018 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION “A moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple.” —Barack Obama “Haunting . . . Beautifully written.” —The New York Times Book Review “Brilliant and heartbreaking . . . Unforgettable.” —USA Today “A tense and timely love story . . . Packed with brave questions about race and class.” —People “Compelling.” —The Washington Post “Deeply moving . . . thought-provoking." —Bill Gates “Epic . . . Transcendent . . . Triumphant.” —Elle Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together. This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward—with hope and pain—into the future.

Solomon Northup

12 Years a Slave

Langston Hughes

The Dream Keeper and Other Poems

Sarah L. Delany; A. Elizabeth Delany; Amy Hill Hearth

The Delany Sisters' Book of Everyday Wisdom

Teri Woods

Angel

John Edgar Wideman

Philadelphia Fire

Virginia Hamilton

Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed

Sheneska Jackson

Blessings

Sarah M. Broom

The Yellow House

Jodi Picoult

Small Great Things

Yolanda Joe

My Fine Lady

Afia Atakora

Conjure Women

Kayla Perrin

Say You Need Me

Jeanette Winter

Follow the Drinking Gourd

Walter Mosley

A Little Yellow Dog

Sapphire

Push

Zane

Total Eclipse of the Heart

Kwame Mbalia

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

Ron Hall; Denver Moore; Lynn Vincent (As told to)

Same Kind of Different as Me

Colson Whitehead

Zone One

William Fredrick Cooper

There's Always a Reason

Bertice Berry

The Haunting of Hip Hop

Jesmyn Ward

Sing, Unburied, Sing

Tayari Jones

An American Marriage (Oprah's Book Club)

Jesmyn Ward

Sing, Unburied, Sing