Tarana Burke

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Pennsylvania

My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement

"Searing. Powerful. Needed." —Oprah “Sometimes a single story can change the world. Unbound is one of those stories. Tarana’s words are a testimony to liberation and love.” —Brené Brown From the founder and activist behind one of the largest movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the "me too" movement, Tarana Burke debuts a powerful memoir about her own journey to saying those two simple yet infinitely powerful words—me too—and how she brought empathy back to an entire generation in one of the largest cultural events in American history. Tarana didn’t always have the courage to say "me too." As a child, she reeled from her sexual assault, believing she was responsible. Unable to confess what she thought of as her own sins for fear of shattering her family, her soul split in two. One side was the bright, intellectually curious third generation Bronxite steeped in Black literature and power, and the other was the bad, shame ridden girl who thought of herself as a vile rule breaker, not of a victim. She tucked one away, hidden behind a wall of pain and anger, which seemed to work...until it didn’t. Tarana fought to reunite her fractured soul, through organizing, pursuing justice, and finding community. In her debut memoir she shares her extensive work supporting and empowering Black and brown girls, and the devastating realization that to truly help these girls she needed to help that scared, ashamed child still in her soul. She needed to stop running and confront what had happened to her, for Heaven and Diamond and the countless other young Black women for whom she cared. They gave her the courage to embrace her power. A power which in turn she shared with the entire world. Through these young Black and brown women, Tarana found that we can only offer empathy to others if we first offer it to ourselves. Unbound is the story of an inimitable woman’s inner strength and perseverance, all in pursuit of bringing healing to her community and the world around her, but it is also a story of possibility, of empathy, of power, and of the leader we all have inside ourselves. In sharing her path toward healing and saying "me too," Tarana reaches out a hand to help us all on our own journeys.

Unbound

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Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

New Jersey

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “An inspiring story that manages to be painful, honest, shocking, bawdy and hilarious.” —The New York Times Book Review From stand-up comedian, actress, and breakout star of Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish, comes The Last Black Unicorn, a sidesplitting, hysterical, edgy, and unflinching collection of (extremely) personal essays, as fearless as the author herself. Growing up in one of the poorest neighborhoods of South Central Los Angeles, Tiffany learned to survive by making people laugh. If she could do that, then her classmates would let her copy their homework, the other foster kids she lived with wouldn’t beat her up, and she might even get a boyfriend. Or at least she could make enough money—as the paid school mascot and in-demand Bar Mitzvah hype woman—to get her hair and nails done, so then she might get a boyfriend. None of that worked (and she’s still single), but it allowed Tiffany to imagine a place for herself where she could do something she loved for a living: comedy. Tiffany can’t avoid being funny—it’s just who she is, whether she’s plotting shocking, jaw-dropping revenge on an ex-boyfriend or learning how to handle her newfound fame despite still having a broke person’s mind-set. Finally poised to become a household name, she recounts with heart and humor how she came from nothing and nowhere to achieve her dreams by owning, sharing, and using her pain to heal others. By turns hilarious, filthy, and brutally honest, The Last Black Unicorn shows the world who Tiffany Haddish really is—humble, grateful, down-to-earth, and funny as hell. And now, she’s ready to inspire others through the power of laughter.

The Last Black Unicorn

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Sarah Delany

Annie Elizabeth Delany

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Missouri

The Delany Sisters First 100 Years

A dual memoir reflecting a century of life together traces the lives of sisters Sadie and Bessie Delany, the oldest surviving members of one of America's preeminent Black families

Having Our Say

dbb92c17-9398-4f7c-91c9-657bf7e2db8c-1

South Carolina

Unbound - 1st edition 

Barbara Neely

Oregon

Praise the Ancestors! After three years of housekeeping for Boston's haughty elite, Blanche White is finally coming home to North Carolina for an entire summer. And like a sign from above that she's headed in the right direction, Blanche has already lined up a date with the handsome train conductor she met somewhere between Boston and Baltimore. The summer holds lots of promise, including helping her best friend, Ardell, with her new catering business. Then, on her first night back, Blanche runs into David Palmer, the man who raped her eight years ago. The time has now come for Blanche to exact her revenge. So when a young girl is murdered and it looks as if Palmer may be involved, Blanche pursues every possible lead to help put an end to his legacy once and for all.

Blanche Passes Go

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Florida

Tiffany Haddish

Arizona

Wayetu Moore

California

A Memoir

An engrossing memoir of escaping the First Liberian Civil War and building a life in the United States When Wayétu Moore turns five years old, her father and grandmother throw her a big birthday party at their home in Monrovia, Liberia, but all she can think about is how much she misses her mother, who is working and studying in faraway New York. Before she gets the reunion her father promised her, war breaks out in Liberia. The family is forced to flee their home on foot, walking and hiding for three weeks until they arrive in the village of Lai. Finally, a rebel soldier smuggles them across the border to Sierra Leone, reuniting the family and setting them off on yet another journey, this time to the United States. Spanning this harrowing journey in Moore’s early childhood, her years adjusting to life in Texas as a black woman and an immigrant, and her eventual return to Liberia, The Dragons, the Giant, the Women is a deeply moving story of the search for home in the midst of upheaval. Moore has a novelist’s eye for suspense and emotional depth, and this unforgettable memoir is full of imaginative, lyrical flights and lush prose. In capturing both the hazy magic and the stark realities of what is becoming an increasingly pervasive experience, Moore shines a light on the great political and personal forces that continue to affect many migrants around the world, and calls us all to acknowledge the tenacious power of love and family.

The Dragons, the Giant, the Women

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Maine

#paperback #humor #memoir #nonfiction #autobiography #biography #blackwomen #comedy 

Ohio

Janet Dewart Bell

Illinois

Inspiring Black Women's Speeches from the Civil War to the Twenty-First Century

An uplifting collection of speeches by African American women, curated by the civil and human rights activist, scholar, and author "Bell reminds readers that one story is never enough to truly explain a movement."--Shelf Awareness When Mary Ann Shadd Cary--the first Black woman publisher in North America--declared, "break every yoke . . . let the oppressed go free" to congregants in Chatham, Canada, in 1858, she joined a tradition of African American women speaking for their own liberation. Drawing from a rich archive of political speeches, acclaimed activist and author Janet Dewart Bell explores this tradition in Blackbirds Singing, a soaring new--and gorgeously packaged--collection of African American women's speeches. Gathering an array of recognized names as well as some new discoveries, Janet Dewart Bell curates public addresses by Black women beginning in the nineteenth century and extending to the twenty-first century. Author of Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement, a nominee for the NAACP Image Award, Bell highlights Black women speaking truth to power in service of freedom and justice. From Harriet Tubman to Barbara Lee, Josephine Baker to Barbara Jordan, these magnificent speakers explore ethics, morality, courage, authenticity, and leadership. Bell's substantive introductions provide rich new context for each woman's speech. With an expansive historical lens, Blackbirds Singing celebrates the tradition of Black women's political speech and labor, allowing the voices and powerful visions of African American women to speak across generations building power for the world.

Blackbirds Singing

f2629e0e-2a83-401e-9161-d99a8524f0f2-0

Louisiana

Kimberly Jones

Gilly Segal

Told from alternating points of view, Chanel and Eleanor's rocky start to senior year gets more complex when the cheerleading team kneels for the national anthem and each girl grapples with the consequences.

Why We Fly

a2c71b30-5576-41f8-b130-343118f9d43c-1

Wisconsin

Glory Edim

15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library

On Girlhood

c212467d-0baa-4947-af99-ffc521734076-1

Safia Elhillo

Never read. From smoke and mold free home.

A mesmerizing novel in verse about family, identity, and finding yourself in the most unexpected places--for fans of The Poet X, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, and Jason Reynolds. Nima doesn't feel understood. By her mother, who grew up far away in a different land. By her suburban town, which makes her feel too much like an outsider to fit in and not enough like an outsider to feel like that she belongs somewhere else. At least she has her childhood friend Haitham, with whom she can let her guard down and be herself.Until she doesn't. As the ground is pulled out from under her, Nima must grapple with the phantom of a life not chosen, the name her parents didn't give her at birth: Yasmeen. But that other name, that other girl, might just be more real than Nima knows. And more hungry.And the life Nima has, the one she keeps wishing were someone else's. . .she might have to fight for it with a fierceness she never knew she had. "Nothing short of magic...One of the best writers of our times."-- Elizabeth Acevedo, New York Times Bestselling author of The Poet X

Home Is Not a Country

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#hardcover #africanamerican #women #love #romance #blackwomen

Maryland

What Matters Most 

Sheila Williams

New Hampshire

A Novel

The author of Dancing on the Edge of the Roof, now a Netflix film starring Alfre Woodard, returns with a riveting, emotionally rich, novel that explores the complex relationship between mothers and daughters in a fresh, vibrant way--a stunning page-turner for fans of Terry McMillan, Tayari Jones, and Kimberla Lawson Roby. Elise Armstrong, Carmen Bradshaw, and DeeDee Davis meet in a yoga class. Though vastly different, these women discover they all have one thing in common: their mothers have recently passed away. Becoming fast friends, the trio make a pact to help each other sort through the belongings their mothers' left behind. But when they find old letters and diaries, Elise, Carmen, and DeeDee are astonished to learn that each of their mothers hid secrets--secrets that will transform their own lives. Meeting each month over margaritas, the trio share laughter, advice, and support. As they help each other overcome challenges and celebrate successes, Elise, Carmen, and DeeDee gain not only a better understanding of the women their mothers were, but of themselves. They also come to realize they have what their mothers needed most but did not have during difficult times--other women they could trust. Filled with poignant life lessons, The Secret Women pays tribute to the power of friendship and family and the bonds that tie us together. Beautiful, full of spirit and heart, it is a thoughtful and ultimately uplifting story of unconditional love.

The Secret Women

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#paperback #relationships #blackwomen #transformation

Alabama

Living Boldly and Abundantly at Every Age

This book serves as inspiration, proving to women that you can hit the refresh button on your life at any moment.

Second Act

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Unbound [Adv. Reader Edition]

Shayla Lawson

Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope

A National Book Critics Circle Finalist in Autobiography * Finalist for a Lambda Literary Award * Named one of the most anticipated books of the year by USA Today, Bitch Magazine, Parade, Salon and Ms. Magazine

From a fierce and humorous new voice comes a relevant, insightful, and riveting collection of personal essays on the richness and resilience of black girl culture--for readers of Samantha Irby, Roxane Gay, Morgan Jerkins, and Lindy West. 

Shayla Lawson is major. You don't know who she is. Yet. But that's okay. She is on a mission to move black girls like herself from best supporting actress to a starring role in the major narrative. Whether she's taking on workplace microaggressions or upending racist stereotypes about her home state of Kentucky, she looks for the side of the story that isn't always told, the places where the voices of black girls haven't been heard.



The essays in This is Major ask questions like: Why are black women invisible to AI? What is "black girl magic"? Or: Am I one viral tweet away from becoming Twitter famous? And: How much magic does it take to land a Tinder date?

With a unique mix of personal stories, pop culture observations, and insights into politics and history, Lawson sheds light on these questions, as well as the many ways black women and girls have influenced mainstream culture--from their style, to their language, and even their art--and how "major" they really are.

Timely, enlightening, and wickedly sharp, This Is Major places black women at the center--no longer silenced, no longer the minority. 

This Is Major

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#paperback #blackhistory #blacklit #poc #blackwomen #history #historical #race #racism #feminism 

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America

“History at its best--clear, intelligent, moving. Paula Giddings has written a book as priceless as its subject”--Toni Morrison

Acclaimed by writers Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, Paula Giddings's When and Where I Enter is not only an eloquent testament to the unsung contributions of individual women to our nation, but to the collective activism which elevated the race and women's movements that define our times. From Ida B. Wells to the first black Presidential candidate, Shirley Chisholm; from the anti-lynching movement to the struggle for suffrage and equal protection under the law; Giddings tells the stories of black women who transcended the dual discrimination of race and gender--and whose legacy inspires our own generation. Forty years after the passing of the Voting Rights Act, when phrases like “affirmative action” and “wrongful imprisonment” are rallying cries, Giddings words resonate now more than ever.

When and Where I Enter

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Utah

Kesha Ajose Fisher

Short stories 

No God Like the Mother

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Tarana Burke

Unbound

Tiffany Haddish

The Last Black Unicorn

Sarah Delany; Annie Elizabeth Delany

Having Our Say

Tarana Burke

Unbound - 1st edition

Barbara Neely

Blanche Passes Go

Tarana Burke

Unbound

Tiffany Haddish

The Last Black Unicorn

Wayetu Moore

The Dragons, the Giant, the Women

Tarana Burke

Unbound

Tiffany Haddish

The Last Black Unicorn

Janet Dewart Bell

Blackbirds Singing

Sarah Delany; Annie Elizabeth Delany

Having Our Say

Kimberly Jones; Gilly Segal

Why We Fly

Tarana Burke

Unbound

Glory Edim

On Girlhood

Safia Elhillo

Home Is Not a Country

Francine Craft

What Matters Most

Sheila Williams

The Secret Women

Cheri Spigner

Second Act

Tarana Burke

Unbound [Adv. Reader Edition]

Shayla Lawson

This Is Major

Paula J. Giddings

When and Where I Enter

Tiffany Haddish

The Last Black Unicorn

Kesha Ajose Fisher

No God Like the Mother