Black by Popular Demand
All the titles we missed this winter are here!
It’s never too late to meet your reading goals for this year. Stock up at Da Book Joint of Chicago.
Happy Reading!
The Winter Frost (School for Unusual Magic #2)
After a chaotic semester of Elementary Magic, Rose, Amethyst, and Lav have found themselves with new magical skills up their sleeves which will come in handy when they begin Middle Magic next year. But school is the last thing on their minds over winter break. Tensions are high between the Land Walkers and the Merfolk's mysterious leader Frost. Worse, Amethyst's mom has gone missing with an extremely illegal wand, and everyone--their classmates, Principal Ivy, the Committee--thinks she's somehow involved in the disappearance of Rose's cousin Heather. But Amethyst is determined to find her mother and set everything right. Her mom just has to be innocent!
When a secret about Amethyst's identity is revealed, her whole world comes crashing down. She doesn't understand how her mom could keep something so important from her. Is her mom actually the villain or is something even darker at work here? She'll have to trust that Rose and Lav can keep the peace above ground while she ventures underwater for answers...
(Children’s)
Spirits Come from Water: An Introduction to Ancestral Veneration and Reclaiming African Spiritual Practices
In today's world, there's a notable resurgence in spiritual exploration that diverges from the mainstream New Age culture. People are seeking clarity that aligns with their own ancestral lineage, and ancestral veneration has emerged as a powerful avenue to navigate life's complexities. For Black communities, this resurgence represents a reclamation of hope for the diaspora.
In this book, Ifa and Orisa priestess Ehime Ora shares the importance of connection to the ancestors, and to one's spiritual roots. There's a certain type of radical healing that takes place when we reconnect to our ancestral veneration and follow through with their wisdom.
Providing healing through the written word, Ehime walks you though the reclamation of African Spiritual practices, discussing the spiritual renaissance occurring in the African community, and includes interviews with elders of the rich traditions. She also provides tangible spiritual tools so that you can incorporate ancestral veneration in your life: how to properly set up and work with an ancestral altar, the importance of spiritual hygiene, and bringing forth the concept of the ori, or the higher self.
(Nonfiction)
The One: Becoming the Catalyst Your Community Needs
Are you ready to be the one who makes a difference?
This book will inspire, guide, and empower you to step into your calling as a visionary, compassionate leader. Whether you're leading in your workplace, community, or on a personal journey of growth, you'll find the tools and insights you need to create meaningful change.
Inside, you'll discover how to:
Define and embody your vision as a leader.
Lead with compassion to create lasting, positive impact.
Use the C.A.R.E. Framework to connect, affirm, respond, and build equity within your community.
Empower others to join you in making a difference.
Through practical steps, real-world examples, and a blend of visionary and compassionate leadership principles, this book will help you transform lives-starting with your own.
(Nonfiction)
A Breathless Sky
Veronica G. Henry
As climate disasters wreak havoc, a sister and brother take opposing sides on the fate of the human race.
Syrah Carthan wants to save it. A tour guide for the Sequoia National Park, Syrah has an affinity for the millennia-old Giants that extends to Rhiza, a subterranean world as ancient as Earth itself. Syrah is the reluctant heir apparent as its Keeper. Her duty is to maintain a balance between nature and humans. But Syrah’s greatest adversary has his duty as well.
Romelo, Syrah’s brother, wants humankind to get what it deserves. To protect the forests, he’s already instigated one battle that ended in chaos and death. To reverse the near extinction of the magnificent trees, Romelo’s next move is to conspire with the sequoias themselves. If all goes according to plan, it will leave human beings absolutely breathless.
The siblings are going to battle. In the worlds above and below, only one of them can emerge victorious.
(SFF)
Black Planner: Daily History for Daily Planning
Steven Barboza
With the Black Planner, you can do all the customary things you’d expect—schedule appointments, list to-dos, set goals, order priorities, scribble notes, track habits, etc.
But that’s just a starting point.
The Black Planner delivers daily doses of Black history, making your day all the more interesting.
We designed this Planner with today’s technology in mind. Use a mobile phone to scan a Black Planner QR code, and history springs to life in the palm of your hand.
This Planner’s codes harness the power of the internet to put Black wisdom, beauty, creativity, strength, and resilience at your easy disposal, whether for quick viewing, entertainment, or deep study. It’s an idea whose time has come.
(Planner)
Second to None
Every school has their number ones: the class president, the first chair in band, the spelling bee champion. And behind every high rolling high achiever? A kid in second place.
Twelve-year-old DJ has a reputation for being the go-to kid for solving just about any problem. Need help getting an unfair teacher or bully off your back? DJ is your guy. He knows the social order of Ella Fitzgerald Middle School like the back of his hand. So when the usual winners start losing -- all at the same time -- he knows something is wrong. Very wrong.
With the help of his usual crew, Audrey, Monty, and Connor, DJ is determined to get to the bottom of what's happening. Maybe it's all in his head. Or maybe there's a conspiracy at work. DJ and his friends will have to figure it out -- before the school saboteur comes for them.
(Middle Grade)
Andy Johnson and the March for Justice
Andy Johnson loves fighting battles. Especially when he has his favorite sword, the Destroyer, by his side. So when Dad announces that the Johnson family is heading to the city to join a march, Andy's ready to don his battle gear and be the best soldier!
Except this isn't a march to war . . . it's a march for justice.
Join Andy and the rest of the Johnson kids as they learn how we can answer God's call for justice and how marching is one way people can fight for a world that reflects God's love and compassion--from the civil rights era up to today.
(Children’s)
A Breathless Sky
As climate disasters wreak havoc, a sister and brother take opposing sides on the fate of the human race.
Syrah Carthan wants to save it. A tour guide for the Sequoia National Park, Syrah has an affinity for the millennia-old giants that extends to Rhiza, a subterranean world as ancient as Earth itself. Syrah is the reluctant heir apparent as its Keeper. Her duty is to maintain a balance between nature and humans. But Syrah's greatest adversary has his duty as well.
Romelo, Syrah's brother, wants humankind to get what it deserves. To protect the forests, he's already instigated one battle that ended in chaos and death. To reverse the near extinction of the magnificent trees, Romelo's next move is to conspire with the sequoias themselves. If all goes according to plan, it will leave human beings absolutely breathless.
The siblings are going to battle. In the worlds above and below, only one of them can emerge victorious.
(Fantasy)
Gordon Parks: Herklas Brown and Maine, 1944
In January 1944, Gordon Parks (1912-2006) photographed Herklas Brown--the owner of a general store and Esso gas station in Somerville, Maine. Parks traveled to the state under the auspices of the Standard Oil Company New Jersey (SONJ) to record their contributions to the war effort and document the home front in this crucial period. His photographs chronicled oil and gas facilities and workers, small-town Esso gas station owners, as well as people whose lives depended on fuel and other SONJ products.
Consistent with his work before and after, Parks prioritized getting to know his subjects as people, photographing Brown not only at his Esso station but also at home with his family. Despite the challenges he faced as a Black man traveling alone, Parks created a compelling documentary record of rural America. The images from this period offer crucial insight into the historic moment, as well as Parks' early photographic practice directly before he began his tenure at Life magazine. Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Herklas Brown and Maine, 1944 features more than 90 previously unpublished photographs.
(Photography)
