Black by Popular Demand
Books by Black authors releasing each week!
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Happy Reading!
Curlfriends: New in Town (a Graphic Novel)
Charlie has a foolproof plan for the first day at her new middle school. Even though she's used to starting over as the new kid--thanks to her military family's constant moving--making friends has never been easy for her. But this time, her first impression needs to last, since this is where her family plans to settle for good.
So she's hiding any interests that may seem "babyish," updating her look, and doing her best to leave her shyness behind her...but is erasing the real Charlie the best way to make friends?
When not everything goes exactly to plan--like, AT ALL--Charlie is ready to give up on making new friendships. Then she meets the Curlfriends, a group of Black girls who couldn't be more different from each other, and learns that maybe there is a place for Charlie to be her true self after all.
Sharee Miller's graphic novel debut starts off an exciting contemporary series featuring four Black girls who each have a unique story, and each learn lessons about friendship, family, and being their true selves.
(Young Adult Graphic Novel)
Montgomery and the Case of the Golden Key
In 2008 Chicago, in the Southside community of Washington Park, Montgomery"Monty" Carver had hoped for the best summer ever! Unfortunately, things aren't going as planned. Monty is struggling to prove to his parents that he's old enough to be without adult supervision--especially after a very embarrassing incident with a metal detector. Man!
So when Monty finds a golden key in Old Lady Jenkins's sunflowers, he decides he's going to unravel the key's mystery all by himself, thank you very much. No parents allowed. Besides, he's ten years old now, and he's mastered the perfectly round 'fro! (It takes a protractor, you see.)
Soon Monty's hunt to determine the origin of the key leads him to discover the rich history--like famous Black jockeys!--of his Chicago community, which has been speculating its future since one of their residents, Barack Obama, is running for president and the Olympics might come to town in 2016.
On top of all that speculating, there are rumors going around that a ghost is hanging out behind their apartment building, and that Monty's elementary school may have to close.
So much to solve! Should the Olympics come to Washington Park? What happens if his school closes? Is there really a ghost? And where, oh where, did the key come from anyway? Monty is determined to find out.
(Middle Grade)
What Every Black Parent Needs to Know about Saving Our Sons: Institutionalized Racism, Society, and Raising Black Children
A powerful guide to navigate the challenges of raising families in turbulent times. In What Every Black Parent Needs to Know about Saving Our Sons, gain profound advice on how to protect and nurture Black teen boys.
Essential knowledge, practical guidance. With intimate storytelling of her own son’s story and in-depth research against the chilling backdrop of racially motivated brutality, acclaimed author Marita Golden reveals alarming statistics and systemic issues affecting children of color—and remedies.
A powerful and timely resource, What Every Black Parent Needs to Know about Saving Our Sons addresses pressing issues of today with new material and updated resources. Wisdom from psychologists, writers, and young Black men initiates meaningful discussions and delves into the complexities of Black parenting. Tackle topics such as generational trauma, being Black in white spaces, institutionalized racism, gun violence and how to not get shot, supporting mental health for black men, and other problems Black kids face. Embark on a transformative journey towards raising confident, successful, and resilient kids.
(Nonfiction)
Remember Us
It seems like Sage's whole world is on fire the summer before she starts seventh grade. As house after house burns down, her Bushwick neighborhood gets referred to as "The Matchbox" in the local newspaper. And while Sage prefers to spend her time shooting hoops with the guys, she's also still trying to figure out her place inside the circle of girls she's known since childhood. A group that each day, feels further and further away from her. But it's also the summer of Freddy, a new kid who truly gets Sage. Together, they reckon with the pain of missing the things that get left behind as time moves on, savor what's good in the present, and buoy each other up in the face of destruction. And when the future comes, it is Sage's memories of the past that show her the way forward. Remember Us speaks to the power of both letting go . . . and holding on.
(Middle Grade)
Snow Place Like Home: A Christmas Novel
Ella Wilson has avoided home and the holidays for nearly a decade. For her, the season is plagued by a jinx that's brought nothing but painful memories: her mother's death nearly two decades ago, her fiancé's abandonment last year, and now the loss of her job as an art curator. But without work to occupy her, home is exactly where Ella has ended up. And somehow, she's also been roped into planning the town's Christmas tree auction--side by side with her first love.
Seth Hamil knows that home is where the heart is, and for him, it's always been the sleepy community of Bellepoint, Pennsylvania . . . and for a while in high school that included Ella Wilson. Since then, he's been married and widowed and has spent the year throwing himself into his career as a music teacher and trying to keep his wife's memory alive, starting with the church fundraiser she launched to support local kids. So, despite their history, Seth isn't about to let his wife's vision for the event be easily dismissed by Ella's temporary presence and big-city ideas.
To find a way to work together, the two strike a deal: Ella can incorporate her splashy ideas into the auction if she will allow Seth to show her why Christmas is about more than decorations. Soon both begin to wonder whether fate has brought them together for a fresh start--and if Christmas wishes really can come true.
(Romance)
Songs of Irie
It's 1976 and Jamaica is on fire. The country is on the eve of important elections and the warring political parties have made the divisions between the poor and the wealthy even wider. And Irie and Jilly come from very different backgrounds: Irie is from the heart of Kingston, where fighting in the streets is common. Jilly is from the hills, where mansions nestled within lush gardens remain safe behind gates. But the two bond through a shared love of Reggae music, spending time together at Irie's father's record store, listening to so-called rebel music that opens Jilly's mind to a sound and a way of thinking she's never heard before.
As tensions build in the streets, so do tensions between the two girls. A budding romance between them complicates things further as the push and pull between their two lives becomes impossible to bear. For Irie, fighting--with her words and her voice--is her only option. Blood is shed on the streets in front of her every day. She has no choice. But Jilly can always choose to escape.
Can their bond survive this impossible divide?
Asha Bromfield has written a compelling, emotional and heart-rending story of a friendship during wartime and what it means to fight for your words, your life, and the love of your life.
(Young Adult)
Touched
Martin Just wakes up one morning after what feels like, and might actually be, a centuries-long sleep with two new innate pieces of knowledge: Humanity is a virus destined to destroy all existence. And he is the Cure. Martin begins slipping into an alternate consciousness, with new physical strengths, to violently defend his family--the only Black family in their neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles-- against pure evil. Think Octavia Butler meets Jeff VanderMeer meets Jordan Peele.
(Fantasy)
Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business
Since the publication of the groundbreaking Bad Feminist and Hunger, Roxane Gay has continued to tackle big issues embroiling society--state-sponsored violence and mass shootings, women's rights post-Dobbs, online disinformation, and the limits of empathy--alongside more individually personalized matters: can I tell my co-worker her perfume makes me sneeze? Is it acceptable to schedule a daily 8 am meeting? In her role as a New York Times opinion section contributor and the publication's "Work Friend" columnist, she reaches millions of readers with her wise voice and sharp insights.
Opinions is a collection of Roxane Gay's best nonfiction pieces from the past ten years. Covering a wide range of topics--politics, feminism, the culture wars, civil rights, and much more--with an all-new introduction in which she reflects on the past decade in America, this sharp, thought-provoking anthology will delight Roxane Gay's devotees and draw new readers to this inimitable talent.
(Nonfiction)
Homeward
Georgia, 1962. Rose Perkins Bourdon returns home to Parsons, GA, without her husband and pregnant with another man's baby. After tragedy strikes her husband in the war overseas, a numb Rose is left with pieces of who she used to be and is forced to figure out what she is going to do with the rest of her life. Her sister introduces her to members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee--young people are taking risks and fighting battles Rose has only seen on television. Feeling emotions for the first time in what feels like forever, the excited and frightened Rose finds herself becoming increasingly involved in the resistance efforts. And of course, there is also the young man, Isaac Weinberg, whose passion for activism stirs something in her she didn't think she would ever feel again.
(Historical)
