Black by Popular Demand
A brilliant list of Children's books from Ibtihaj Muhammad, Questlove, Kwame Alexander, Stacey Abrams, and more!
We are continuing this month featuring independently owned Afro-Latine/Latinx bookshops! Check out Estelita’s Library of Seattle, WA.
Happy Reading!
The Boldest White: A Story of Hijab and Community
Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali
In this call to bravery from Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, Faizah learns to overcome her fears and stand in front of the crowd in this beautiful celebration of family, fencing, and community.
Faizah loves being part of the community at her mosque, and she loves being part of the group at her fencing lessons. When all eyes are on her, though, Faizah freezes up. Mama says bravery will come with time, but there's a fencing tournament coming up--does Faizah have what it takes to be bold?
Love, honesty, and courage shine through every page of this empowering picture book from the bestselling, award-winning team behind The Proudest Blue and The Kindest Red.
(Children’s)
The Idea in You: A Picture Book
An idea can come from anywhere.
Start here: reach up into the sky
And unhook a star.
Questlove's debut picture book, an uplifting story about passion, creativity, and joy--exuberantly illustrated by award-winning artist Sean Qualls--will inspire kids to find their own creative pursuits.
(Children’s)
Black Star
You can't protect her from knowing. The truth is all we have.
12-year old Charley Cuffey is many things: a granddaughter, a best friend, and probably the best pitcher in all of Lee's Mill. Set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball, Charley doesn't need reminders from her best friend Cool Willie Green to know that she has lofty dreams for a Black girl in the American South.
Even so, Nana Kofi's thrilling stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys make it impossible not to dream big. She knows he has so many more to tell, but according to her parents, she isn't old enough to know about certain things like what happened to Booker Preston that one night in Great Bridge and why she can never play on the brand-new real deal baseball field on the other side of town.
When Charley challenges a neighborhood bully to a game at the church picnic, she knows she can win, even with her ragtag team. But when the picnic spills over onto their ball field, she makes a fateful decision.
A child cannot protect herself if she does not know her history, and Charley's choice brings consequences she never could have imagined.
In this thrilling second book of the Door of No Return trilogy, set during the turbulent segregation era, and the beginning of The Great Migration, Kwame Alexander weaves a spellbinding story of struggle, determination, and the unflappable faith of an American family.
(Middle Grade)
Stacey Speaks Up
Stacey and her friends can't wait for lunchtime on Friday, also known as TacoPizza FryDay!
But when Stacey discovers that some of her classmates can't afford to eat lunch, she loses her appetite. She knows she has to do something . . . but what can a kid do?
Plenty, as it turns out! With the help of their community, Stacey and her friends devise a plan to make their voices heard.
Inspired by Stacey Abrams's legacy of grassroots activism and advocacy, this is a story about how everyone has the power to make a difference.
(Children’s)
Devils Kill Devils
Sarita has been watched over by a guardian angel her entire life. She calls him Angelo, and keeps him a secret. But secrets can't stay buried forever...
When Angelo murders someone she loves, Sarita begins to see what's really been lurking in the shadows surrounding her. And she will have to embrace the evil within if she hopes to make it out alive.
Johnny Compton, critically acclaimed author of The Spite House and master of dread, takes you on a terrifying race of one woman against the hordes of hell.
(Fantasy Horror)
The Little Book of E
In the little book of e poet E. Ethelbert Miller embraces the Japanese poetic form of haiku to comment on our contemporary world. Written during the pandemic Miller's poems follow in the tradition of Basho and Richard Wright. the little book of e is a collaboration with translator Rafi Ellenson. Haiku presented in English and Hebrew is symbolic of how language can bring people together. Miller and Ellenson have given us a book that shows how Black and Jewish relations can continue to be a beacon of hope. This book is filled with words that blossom like flowers.
(Poetry)
The Road Is Good: How a Mother's Strength Became a Daughter's Purpose
The actress Uzo Aduba came of age grappling with a master juggling act: as one of few Black families in their white Massachusetts suburb, she and her siblings were the unexpected presence in whatever school room or sports team they joined. But Aduba was also rooted by a fierce and nonnegotiable sense of belonging and extraordinary worth that stemmed from her mother's powerful vision for her children, and their connection to generations of family in Nigeria. The alchemy of being out of place yet driven by fearless conviction powered Aduba to success.
The Road Is Good is more than the journey of a young woman determined to survive young adulthood -- and to create a workable identity for herself. It is the story of an incredible mother and a testament to matriarchal power. When Aduba's mother falls ill, the origin of her own power crystallizes and Aduba leaps into a caretaker role, uniquely prepared by the history and tools her mother passed along to become steward of her ancestoral legacy.
Deeply mining her family history--gripping anecdotes her mother, aunts, and uncles shared in passing at family celebrations and her own discoveries through countless auditions in New York and her travels to Nigeria--Aduba pieces together a life story imbued with guiding lessons that are both personal and profoundly universal.
(Memoir)
