Black by Popular Demand
A Kwanzaa Cookbook, Black travel essays, and more this week!
Don’t forget to vote today! For this week, find your good reads at BLACKLIT Bookstore of TX.
Happy Reading!
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson was born in New York City to parents originally from the Islands. No matter where she was, Cicely always carried light within her, a light that she let shine. After many years of discovering herself, Cicely finally found where her light could shine the brightest and touch others: in film.
Spinning gorgeous verse, and weaving in the history of Black America, Watson beautifully introduces children to Cicely's world--the world that shaped a woman who went on to bring unparalleled grace to the stage and screen. Young readers will be inspired by Cicely Tyson's life and adult fans will marvel at this stunning keepsake.
(Children’s)
A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook: Celebrating the Holiday with Family, Community, and Tradition
Now with a new introduction by award-winning writer and iconic culinary historian Jessica B. Harris, a foreword by chef and television personality Carla Hall, revised recipes and stories, and a fresh new package, A Kwanzaa Keepsake offers proverbs, ceremonies, family projects, inspirational biographies, blessings, and of course, wonderful recipes. Structured around the seven days of Kwanzaa and the virtues each day represents, Harris shares a themed feast for each night, designed to reflect the principle of the day. Some of the menus include:
-Umoja (Unity), featuring dishes of multinational origin such as Seasoned Olives, Mechoui-Style Leg of Lamb with cumin, mint, and chili, and a classic Caribbean rum punch, and reminds readers of the union of all peoples of African descent.
-Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), composed of dishes from the African continent including Sweet Potato Fritters, Grilled Pepper Salad, and Piment Aimee, a hot sauce from one of the author's friends.
-Kuumba (Creativity) is a healing supper and communal meal that opens the gates of remembrance through food. The repast is centered around a heritage recipe and includes others for Pickled Black-Eyed Peas, a fish dish from the the Ivory Coast, Spicy Cranberry Chutney, and a killer pecan pie with molasses whipped cream.
(Cookbook)
Outriders Africa: Essays on Exploration and Return
It is Spring 2020, and 10 writers of African heritage, travelling in pairs, set out on journeys across Africa. It is a strange time to be travelling, and the shifting state of the world is reflected in temperature checks at borders, hand sanitiser outside churches, and truncated journeys.
Against this backdrop, their travels take them from the tourist beaches of Madagascar and Comoros to the Rastafarian town of Shashamane in Ethiopia, and from questions of renaming amongst the flora and fauna of Cape Town to learning to walk in circles and embrace sensuality in The Gambia.
Through essays, travel diaries, letters and poetry, Outriders Africa is an evocative and enthralling exploration of forgotten family histories, reckoning with grief (both personal and historical), and what it truly means to return.
(Essays)
Seeing Black: Black Photography in New Orleans 1840 and Beyond
SEEING BLACK features over two hundred images by nearly ninety Black photographers whose work embraces the camera's visual power--discerning, beholding, and documenting people, places, events, collective memories, encounters, and ever-present moments of blackness. From the invisible to the obvious, the mundane to the spectacular, the overlooked to the seen, the erased to the remembered, the artists explore a range of photographic frequencies, styles, and rhythmic scores. SEEING BLACK invites us to explore historical and contemporary archives of Black life while challenging dominant viewing practices, asking who is taking the picture, who is in or missing from the frame, and how to shift our interactions with the visual image through an intentionally embodied Black gaze.
(Photography)
In Slavery's Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World
The companion book to a groundbreaking exhibition on African American history and culture--with 150 powerful illustrations of people and objects.
This powerful collection of essays brought to life with more than 150 illustrations investigates the intertwined legacies of slavery, freedom, and capitalism. In Slavery's Wake frames the history of slavery in a global context to show how it created systems of oppression that continue to shape the world today. Compelling essays from key historians and scholars trace the contemporary resonances of slavery but also the history of freedom-making, from abolitionism to enslaved and colonized people asserting their humanity to the Black Lives Matter movement. The history is humanized by:
Art reflecting on liberation, including the gorgeous artwork of Daniel Minter
Historic and contemporary artifacts that represent enslavement and resistance
Poignant interviews of descendants of formerly colonized and enslaved people sharing their lived experiences
(Nonfiction)
Willie Mays: A Little Golden Book Biography
This Little Golden Book about Willie Mays--the "Say Hey Kid" and 24-time All-Star baseball player--is an inspiring read-aloud for young sports fans and their parents!
(Children’s)
