Black History Month

This book explores the Black Panther Party's origins and the lasting impacts that the organization's community activism has had on America's ongoing fight for racial justice.

Written with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell, Congressman John Lewis's award-winning graphic novel chronicles his experiences in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.

In 1957, Melba Pattillo was one of a group of teenagers who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In this memoir, she describes her fight to survive and thrive in the sometimes violent aftermath of the Supreme Court decision that declared segregation unconstitutional.

When the Watson family pays Grandma a visit in Alabama, they find themselves caught up in the battle for civil rights.

Written by the influential abolitionist, Douglass's autobiography bears witness to the horrors of slavery. Read the full text here.

In a series of autobiographical poems, Jacqueline Woodson vividly brings her childhood and adolescence to life. This memoir in verse won the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and the Newbery Honor Award.

In Nic Stone's unflinching exploration of racism, high school student Justyce McAllister writes letters to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in order to process the violence and prejudice he encounters in his community.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Morrison's novel tells the story of Sethe, a formerly enslaved woman who is haunted by her past.

Written with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell, Congressman John Lewis's award-winning graphic novel chronicles his experiences in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.

Written with Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell, Congressman John Lewis's award-winning graphic novel chronicles his experiences in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.

This nonfiction account of the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery is richly illustrated with archival photographs.

Richly illustrated with archival photos, this book offers an account of the 1961 Freedom Ride, a protest of unconstitutional racial segregation on buses.

In order to repay a debt, twelve-year-old Charlie agrees to help the cruel Cap'n Buck to capture several fugitive slaves. But when Charlie is confronted with the horrors of slavery, he is forced to reconsider his plans.

The 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till galvanized the Civil Rights Movement. In this novel, award-winning author Chris Crowe explores the murder and its aftermath through the perspective of a fictional teenage narrator.

Born in a Canadian settlement for runaway slaves, naive and well-meaning Elijah is forced to confront the realities of slavery when he attempts to recover stolen money that would help free a friend's enslaved family.

In this historical novel, a young girl confronts prejudice and injustice in her segregated North Carolina town.

In this best-selling novel, sixteen-year-old Starr's life is turned upside down when she witnesses the death of her friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer.

This bestselling book traces the history of racist ideas and racial injustice in the United States.

Freedman's meticulously researched biography of vocalist Marian Anderson contextualizes the singer's life within the broader movement for civil rights and equality.

In the Nobel Prize-winner's first novel, a young black girl yearns to conform to society's rigid standards of beauty.

Set in Arkansas in 1958, this novel tells the story of two courageous twelve-year-old girls who fight against segregation in their community.

While spending the summer at her grandmother's house in Lambert, South Carolina, Candice finds an intriguing old letter in the attic. She joins forces with a neighbor to follow the clues in the letter and find a hidden treasure — but solving the mystery means uncovering past injustices in Lambert.

In a sequence of 15 sonnets, award-winning poet Marilyn Nelson pays tribute to the young boy whose brutal, racially motivated murder outraged the country. This list includes words from Nelson's notes on the historical event and her writing process.

In this thought-provoking exploration of bias and injustice, a twelve-year-old boy meets the ghost of Emmett Till (an African-American teen who was lynched in 1955) in the afterlife.

Set in Mississippi during the Great Depression, this classic novel follows Cassie Logan and her family as they face prejudice and economic hardship.

As World War II looms, seventeen-year-old Cassie Logan and her brothers experience the trials and tribulations of growing up and face shocking racial violence.

In the summer of 1968, three sisters travel to California to visit their estranged mother. While there, they learn about the fight for equality and civil rights.

Growing up in Chicago in the 1960s, Sam is a witness to both racism and the growing Civil Rights Movement. But when his father and brother embrace conflicting tactics for confronting prejudice and violence in their community, Sam must figure out where his loyalties lie.

In 1957, Melba Pattillo Beals was one of nine African-American students who integrated Little Rock Central High School, an experience she discusses in her celebrated memoir Warriors Don't Cry. In this follow-up, she recounts growing up in the South under oppressive Jim Crow laws.

Lynda Blackmon Lowery was the youngest participant in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery protest marches that aimed to secure voting rights for African Americans. In this memoir, she recounts her experiences in the Civil Rights Movement.

After moving to Chicago from Alabama, an eleven-year-old boy finds solace and inspiration in the poetry of Langston Hughes.

This acclaimed nonfiction book tells the story of Hurricane Katrina in graphic form.

Twelve-year-old Shayla doesn't like to make waves—but as she navigates middle school and educates herself about prejudice in her community, she learns that sometimes it's good to cause a little trouble.

In this graphic novel, an African-American seventh grader struggles to fit in at his new private school.

In this sequel to the award-winning graphic novel New Kid, eighth-graders Drew and Jordan grapple with identity, privilege, and fitting in.

Twelve-year-old Zoe Washington attempts to prove that her father was wrongfully convicted of a crime.

Twelve-year-old Donte faces bullying and racism, but when he begins to train as a competitive fencer, he finds the confidence to stand up for himself.

Ten-year-old Sugar endures grueling work on a sugar plantation, but her friendships with the plantation owner's son and new Chinese laborers offer her hope and community.

Sharon Robinson, daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, shares memories of and insights about her father.

Journalist Shelley Tougas considers the fight to integrate Little Rock Central High School through the lens of a single photograph taken on September 4, 1957.

In this memoir, Ruby Bridges recalls her experiences as the first African-American student at a newly desegregated elementary school in New Orleans.

This fictionalized biography, written in a combination of prose and verse, imagines the early life of Cassius Clay, better known as Muhammad Ali.

In this autobiography, cowritten with Michelle Burford, decorated gymnast Simone Biles recounts her path to becoming an Olympic gold medalist.

In this memoir, basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabar recounts his youth and traces his path to the NBA.

In this award-winning book, civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander argues that the American criminal justice system unfairly targets and penalizes African Americans, resulting in long-term harm to black communities.

Framed as a letter to his teenaged son, Coates's book is a profound meditation on race in American culture. Learn these words from the National Book Award winner.

An unflinching look at the brutality of the American slave trade, Draper's novel tells the story of Amari, a young African girl who is enslaved.

This powerful graphic novel, illustrated by Stacey Robinson and John Jennings, explores the life and afterlife of a teenager who is a victim of gun violence.

Cowritten by one of Malcolm X's daughters, this novel presents a fictionalized account of the activist's troubled youth.

This novel by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely tells the story of Rashad and Quinn, two teenagers whose lives are changed after an incident of police brutality divides their community.

In this companion novel to Dear Martin, a teenager in a juvenile detention center tries to make sense of his life by writing letters to an old friend.

After World War II, a twelve-year-old boy befriends an African-American veteran — and begins to recognize prejudice and injustice in his hometown.

This book, which won the Coretta Scott King Award in 2019, traces the history of racial tension that led to the Chicago Race Riot of 1919.

Colson Whitehead's novel follows Cora, an enslaved woman, as she travels north in search of freedom. Infused with a hint of magical realism, this harrowing and groundbreaking book won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery, escaped to freedom, and worked to liberate countless other enslaved people. Learn more about Tubman's life by reviewing these words from Ann Petry's acclaimed biography.

This biography, published in the late 19th century, recounts the life of the famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. Read the full text here.

An acclaimed science-fiction classic, Kindred tells the story of Dana, an African-American woman in 1970s California who time-travels to the American South before the Civil War.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, based on historical events, traces the harrowing story of two boys sent to a Florida reformatory school in the 1960s.

In this verse novel, a sixteen-year-old boy is convicted of a crime he didn't commit.

As protests and unrest rock Los Angeles, teenager Ashley Bennett deals with family turmoil and prejudice in her community.

In this memoir, Carlotta Walls LaNier recounts being one of the first black students to integrate Little Rock Central High School.

This biography of Muhammad Ali explores the boxer's career and his activism.

After a bout of polio, Nick is unsure if he will ever be able to play baseball again — but he draws inspiration from star pitcher Satchel Paige.

Written by a former NFL football player, this book blends history and personal narrative in order to encourage thoughtful discussions about racism.

A new teacher helps Maleeka stand up to the classmates who bully her and feel comfortable in her own skin.

This memoir recounts Noah's childhood in South Africa during the last years of apartheid.

In this adaptation of Born a Crime for young readers, Trevor Noah recounts his childhood in apartheid-era South Africa.

In this classic autobiography, the accomplished poet and writer recounts her childhood and teenage years.

In this semi-autobiographical novel set in Harlem in the 1930s, a boy learns about his family history on his fourteenth birthday.

In this classic essay, James Baldwin reflects on his youthful experiences and probes America's history of racial injustice.

In this collection of essays, Baldwin explores literature and film, life in Harlem, his experiences as an expatriate in Paris, and more.

This controversial novel explores the ways that poverty, racism, and hardship lead a young man to commit a shocking act of violence.

In Ralph Ellison's classic novel, a nameless narrator struggles with his sense of identity in a world that treats him like he is invisible.

Considered a seminal work of African-American literature, Their Eyes Were Watching God is notable for its strong and independent female protagonist.

After escaping to New York, Harriet Jacobs wrote this account of the horrors of slavery, focusing particularly on the suffering of enslaved women.

Set during the Harlem Renaissance, this follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Beloved explores a love triangle that ends violently.

Adapted into an Oscar-winning film, this memoir tells the story of a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the nineteenth century. Read the full text here.

In the 1940s, a working class African-American family in Chicago must decide how to best spend a ten-thousand dollar insurance payout.

In this autobiography, author Zora Neale Hurston traces her childhood, her college years, and her work researching folklore.

A group of extraordinarily talented African-American women help NASA achieve some of its greatest successes, even as they face discrimination and oppression.

During the Great Depression, a ten-year-old boy hits the road in search of the father he has never known.

In this sequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the Logans support a friend accused of a crime he didn't commit and confront prejudice and greed in their neighborhood.

Twelve-year-old Lanesha and her caretaker, both endowed with supernatural gifts, must fight to survive when Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans.

Using novelistic techniques, this autobiography details Wright's coming of age during the Jim Crow era.

Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, this Pulitzer Prize-winning play follows former baseball player Troy Maxson as he tries to find his place in the world and navigate troubled relationships with his wife and son.

Lotus Bloom, a seventh-grade girl who loves the vintage style of the 1970s, learns to speak up and fight for the freedom of expression after facing a dress code violation at school.

Eleven-year-old twins Jezebel and Jay must use their family's legacy of magic to fight against evil forces in South Carolina during the 1960s.

In this autobiographical work, Jo Ann Allen Boyce recounts her experience of being one of the first Black children to integrate a public high school in Clinton, Tennessee, following desegregation in the late 1950s.

This collection of poetry reflects on more than a century's worth of American history, exploring a variety of topics including racism, the 1918 influenza pandemic, climate change, and the AIDS epidemic.

After the death of her mother, seventeen-year-old Rue is forced to leave her younger sister and go with her estranged father to Ghizon, a hidden island full of magical beings. There, Rue learns the truth of her ancestry and why she must go back to save her sister before it's too late.

Following his parents' death, Alex discovers that he has the ability to see the future. After seeing his brother's impending death, Alex's world is turned upside down as he tries to change the future and save his brother.

High school cheerleaders Eleanor and Chanel face a tumultuous senior year after their decision to kneel during the national anthem at the first football game of the season.

After her father loses his job, twelve-year-old Joy must adjust to a new life in a small apartment building where she discovers a secret hideout where kids go to escape their troubles.

This interwoven novel of short stories explores the relationships and love lives of teenagers during a blackout on a hot summer night in New York City.

Haunted by the memories of a fire that killed her parents, fifteen-year old Addy must lead her friends to safety after encountering a forest fire during a summer wilderness program.

Running away from the slave-owning Southerland Plantation, twelve-year-old Homer and his seven-year-old sister Ada head to the swamp, where they find some unexpected help.