Looking for the best African American books? Browse our list to find excellent book recommendations on the subject.
1. African Americans: A Concise History, Combined Volume (5th Edition) (2013)
African Americans: A Concise History illuminates the central place of African-Americans in U.S. history by telling the story of what it has meant to be black in America and how African-American history is inseparably woven into the greater context of American history. It follows the long and turbulent journey of African-Americans, the rich culture they have nurtured throughout their history and the quest for freedom through which African-Americans have sought to counter oppression and racism. MyHistoryLab is an integral part of the Hine / Hine / Harrold program. Key…
2. African American Lives: The Struggle for Freedom, Volume I (2004)
African American Lives: The Struggle for Freedom uses a unique biographical approach to present the history of African Americans as active and thoughtful agents in the construction of their lives and communities. The text places African American lives and stories at the center of the narrative and as the basis of historical analysis. Each chapter opens with a vignette focusing on an individual involved in a dramatic moment or event. Personal stories are told throughout the narrative, as the lives and experiences of individuals provide the lens through which the story of African American history is viewed….
3. Dad, Who Will I Be? (2016)
Dad, Who Will I Be? is written by G.Todd Taylor, a former educator and child mental health expert with over 20 years of experience. This book inspires, encourages and educates young readers to be great by introducing to them heroes of color from a number of different professions on an elementary level. Some real-life heroes in the book include Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammed Ali, Mansa Musa, Guion Bluford and Garrett Morgan, W.E.B. Dubois, Tiger Woods and many more. Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu says "This is a fantastic book for children! Children need to have goals and a purpose in life. They need to have their career range…
4. The African-American Odyssey: 1 (2010)
More than any other text, The African-American Odyssey illuminates the central place of African Americans in U.S. history – not only telling the story of what it has meant to be black in America, but also how African-American history is inseparably weaved into the greater context of American history and vice versa. Told through a clear, direct, and flowing narrative by leading scholars in the field, The African-American Odyssey draws on recent research to present black history within broad social, cultural, and political frameworks. From Africa to the Twenty-First Century, this book follows their long,…
5. Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Survived Slavery and Became Millionaires (2019)
“By telling the little-known stories of six pioneering African American entrepreneurs, Black Fortunes makes a worthy contribution to black history, to business history, and to American history.”—Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times Bestselling author of Hidden FiguresBetween the years of 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity, a small group of industrious, tenacious, and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success.Mary Ellen Pleasant, used her Gold Rush wealth to further the cause of…
6. I Love My Hair! (2001)
In this imaginative, evocative story, a girl named Keyana discovers the beauty and magic of her special hair, encouraging black children to be proud of their heritage and enhancing self-confidence.I Love My Hair! has been a staple in African-American picture books for 20 years, and now has a fresh, updated cover that shines on the shelves!…
7. American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom (6th Edition) (2011)
Updated in a new 6th edition, American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom is a dynamic and comprehensive book from two nationally renowned scholars. This book continues to demonstrate the profound influence African Americans have had — and continue to have — on American politics. The authors show that through the quest for their own freedom in the United States, African Americans have universalized and expanded the freedoms for all Americans….
8. Deceit, Lies, and Alibi’s (2015)
Handsome and orphaned Noah grew up poor like most kids from North Philly. Refusing to accept poverty as his fate, he along with his childhood friend Hakim, jacked their way to the top. Years later, he’s on a legal path and building a future with his beloved fiancée Shaleea. However when slick talking Eve comes into the picture, love triangles form and everything that Noah has is threatened. Friends are foes, everyone is out for self, and loyalty is no more. As love and lust intertwine, tempers flare and life changing mistakes are made. The stakes are high in this hood tale filled with deceit, lies, and alibis….
9. Full, Full, Full of Love (2008)
For the youngest member of an exuberant extended family, Sunday dinner at Grannie’s can be full indeed — full of hugs and kisses, full of tasty dishes, full to the brim with happy faces, and full, full, full of love. With a special focus on the bond between little Jay Jay and his grannie, Trish Cooke introduces us to a gregarious family we are sure to want more, more, more of….
10. My Besties: The Come Up (2015)
Born and raised on the violent streets of Chicago, Ja`ziya and her three besties, Tiki, ReRe, and Dirty E are all determined to do three things; finish school, get money, and live comfortably. Ja`ziya and her crew aren’t your average hood rats that wanna date and marry a D-Boy. Adapting to some of the bad habits from the streets, plus some help from an unknown source, they get money their own way… The ski-mask way! Robbing drug dealers is like taking candy from a baby. They are always in and out with no problem. That was until they robbed the wrong person. Big Moe enters…
Best African American Books that Should be on Your Bookshelf
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Genesis and download some african american books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
If I Can Cook/You Know God Can: African American Food Memories, Meditations, and Recipes
Author(s): Ntozake Shange
Publisher: Beacon Press;, Year: 29 Jan 2019, Size: 3 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2321819
Remembering Slavery: African Americans Talk About Their Personal Experiences of Slavery and Emancipation
Author(s): Ira Berlin, Marc Favreau, Steven F. Miller
Publisher: The New Press, Year: 26 July 2011, Size: 5 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2381792
Influence of the Sea Surface Temperature Decadal Variability on Tropical Precipitation: West African and South American Monsoon
Author(s): Julián Villamayor
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Year: 2020, Size: 38 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2408558
Unsung Legacies of Educators and Events in African American Education
Author(s): Andrea D. Lewis, Nicole A. Taylor
Publisher: Springer International Publishing;Palgrave Macmillan, Year: 2019, Size: 2 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2355166
African Americans and Africa: A New History
Author(s): Nemata Amelia Ibitayo Blyden
Publisher: Yale University Press, Year: 2019, Size: 8 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2373416
Against a Sharp White Background: Infrastructures of African American Print
Author(s): Brigitte Fielder and Jonathan Senchyne (eds.)
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press, Year: 2019, Size: 2 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2384766
Mortality Among Hispanic and African-American Players After Desegregation in Major League Baseball
Author(s): Jeffrey S. Markowitz
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Year: 2019, Size: 2 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2408099
Love Falls On Us: A Story of American Ideas and African LGBT Lives
Author(s): Robbie Corey-Boulet
Publisher: Zed Books, Year: 2019, Size: 4 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2423136
Freedom Libraries: The Untold Story of Libraries for African Americans in the South
Author(s): Mike Selby
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, Year: 2019, Size: 3 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2430751
Mighty Justice: My Life in Civil Rights
Author(s): Katie McCabe, Dovey Johnson Roundtree
Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Year: 2019, Size: 2 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2436167
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are really chart-busters according to The Wall Street Journal, others are composed by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant links you could recommend? Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the list.