Biography

At the close of the Civil War, Congress established the Freedmen's Bureau--formally, the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands--to deal with the question of the place in society of its new black citizens. General Oliver Otis Howard, known...

The ultimate in art is self-expression, not escape.-Duke Ellington In this fascinating portrait of one of America's greatest musical legends, longtime friend and jazz historian Stanley Dance recounts the life of the incomparable Duke Ellington in his own...

Montreal writer Dany Laferrière became Immortal in 2015, when he was inducted into the Académie française, the highest honour in all French literature - and the first Quebecer and only second Black writer to receive such an honour. In these wide-ranging...

In 1969, South Africa's apartheid government arrested anti-apartheid leaders and activists nationwide for a key planned show trial. Among them were seven women, three of whom (including Winnie Madikizela-Mandela) have since died. This book by South...

The second edition of Women of Motown by author Susan Whitall contains new chapters and information, updating this critically-acclaimed oral history of the ladies who made Motown a sound heard round the world. Originally published to glowing reviews in...

With Worn-Out Tools is the story of a fiftyish black call center executive who, at the height of his career, in one year is struck down with a series of serious health issues, a career transition, and a shift in family dynamics. Take his journey with him...

The first biography of Dorothy Pitman Hughes, a trailblazing Black feminist activist whose work made children, race, and welfare rights central to the women's movement. Dorothy Pitman Hughes was a transformative community organizer in New York City in...

Howard Thurman was a unique man-a black minister, philosopher, and educator whose vitality and vision touched the lives of countless people of all races, faiths, and cultures. Index; photographs.

Few jazz singers have become icons like Billie Holiday. In With Billie, we hear the voices of those people who knew Billie best: piano players and dancers, pimps and junkies, lovers and narcs, producers and critics, each recalling intimate stories of the...

The amazing and dramatic story of Bill Lester, one of the most well-known NASCAR drivers in history--and a pioneer whose determination and spirit has paved the way for a new generation of racers. Winning in Reverse tells the story of Bill Lester whose...

Before the advent of today's technology, with the many varieties of communication and navigation available via iPads, iPhones, and streaming information into today's cockpits, the pilot had to solely rely on information provided through the aircraft's...

Examines the author's personal struggle with depression, the hidden roots of her illness, the effect it had on her life, and her ability to cope with the disease.