Cultural Literature

Best known for his 1970 polemic "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," Gil Scott-Heron was a musical icon who defied characterization. He tantalized audiences with his charismatic stage presence, and his biting, observant lyrics in such singles as "The...

"Essence "magazine is the most popular, well respected, and largest circulated black women's magazine in history. Largely unknown is the remarkable story of what it took to earn that distinction." "The Man from Essence" depicts with candor and insight...

In THE NOBLE HUSTLE Colson Whitehead does for participatory journalism what he did for zombie novels in ZONE ONE: Take one literary genius, add $10,000 and a seat at the World Series of Poker, and stir. On one level, Colson Whitehead's THE NOBLE HUSTLE...

Explores the transatlantic connections between Central Africa and North America over the past 500 years in the visual and performing arts of both cultures."A powerful statement through both word and image of how individuals of African descent have...

After decades of scholarship on the civil rights movement at the local level, the insights of bottom-up movement history remain essentially invisible in the accepted narrative of the movement and peripheral to debates on how to research, document, and...

From colonial newspapers to the Internet age, America's racial divisions have played a central role in the creation of the country's media system, just as the media has contributed to--and every so often, combated--racial oppression. This acclaimed...

In this "inspiring memoir about the real power of courage and hope" (Kirkus Reviews), lifelong activist Shirley Sherrod explains why she was fired from the USDA under false charges and how she stood up against the politics of fear. Sherrod was a lifelong...

A riveting eyewitness account of the Davis family's courageous struggle against America's flawed criminal justice system.ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2011, Troy Anthony Davis was put to death by the State of Georgia. Davis's execution was protested by hundreds of...

Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker is the first installment in the long-awaited portrait of one of the most talented and influential musicians of the twentieth century, from Stanley Crouch, one of the foremost authorities on jazz...

A groundbreaking neuroscientist shares the harrowing and inspiring story of his life growing up in one of Miami's toughest neighborhoods. He reveals how it led him to his pioneering work that is redefining our ideas about drug addiction. A pioneering...

The first systematic examination of the image of Malcolm X, a uniquely conspicuous cultural figure who has been framed as both villain and hero, cast by mainstream media during his lifetime as "the most feared man in American history," and elevated at...

In America the Beautiful, Dr. Ben Carson helps us learn from our past in order to chart a better course for our future. From his personal ascent from inner-city poverty to international medical and humanitarian acclaim, Carson shares experiential...