Cultural Literature

A Best Book of 2020 NPRA Best Book of 2020 The EconomistA Top Ten Best Science Book of 2020 Smithsonian A Best Science & Technology Book of 2020 Library JournalA Must-Read Book to Escape the Chaos of 2020 NewsweekStarred review Booklist Starred review...

Noted jazz author Ashley Kahn brings to life the behind-the-scenes story of Impulse Records, one of the most significant record labels in the history of popular music. "Kahn mingles engaging stories of corporate politics with insider accounts of...

An exploration and celebration of an iconic Southern food and culture. The Hot Chicken Project is part recipe book (40 recipes covering the best mains, sandwiches, sides, salads and sauces), part narrative, part pictorial celebration of the history and...

From first-hand experience, the author tells of daily life among the Hopi Indians in Northern Arizona--their beliefs, rituals and Catcina (Kachina) ceremonies. The interaction and conflict between the Anglo and Indian cultures are presented from the...

Marking 55 years since the landmark Civil Rights Act was signed into law, this book takes you on a fascinating journey through the defining moments of America's Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s. You'll find everything from Rosa Parks and...

In honor of the Year of the Blues, the long-awaited reissue of a myth-shattering examination of a most enduring form of American music

Former enslaved person Mary Prince's powerful rallying cry for emancipation and extraordinary testament to survival The History of Mary Prince (1831) was the first narrative of a black woman to be published in Britain. It describes Prince's sufferings as...

The History of Gangster Rap is a deep dive into one of the most fascinating subgenres of any music category to date. Sixteen detailed chapters, organized chronologically, examine the evolution of gangster rap, its main players, and the culture that...

The quintessential depiction of 1980s New York and the downtown scene from the artist, actor, musician, and composer John Lurie "Ferocious and wise, funny and tragic, raging and forgiving, and I loved every page."--Nick Flynn, author of Another Bullshit...

Drawing on a wide array of sources to document cultural influences from Africa, the author vividly describes the emergence of an independent church tradition among African Americans. L.H. Whelchel demonstrates the struggles of Africans in the United...

This Hawaiian vacation turns into a humorous, heart-opening odyssey that is alive with beings from other dimensions.Join Tanis' adventure to meet seldom-seen beings of various races that dwell in volcanoes, misty forests and roaring seas. Discover the...

An impassioned, thoughtful, and fearless essay on the effects of racism on the American identity by one of our country's most humane literary voices. Acclaimed as "one of the most humane, honest, liberating works of our time" (The Village Voice), The...