Cultural Literature

In this poignant, hilarious, and deeply intimate call to arms, Hollywood s most powerful woman, the mega-talented creator of "Grey s Anatomy" and "Scandal" and executive producer of "How to Get Away with Murder" reveals how saying YES changed her life...

Searing Dispatches from the Urban Zones Where African American Men Have Become an Endangered Species  To many in the age of Obama, America had succeeded in going beyond race, putting the divisions of the past behind us. And then seventeen-year-old...

In the #1 New York Times bestseller, A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah tells a riveting story: how at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government...

"This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the historical reality of the slave experiences. Carbado and Weise have diligently selected narratives that will challenge readers' presumptions and cut against the mythology that slaves were...

The author, one of the foremost scholars on Africa, fought to legitimize African history for more than 60 years. This book finally uncovers the tumultuous life of this great figure. Through a series of autobiographical essays, Clarke looks back on his...

Born in 1915, John Hope Franklin lived through America's most defining 20th-century transformation, the dismantling of segregation. He has influenced with determination and dignity the nation's racial conscience, earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom...

The iconic, multiplatinum, Grammy Award(R)-winning performer Brandy brings us a raw, intimate portrait of her life, charting her growth to stardom from Mississippi churches to Hollywood spotlights From the moment she first sang at church in McComb,...

The award-winning co-anchor of PBS NewsHour presents a sweeping and insightful retrospective on the history of Black comedy in America.Black comedians have long played a pivotal role in shaping the American sense of humor. The 1990s showcased a golden...

A personal meditation on, examination of, and tribute to Black single motherhood, unapologetically told through poignant essays and candid interviews by a celebrated cultural critic   "Jamilah Lemieux is one of the most important feminist writers...

"An invaluable life of a pioneering artist, only now beginning to be fully understood."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) The first full-length biography of Alice Coltrane, the jazz musician and spiritual leader whose forward-thinking music was...

From comedian, Emmy-nominated writer and producer, and former Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr., an unforgettable, laugh-out-loud funny memoir revealing that sometimes the best advice comes from the most surprising teachers  When Roy...

A crucial telling of American history centering the Black women whose magic gave rise to the rich tapestry of American culture we see today.   Emerging first in the American South during slavery, conjure women who were enslaved on plantations used...