Cultural Literature

An acclaimed music scholar presents an accessible introduction to the art of listening to jazz In How to Listen to Jazz, award-winning music scholar Ted Gioia presents a lively introduction to one of America's premier art forms. He tells us what to...

A journey to the front lines of the battle for the future of American cities, uncovering the massive, systemic forces behind gentrification -- and the lives that are altered in the process. The term gentrification has become a buzzword to describe the...

When Sasha Christiansen was little, she made a wish. She wished for a life filled with adventures. And guess what? God heard her wish and gave her just that life. How to Fight in the Dark is the tale of her life. Christiansen, writing in her forties,...

"The most important book you will read this year."--Caitlin Flanagan, author of To Hell with All That WINNER OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD - The prescient former New York Times writer delivers an urgent wake-up call to all Americans exposing the...

"The most important book you will read this year."--Caitlin Flanagan, author of To Hell with All That WINNER OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD - The prescient former New York Times writer delivers an urgent wake-up call to all Americans exposing the...

In How to Build a Strong Black Man, Marvin O'Bryant believes that, as a society, we are distracted by all of the things of the world. With this distraction comes the near null support of many of our black boys in America, who are in dire need of...

A dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education, How to Become a More Effective Teacher of Minority Students draws on the extensive research and twenty-three years of experience of Dr. Azel C. Colston Jr. He postulates that, with the...

Etiquette is more than knowing which fork to use. Good manners are the rules that let us find our way in today's rapidly changing maze of lifestyles, customs, and relationships. Anyone who doesn't know these rules is living and working at a real...

Race is not a biological reality. Racism thrives on our not knowing this. Racist pseudoscience has become so commonplace that it can be hard to spot. But its toxic effects on society are plain to see--feeding nationalism, fueling hatred, endangering...

First published in 1890, Jacob Riis's remarkable study of the horrendous living conditions of the poor in New York City had an immediate and extraordinary impact on society, inspiring reforms that affected the lives of millions of people. For more than...

As part of Motown's legendary songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, Lamont Dozier is responsible for such classics as "Baby I Need Your Loving," "You Can't Hurry Love," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," "Stop! In the...

An absorbing chronicle of the role of race in US history, by the foremost historian of race and labor The Obama era produced countless articles arguing that America's race problems were over. The election of Donald Trump has proved those hasty...