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African American individuals surrounded by foliage
Brandy Colbert

Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

Genre:
Nonfiction
Age Level:
YA

Publisher description: In the early morning of June 1, 1921, a white mob marched across the train tracks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and into its predominantly Black Greenwood District — a thriving, affluent neighborhood known as America’s Black Wall Street. They brought with them firearms, gasoline, and explosives. In a few short hours, they’d razed thirty-five square blocks to the ground, leaving hundreds dead. The Tulsa Race Massacre is one of the most devastating acts of racial violence in US history. But how did it come to pass? What exactly happened? And why are the events unknown to so many of us today? These are the questions that award-winning author Brandy Colbert seeks to answer in this unflinching nonfiction account of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Joyful African American boy smiling brightly
Kwame Mbalia

Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood

Genre:
Short Stories
Age Level:
Middle Grade

A collection of stories, comics and poems that celebrate Black boyhood from critically acclaimed Black authors including Jason Reynolds, Jerry Craft and Kwame Mbalia.

BlackBrother
Jewell Parker Rhodes

Black Brother, Black Brother

Genre:
Fiction
Age Level:
Middle Grade

A powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition. Black Brother, Black Brother is a careful examination of the school-to-prison pipeline and follows one boy’s fight against racism and his empowering path to find his voice. 

A colorful painting of a black teenage girl with large hoops in her ears, blue eye shadow, and hot pink lips
Renée Watson

Black Girl You Are Atlas

Genre:
Autobiography and Memoir
Age Level:
YA

In this semi-autobiographical collection of poems, Renée Watson writes
about her experience growing up as a young Black girl at the intersections of race, class, and gender.

Using a variety of poetic forms, from haiku to free verse, Watson shares recollections of her childhood in Portland, tender odes to the Black women in her life, and urgent calls for Black girls to step into their power.

Black Girl You Are Atlas encourages young readers to embrace their future with a strong sense of sisterhood and celebration. With full-color art by celebrated fine artist Ekua Holmes throughout, this collection offers guidance and is a gift for anyone who reads it.

Black Hands, White Sails
Patricia and Fredrick McKissack

Black Hands, White Sails

Genre:
Nonfiction
Age Level:
Middle Grade

A look at African-American whalers and the whaling industry’s role in the Underground Railroad and the Civil War.

Black Hawk Down
Mark Bowden

Black Hawk Down

Genre:
Nonfiction
Age Level:
YA

The story of the invasion and chaotic pullout of troops from Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993 will appeal to those who like military stories. Bowden provides plenty of action and raises difficult questions about U.S. foreign and military policy.

Black Mirror
Nancy Werlin

Black Mirror

Genre:
Fiction, Mystery / Crime
Age Level:
YA

Frances and her brother Daniel attend the same prep school. Popular Daniel is a member of a secret society, while Frances is much more of a loner. When Daniel seems to OD, however, Frances infiltrates the society to find out the real story of what happened to her brother.

Black Panther #1
Ta-Nehisi Coates

Black Panther #1: A Nation Under Our Feet

Genre:
Fantasy
Age Level:
YA, Middle Grade

A new era for the Black Panther starts here! A Nation Under Our Feet is a story about dramatic upheaval in Wakanda and the Black Panther’s struggle to do right by his people as their ruler. The indomitable will of Wakanda — the famed African nation known for its vast wealth, advanced technology and warrior traditions — has long been reflected in the will of its monarchs, the Black Panthers. But now the current Black Panther, T’Challa, finds that will tested by a superhuman terrorist group called The People that has sparked a violent uprising among the citizens of Wakanda. T’Challa knows the country must change to survive — the question is, will the Black Panther survive the change?