Basic Books Black History Month Reading List
From epic historical books to modern dialogues about the psychology of racism, explore this collection of Black History Month must-reads.
An acclaimed sportswriter offers an inside look at the Black quarterbacks whose skill and grit transformed the NFL
“Dan Berger assembles a sensitive, honest, and beautiful intergenerational account of the extraordinary lives of Michael and Zoharah Simmons, their kin and comrades, and the worlds they dreamed and, still, try to create.”
—Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams and Thelonious Monk
“With graceful writing and sharp analysis, Jones brings us a fuller story of the transition from Emancipation to Reconstruction to Jim Crow.”
—Marcia Chatelain, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Franchise
A “gripping and poignant” (Wall Street Journal) account of the coming of the American Civil War, showing the crucial role of slaves who escaped to Mexico
Winner of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award
Winner of the California Book Award for Nonfiction
“Searingly relevant.”
—Washington Post
“An elegant and expansive history” (New York Times) of African American women’s pursuit of political power—and how it transformed America
“Searing.”
—Wall Street Journal
“Confident and persuasive.”
—New York Times
“Revelatory…This is a reality with which America has yet to reckon.”
—New York Times Book Review
“We don’t talk about race in America, but we must start if we are going to heal this broken country–and Beverly Tatum’s book is exactly the conversation opener we should be using.”
—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things
A groundbreaking history demonstrating that America’s economic supremacy was built on the backs of enslaved people
Winner of the 2015 Avery O. Craven Prize from the Organization of American Historians
Winner of the 2015 Sidney Hillman Prize
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