African-American Nonfiction
Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes
by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (940.54 Abdul)
This chronicle of Patton's Third Army stalwarts takes in the all-black tank battalion's 183 days on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge, with casualty rates of almost 50%, an almost impossible supply situation, sometimes inept leadership and chronic racism that inflected nearly every move they made. The third-person narrative reflects the intimacy Jabbar has with Leonard "Smitty" Smith, the loader on a 761st tank crew, with episodes and anecdotes that feel immediate and a wealth of visual and tactical detail about what it was like to work and often live, on the inside of a tank. The authors widen the scope repeatedly to give a nuanced account of the 676 enlisted men and 36 officers of the battalion and its place in the Third Army.
Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man? by Charles Barkley (305.8 Barkl)
This is the most personal and important book Charles Barkley has written. He lays himself open here and because he does, he brings the same straight talk out of everyone with whom he engages in his journey around America to talk about the things that matter most and are the hardest to say - things having to do with race and money and identity. Why is it that we can talk about all sorts of big issues, but when the subject of race is raised, we all freeze up?
African Americans by David Boyle (973 Boyle)
Africans arrived in North America as slaves of the first European settlers and their history is largely one of hardship and injustice. These brief, vivid sketches of important individuals are contained in this new series that documents and dramatizes the immigration experience of untold numbers of men, women and children who arrived in America from the four corners of the world.
On the Up and Up: A Survival Guide for Women Living With Men on the Down Low by Brenda Stone Browder (305.38 Browd)
J.L. King's groundbreaking "New York Times" bestseller, "On the Down Low," revealed the shocking truth about one man's secret life. Now, readers can discover the other side of the story in this inspiring, informative book by the one woman who can tell it right, the one woman who knows – his ex-wife.
What Mama Taught Me: The Seven Core Values of Life by Tony Brown
(305.896 Brown)
Accrediting his mother's teachings through his own individual life lessons, the author of Empower the People introduces seven core values designed as a personal guide to help readers achieve success, obtain happiness and enjoy prosperity, while arguing disloyalty to ourselves when such values are betrayed.
Jubilee: The Emergence of African American Culture by Howard Dodson (305.896 Dodson)
Celebrating the development and emergence of a truly unique African-American culture out of the bonds of slavery, "Jubilee" delivers a poignant, hopeful and important message. 200 photos. Maps.
Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship Between a First Lady and a Former Slave by Jennifer Fleischner (973.7 Fleis)
This historical portrait set against the backdrop of the antebellum South and the Civil War explores the remarkable friendship between First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her dressmaker and confidante, Elizabeth Keckly, a former slave.
Dr. Gavin's Health Guide for African Americans by James R. Gavin (613 Gavin)
Dr. James Gavin covers wellness and the tools to achieve it. He discusses health topics of particular concern to the African American population: obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. His intergenerational, family-centered approach to health is the prescription for breaking the alarming cycle of lifestyle-caused diseases, which are now striking children, too.
Don't Play in the Sun: One Woman's Journey Through the Color Complex by Marita Golden (B Golden)
Peppering her narrative with "Postcards from the Color Complex," reminiscences of some of the author's most powerful experiences, Golden takes us inside her world and inside her heart, to show what a half-century of intraracial and interracial personal politics looks like. We come to see the world through the eyes of the young Marita and the dualism that existed in her own home: the ebony-hued father, who cherished her and taught her to be "black and proud," and the lighter-skinned mother, who one summer afternoon admonished Marita while she was outside, "Come on in the house - it's too hot to be playing out there. I've told you don't play in the sun, 'cause as it is, you gonna have to get a light-skinned husband for the sake of your children." At every turn in her life - in high school, her black power college days, as a young married woman in Africa, as a college professor, as an accomplished author and even today - race and color are the inescapable veils through which Golden has been viewed.
Patti LaBelle's Lite Cuisine by Patti LaBelle (641.5 LaBell)
The acclaimed singer and author of LaBelle Cuisine describes her recent diagnosis of diabetes. She details the changes the ailment has meant in her dietary habits and food choices and presents more than one hundred original recipes for healthy dishes.
Launching Our Black Children For Success: A Guide for Parents of Kids From Three to Eighteen by Joyce Ladner (649 Lad)
Offers advice to African-American parents on how to prepare their children for success from their earliest development stages. This book explains how to make the most of a parent's own experiences while outlining a plan to provide children with necessary strengths and strategies.
Longing to Tell: Black Women Talk Aout Sexuality and Intimacy by Tricia Rose (306.7 Rose)
Seeking to dispel commonly held perceptions about intimacy in African-American women, a study drawn from the testimonies of twenty women from a broad range of ages, education levels and backgrounds reveals their experiences of sex, love, family, relationships and intimacy.
This Far by Faith: Stories From the African American Religious Experience by Juan Williams (200 Wil)
Combines historical research, interviews and commentary by some of America's foremost clergy to explore African-American religious life and its impact. A history that molded not only the Black American experience, but also the identity of the United States.