Excellence in Black NonfictionLike this list

10 items

• There's Always This Year

  on Basketball and Ascension

  Abdurraqib, Hanif, 1983-

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  Structured like a basketball game (in quarters), this is undeniably a book for basketball lovers–but if you aren’t a sports fan, pick it up anyway. In the hands of Hanif Abdurraqib, a memoir about basketball is about family, what success truly…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Written in the Waters

  a Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging

  Roberts, Tara,

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  This memoir is a deeply personal exploration of family history, identity, and finding home. It’s also a history of the horrors of transatlantic slave trade and the resulting shipwrecks that are still being explored by scuba divers around the world.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Arms to Hold You Up

  a History of Black Resistance

  Passmore, Ben,

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  An uncompromisingly political and bold graphic nonfiction that is provocative, funny, devastating, and rich with historical insight. Ben Passmore tackles what Black resistance looks like both as a means of taking up arms and as an embrace, looking…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dead and Alive

  Essays

  Smith, Zadie,

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  I love Zadie Smith’s novels, and her nonfiction writing is especially beautiful and striking. In her new essay collection, she writes about art, writers, aging, politics, history, and cruelty, but also humanity and hope. A must-read collection for…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Night Flyer

  Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People

  Miles, Tiya, 1970-

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  You couldn’t diminish Harriet Tubman if you tried. And Tiya Miles doesn’t try. She explains how Harriet Tubman’s faith fit into a larger (if largely unrecorded) spiritual tradition, just as her extraordinary achievements as an Underground Railroad…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black in Blues

  How a Color Tells the Story of My People

  Perry, Imani, 1972-

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  National Book Award winner Imani Perry pens a lyrical and well-researched historical narrative that examines the connection of the color blue to Black history, expertly weaving themes of hope, melancholy, and even her own personal story. Suggested…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Language as Liberation

  Reflections on the American Canon

  Morrison, Toni, 1931-2019,

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  Toni Morrison is one of our greatest writers, full stop. This book features lectures from her professorship at Princeton University, during which she led her class in examining Black characters within the American literary canon, providing insight…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Original Sins

  the (mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism

  Ewing, Eve L.,

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  Chicagoan Eve Ewing is a sociologist, researcher, and community organizer. This work explores the history of the U.S. education system and the ways it was designed to harm Black and Native students. A powerful and much-needed call for reform. …Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Toni at Random

  the Iconic Writer's Legendary Editorship

  Williams, Dana A., 1972-

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  A fascinating and revealing exploration of Toni Morrison as a brilliant editor, indefatigable champion of Black writing, committed friend to many, and the most iconic writer of the 20th century. A pure inspiration! Suggested by Megan.

• Sharks Don't Sink

  Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist

  Graham, Jasmin,

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  You don’t need a particular interest in sharks (though you will learn a lot about them) to appreciate this book by the founder of Minorities in Shark Science. Jasmin Graham was determined to do rigorous work in a subfield that functioned as an…Read moreRead more of this annotation