In honor of Black History Month, Maricopa County Library District has handpicked a collection of books recognizing the black experience, celebrating community and culture, and recognizing the achievements of Black Americans. Looking for more? Check out the library’s full Black History Month Featured Collection at mcldaz.org
PICTURE BOOKS
The Talk by Alicia D. Williams
As a little boy grows into a bigger boy, ready to take on the world, he first must have that very difficult conversation far too familiar to so many Black and Brown Americans.
To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights by Angela Dalton
To Boldly Go tells the true story of Nichelle Nichols and how she used her platform on Star Trek to inspire a new generation of diverse astronauts and many others in the space and STEM fields.
JUVENILE
Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life by Jerry Pinkney
The inspiring story of Jerry Pinkney, a young artist who finds the courage to follow his passion against all odds.
Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson
After fleeing the plantation where they were enslaved, siblings Ada and Homer discover the secret community of Freewater, and work with freeborn Sanzi to protect their new home from the encroaching dangers of the outside world.
TEEN
Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink
An unforgettable love story set in Greenwood, Oklahoma, against the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.
Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith
A stirring portrait of an iconic moment in Olympic history that still resonates today – a podium protest by Olympian medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos.
ADULT
Black Joy: Stories of resistance, resilience, and restoration by Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts
With this book, Tracey aims to gift her community with a collection of lyrical essays about the way joy has evolved, even in the midst of trauma, in her own life. Detailing these instances of joy in the context of Black culture allows us to recognize the power of Black joy as a resource to draw upon, and to challenge the one-note narratives of Black life as solely comprised of trauma and hardship.
We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride
Told from alternating perspectives, an evocative and riveting novel about the lifelong bond between two women, one Black and one white, whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event.
