BostonPL_Black Is... 2020: 59 Books for AdultsLike this list

60 items

• Beneath the Tamarind Tree

  a Story of Courage, Family, and the Lost Schoolgirls of Boko Haram

  Sesay, Isha, 1976-

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  Biography/Memoir. The author, a CNN host, details the story of the 2014 abduction of 276 Nigerian Chibok girls by jihadist terrorist organization Boko Haram.

• The Bold World

  a Memoir of Family and Transformation

  Patterson, Jodie, 1970-

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  Biography/Memoir. Wife, mother, and activist Jodie Patterson writes about raising her children, including her transgender son.

• Breathe

  a Letter to My Sons

  Perry, Imani, 1972-

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  Biography/Memoir. Scholar Imani Perry writes a letter to her sons addressing her concerns about the struggles they will face as young African American men in contemporary America.

• Dapper Dan

  Made in Harlem : a Memoir

  Day, Daniel R.,

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  Biography/Memoir. The story of renowned clothing designer Daniel “Dapper Dan” Day, from a childhood in 1950s Harlem, to stewardship of his eponymous boutique in the 1980s, to his work being shown at the Smithsonian, the Met, the MOMA and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Earl Campbell

  Yards After Contact

  Price, Asher,

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  Biography/Memoir. A biography of the legendary Heisman Trophy winning University of Texas and Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) running back.

• Finding My Voice

  My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward

  Jarrett, Valerie, 1956-

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  Biography/Memoir. The former advisor to President Obama details her struggles dealing with racial and gender issues.

• How We Fight for Our Lives

  a Memoir

  Jones, Saeed,

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  Biography/Memoir. In this coming-of-age memoir, poet Saeed Jones writes about his life as a gay African American man from the South.

• Just Another Nigger

  Or Use What You Got to Get What You Need

  Cox, Donald, 1936-2011,

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  Biography/Memoir. In this posthumous memoir, leading member of the Black Panther party Donald Cox tells his story from his early life in Missouri to his experiences as a civil rights activist.

• KD

  Kevin Durant's Relentless Pursuit to Be the Greatest

  Thompson, Marcus, II, 1977-

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  Biography/Memoir. Legendary Oakland sports scribe and acclaimed author Marcus Thompson II delivers a poignant biography of basketball superstar Kevin Durant.

• Ladysitting

  My Year With Nana at the End of Her Century

  Cary, Lorene,

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  Biography/Memoir. Cary’s brilliant narrative recounts both time spent with her frail but feisty centenarian grandmother as well as stories spanning five generations of family.

• Let's Play Two

  the Life and Times of Ernie Banks

  Wilson, Doug, 1961-

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  Biography/Memoir. This is the biography of “Mr. Cub,” Ernie Banks, who spent his early years in the segregated South, playing in the Negro Leagues, before eventually being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

• No Ashes in the Fire

  Coming of Age Black & Free in America

  Moore, Darnell L., 1976-

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  Biography/Memoir. This autobiography is the story of Darnell Moore, a leading organizer of the Black Lives Matter movement.

• Notes From a Young Black Chef

  a Memoir

  Onwuachi, Kwame,

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  Biography/Memoir. The story of the Bronx-born James Beard Award-winning chef and caterer.

• Queen Bey

  a Celebration of the Power and Creativity of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

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  Biography/Memoir. This anthology is a collection of essays written by academics, musicians, and cultural critics on the impact of the pop music legend.

• Smokin' Joe

  the Life of Joe Frazier

  Kram, Mark, Jr,

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  Biography/Memoir. This biography tackles the life of one of the greatest boxing heavyweights of all time, Joe Frazier. Born a sharecropper’s son in South Carolina, this biography traces his rise to Olympic gold medalist, and the undisputed…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Soulless

  the Case Against R. Kelly

  DeRogatis, Jim,

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  Biography/Memoir. The co-host of nationally syndicated public radio show Sound Opinions, and former Chicago Sun-Times rock critic Jim DeRogatis followed R. Kelly’s story for more than 18 years before creating this journalistic tour de…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Survival Math

  Notes on An all-American Family

  Jackson, Mitchell S,

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  Biography/Memoir. This memoir details the author’s early struggles in a Portland, Oregon neighborhood blighted by drugs, crime, violence, and poverty.

• Sweat the Technique

  Revelations on Creativity From the Lyrical Genius

  Rakim (Musician), 1968-

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  Biography/Memoir. In this part memoir/part writing guide, DJ and hip-hop artist Rakim discusses how he creates with words, music, and rhymes.

• The World According to Fannie Davis

  My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers

  Davis, Bridgett M,

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  Biography/Memoir. This singular memoir tells the story of the author’s mother, who kept her loving family well taken care of by running an illegal numbers racket out of her home for 34 years.

• The Yellow House

  Broom, Sarah M.,

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  Biography/Memoir. This National Book Award-winning biography chronicles the family history of Sarah Broom, a descendant of storied New Orleans families.