This section is broken down into the following categories: Fiction; Nonfiction; and Poetry
Jimi and Me by
After his father is murdered, Keith and his mother try desperately to pick up the pieces of their lives. But his father s death has left them devastated-both emotionally and financially. Forced to leave Brooklyn and move in with his aunt, Keith urgently clings to every last reminder of his dad, discovering comfort in his own music and that of the late legend-and his father s idol-Jimi Hendrix. In Jimi s music, Keith finds solace, and brief moments of reprieve from his chaotic new life. But just as he begins to get a handle on his father s death, he discovers the secrets of his father s life--secrets that threaten to tear apart what s left of his fragile family.
Booked by
Twelve-year-old Nick loves soccer and hates books, but soon learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams.
The Crossover by
Twelve-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health.
Zora and Me by
A fictionalized account of Zora Neale Hurston's childhood with her best friend Carrie, in Eatonville, Florida, as they learn about life, death, and the differences between truth, lies, and pretending. Includes an annotated bibliography of the works of Zora Neale Hurston, a short biography of the author, and information about Eatonville, Florida.
The Moves Make the Man by
A black boy and an emotionally troubled white boy in North Carolina form a precarious friendship.
Hurricane Child by
Born on Water Island in the Virgin Islands during a hurricane, which is considered bad luck, twelve-year-old Caroline falls in love with another girl--and together they set out in a hurricane to find Caroline's missing mother.
A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich by
The life of a thirteen-year-old Harlem youth on his way to becoming a confirmed heroin addict is seen from his viewpoint and from that of several people around him.
The Basket Counts by
Long practice improves Mel's value as a basketball player, but he finds it difficult to surmount the prejudice of Caskie Bennett, the basketball team's star player and Mel's new neighbor.
The Jacket by
An incident at school forces sixth grader Phil Morelli, a white boy, to become aware of racial discrimination and segregation, and to seriously consider if he himself is prejudiced.
Sahara Special by
Struggling with school and her feelings since her father left, Sahara gets a fresh start with a new and unique teacher who supports her writing talents and the individuality of each of her classmates.
The Cameo Necklace by
Eleven-year-old Cecile Rey searches through many corners of 1854 New Orleans seeking a necklace, borrowed from her Tante Tay, that disappeared as she was exiting a crowded showboat. Includes facts about the 1850s.
Elijah of Buxton by
In 1859, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American south, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family's freedom.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 by
The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.
Mare's War by
Teens Octavia and Tali learn about strength, independence, and courage when they are forced to take a car trip with their grandmother, who tells about growing up Black in 1940s Alabama and serving in Europe during World War II as a member of the Women's Army Corps.
An Enchanted Hair Tale by
Sudan suffers from the general ridicule of his strange-looking hair, until he comes to accept and enjoy its enchantment.
The Wind Before It Blows by
Turell discovers that the encouragement and support he received from his mother is a legacy passed from generation to generation. Includes discussion questions.
Copper Sun by
Two fifteen-year-old girls--one a slave and the other an indentured servant--escape their Carolina plantation and try to make their way to Fort Moses, Florida, a Spanish colony that gives sanctuary to slaves.
Tommy Traveller in the World of Black History by
Tommy Traveler is a young African American boy who dreams himself into encounters with several important figures from black history: Phoebe Fraunces, Emmet Till, Aesop, Frederick Douglass, Crispus Attucks, and Joe Louis.--Amazon.com
Feelings, a widely respected illustrator who received a Caldecott Honor for Moja Means One (1971), originally published these comic-strip vignettes in a local newspaper in 1958 and 1959. With minor textual changes and added color, the adventures of a black boy whose reading transports him to the past now appear again. Tommy has access to the extensive library of a neighbor whose collection includes periodicals and newspapers as well as books; in narratives that vary in length from one to many pages, he visits Phoebe Fraunces, Emmet Till, Aesop, Frederick Douglass, Crispus Attucks, and Joe Louis. A commendable amount of information is conveyed here. Working competently within the genre, Feelings demonstrates talent but little hint of the breadth and power of his subsequent work; still, Tommy succeeds in his original intention of introducing black history with pride, in an easily accessible format with popular appeal.--Kirkus Review
Yolonda's Genius by
After moving from Chicago to Grand River, Michigan, fifth grader Yolonda, big and strong for her age, determines to prove that her younger brother is not a slow learner but a true musical genius.
The Road to Paris by
Inconsolable at being separated from her older brother, eight-year-old Paris is apprehensive about her new foster family but just as she learns to trust them, she faces a life-changing decision.
The House of Dies Drear by
A black family of five moves into an enormous house once used as a hiding place for runaway slaves. Mysterious sounds and events as well as the discovery of secret passageways make the family believe they are in grave danger.
M. C. Higgins, the Great by
As a slag heap, the result of strip mining, creeps closer to his house in the Ohio hills, fifteen-year-old M. C. is torn between trying to get his family away and fighting for the home they love.
The Planet of Junior Brown by
Already a leader in New York's underground world of homeless children, Buddy Clark takes on the responsibility of protecting the overweight, emotionally disturbed friend with whom he has been playing hooky from eighth grade all semester.
Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush by
Fourteen-year-old Tree, resentful of her working mother who leaves her in charge of a retarded brother, encounters the ghost of her dead uncle and comes to a deeper understanding of her family's problems.
Bright Freedom's Song: A Story of the Underground Railroad by
In the years before the Civil War, Bright discovers that her parents are providing a safehouse for the Underground Railroad and helps to save a runaway slave named Marcus.
Day of Tears by
When gambling debts and greed enter into the Butler household, Pierce Butler decides to host the biggest slave auction in American history and breaks a promise by selling Emma, his most-valued slave and caretaker of his children--a decision that brings about unthinkable consequences.
Letters from a Slave Boy: The Story of Joseph Jacobs by
Like his mother and grandmother before him, Joseph Jacobs was born into slavery. Joseph lives with his grandmother and sister in North Carolina, but he has not seen his mother for more than seven years. Unbeknownst to Joseph, his mother, Harriet, has been hiding from her owner in the attic of the house that Joseph lives in. But when Harriet's hiding place is in danger of being revealed, she is forced to flee north to safety only moments after being reunited with her family.
Devastated by losing his mother for the second time, Joseph begins to ponder the nature of the world he lives in. Soon Joseph, seeking freedom and a place where he can be himself, follows his mother north. As he searches for answers, Joseph experiences life in Massachusetts, California, Australia, and aboard a whaling ship -- but there's no place where Joseph feels that he can truly be free.
In this companion novel to Letters from a Slave Girl, Joseph's stirring quest for freedom and identity is told through letters imagined by the author. Based on the real-life stories of Harriet and Joseph Jacobs, Letters from a Slave Boy is set against the backdrop of some of the most exciting and turbulent times in American history.
Letters from a Slave Girl by
A fictionalized version of the life of Harriet Jacobs, told in the form of letters that she might have written during her slavery in North Carolina and as she prepared for escape to the North in 1842.
I Am Alfonso Jones by
The ghost of fifteen-year-old Alfonso Jones travels in a New York subway car full of the living and the dead, watching his family and friends fight for justice after he's killed by an off-duty police officer while buying a suit in a Midtown department store.
The Dark-Thirty by
A collection of ghost stories with African American themes, designed to be told during the Dark Thirty--the half hour before sunset--when ghosts seem all too believable.
The Stars Beneath Our Feet by
Unable to celebrate the holidays in the wake of his older brother's death in a gang-related shooting, Lolly Rachpaul struggles to avoid being forced into a gang himself while constructing a fantastically creative LEGO city at the Harlem community center.
Somewhere in the Darkness by
A teenage boy accompanies his father, who has recently escaped from prison, on a trip that turns out to be an, often painful, time of discovery for them both.
As Brave As You by
When Genie and his older brother spend their summer in the country with their grandparents, he learns a secret about his grandfather and what it means to be brave.
Ninth Ward by
In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, twelve-year-old Lanesha, who can see spirits, and her adopted grandmother have no choice but to stay and weather the storm as Hurricane Katrina bears down upon them.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by
In 1911, Turner Buckminster hates his new home of Phippsburg, Maine, but things improve when he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former slaves that the town fathers--and Turner's--want to change into a tourist spot.
F Is for Freedom by
When ten-year-old Manda interrupts a midnight delivery, she discovers her parents' involvement in the Underground Railroad and makes her own contribution to a fugitive slave's freedom.
Let the Circle Be Unbroken by
Four black children growing up in rural Mississippi during the Depression experience racial antagonisms and hard times, but learn from their parents the pride and self-respect they need to survive.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by
A black family living in the South during the 1930's are faced with prejudice and discrimination which their children don't understand.
Gone Crazy in Alabama by
Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are off to Alabama to visit their grandmother, Big Ma, and her mother, Ma Charles. Across the way lives Ma Charles's half-sister, Miss Trotter. The two half-sisters haven't spoken in years. As Delphine hears about her family history, she uncovers the surprising truth that's been keeping the sisters apart. But when tragedy strikes, Delphine discovers that the bonds of family run deeper than she ever knew possible"-- From publisher's website
One Crazy Summer by
In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.
P. S. Be Eleven by
The Gaither sisters are back in Brooklyn, where changes large and small come to their household as they grow up during the 1960s.
After Tupac & D Foster by
In the New York City borough of Queens in 1996, three girls bond over their shared love of Tupac Shakur's music, as together they try to make sense of the unpredictable world in which they live.
Feathers by
When a new, white student nicknamed "The Jesus Boy" joins her sixth grade class in the winter of 1971, Frannie's growing friendship with him makes her start to see some things in a new light.
Martin Luther King by
JUV 323.4092 K535B
The Voice That Challenged a Nation by
In the mid-1930s, Marian Anderson was a famed vocalist who had been applauded by European royalty and welcomed at the White House. But, because of her race, she was denied the right to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. This is the story of her resulting involvement in the civil rights movement of the time. "A voice like yours, " celebrated conductor Arturo Toscanini told contralto Marian Anderson, "is heard once in a hundred years." This insightful account of the great African American vocalist considers her life and musical career in the context of the history of civil rights in this country. Drawing on Anderson's own writings and other contemporary accounts, Russell Freedman shows readers a singer pursuing her art despite the social constraints that limited the careers of black performers in the 1920s and 1930s. Though not a crusader or a spokesperson by nature, Marian Anderson came to stand for all black artists-and for all Americans of color-when, with the help of such prominent figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, she gave her landmark 1939 performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which signaled the end of segregation in the arts.Carefully researched, expertly told, and profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs, here is a moving account of the life of a talented and determined artist who left her mark on musical and social history. Through her story, one of today's leading authors of nonfiction for young readers illuminates the social and political climate of the day and an important chapter in American history.
Rosa by
The story of Rosa Parks and her courageous act of defiance. Provides the story of the young black woman who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger in Alabama, setting in motion all the events of the Civil Rights Movements that resulted in the end of the segregated south, gave equality to blacks throughout the nation, and forever changed the country in which we all live today. She had not sought this moment but she was ready for it. When the policeman bent down to ask "Auntie, are you going to move?" all the strength of all the people through all those many years joined in her. She said, "No." An inspiring account of an event that shaped American history. Fifty years after her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus, Mrs. Rosa Parks is still one of the most important figures in the American civil rights movement. This picture-book tribute to Mrs. Parks is a celebration of her courageous action and the events that followed. Award-winning poet, writer, and activist Nikki Giovanni's evocative text combines with Bryan Collier's striking cut-paper images to retell the story of this historic event from a wholly unique and original perspective.
Jackie Robinson by
This latest addition to "The Heinle Reading Library" teaches students the life stories of great American heroes while enhancing reading skills. By providing students with this important foundation, "The Heinle Reading Library: Biography Collection" offers a unique approach to teaching American culture while expanding fluency.
A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 by
This book examines the events and forces leading up to the 1919 race riots in Chicago.
"A white man threw a stone that hit and killed a teenage black boy, and a day at the beach--July 27, 1919--exploded into an urban nightmare. The ensuing race riot that took over Chicago's South Side streets killed and wounded many and left their neighborhoods in ruins. The tensions that fueled the riot had been building in the city for decades. Looking for a better life in Chicago, waves of white immigrants from Europe and black migrants from the South converged to form an underclass divided by racial prejudice. As workers in the busy stockyards, they were pitted against one another by the tycoons who controlled the labor market. Politicians and the police force made no attempt to defuse the tension. Most other white Chicagoans wanted nothing to do with their black neighbors. The violence in Chicago's streets simmered down but has erupted time and again, and continues to appear in national headlines to this day, a century later. Claire Hartfield's eye-opening, authoritative account of the 1919 race riot, the conditions that created it, and its legacy sheds light on an important and painful moment in the ongoing struggle for racial justice.
Frederick Douglass by
A biography of the man who, after escaping slavery, became an orator, writer, and leader in the abolitionist movement in the nineteenth century.
Spike Lee: On His Own Terms by
Chronicles the life and career of controversial filmmaker Spike Lee.
Bad Boy: A Memoir by
As a boy, Myers was quick-tempered and physically strong, always ready for a fight. He also read voraciously—he would check out books from the library and carry them home, hidden in brown paper bags in order to avoid other boys' teasing. He aspired to be a writer (and he eventually succeeded).
But as his hope for a successful future diminished, the values he had been taught at home, in school, and in his community seemed worthless, and he turned to the streets and to his books for comfort.
The Greatest: Muhammad Ali by
The story of Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) and his rise to the top in boxing to become The Greatest.
Heart and Soul by
Presents an introduction to African-American history, from Revolutionary-era slavery up to the election of President Obama.
We Are the Ship by
Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through the decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. Illustrations from oil paintings by artist Kadir Nelson.
Rosa Parks by
"Even those familiar with her name will realize on reading this engrossing account how little they really know of Parks's life and the events that surrounded the dawning Civil Rights movement. Setting her historic refusal to give up her seat on a bus in the context of a life that began in 1913 in rural Alabama dramatizes the fact that her action came at a time and place that gave it the force to challenge the rigors of a lopsided system of justice. Few will be unmoved by the tactics employed by whites to disrupt the subsequent boycott; at the center, always, is Parks's dignified, calm recounting of outrages against her and other women and men, giving her words weight and impact as no raw fury could. Like sitting at the knee of an elder with much to tell, reading her story leads to ever more questions ('What was it really like then?') and shock that such injustices not only existed in the recent past but still linger." - Kirkus Reviews
Hand in Hand by
This book presents the stories of 10 men from different eras in American history, organized chronologically to provide a scope from slavery to the modern day.
In-person at the Vise Library, on the campus of Cumberland University.
By telephone: 615-547-1299.
By email: library@cumberland.edu or
libraryfrontdesk@cumberland.edu.
Harlem by
A poem celebrating the people, sights, and sounds of Harlem. This book is an impressionistic appreciation of Harlem & its culture as seen through the eyes of author Walter Dean Myers & his artist son, Christopher.
Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices by
Acclaimed writer Walter Dean Myers celebrates the people of Harlem with these powerful and soulful first-person poems in the voices of the residents who make up the legendary neighborhood: basketball players, teachers, mail carriers, jazz artists, maids, veterans, nannies, students, and more. Exhilarating and electric, these poems capture the energy and resilience of a neighborhood and a people.
A Wreath for Emmett Till by
Presents fifteen interlinked sonnets to pay tribute to Emmitt Till, a fourteen-year-old African American boy who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 for whistling at a white woman, and whose murderers were acquitted. In 1955, people all over the United States knew that Emmett Louis Till was a fourteen-year-old African American boy lynched for supposedly whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. The brutality of his murder, the open-casket funeral, and the acquittal of the men tried for the crime drew wide media attention. Award-winning poet Marilyn Nelson reminds us of the boy whose fate helped spark the civil rights movement. This martyr's wreath, woven from a little-known but sophisticated form of poetry, challenges us to speak out against modern-day injustices, to speak what we see. Newbery Honor-winning poet Nelson offers an evocative tribute to a 14-year-old boy whose lynching in 1955 helps spark the civil rights movement.
Keeping the Night Watch by
A thirteen-year-old African American boy chronicles what happens to his family when his father, who temporarily left, returns home and they all must deal with their feelings of anger, hope, abandonment, and fear.
Becoming Billie Holiday by
Jazz vocalist Billie Holiday looks back on her early years in this fictional memoir written in verse.
Brown Girl Dreaming by
Writer Jacqueline Woodson tells the story of her childhood in free verse.