Recommended Reads
| Staff Picks | |
Lisa
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Michelle
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2021 Top 10 Adult Fiction at Charlestown-Clark County Library
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Most Checked Out & Requested Books in December
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| A Spotlight on Books about Social Equality | ||
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Adult Nonfiction
The Black and the Blue by Matthew Horace Set amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program.
And Still I Rise: Black America Since MLK by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder.
The Black List by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders An autobiography describing the early years of Maya Angelou’s life. The first in a seven-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma. Adult Fiction An American Marriage by Tayari JonesNewlyweds Celestial and Roy, the living embodiment of the New South, are settling into the routine of their life together when Roy is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit. An insightful look into the lives of people who are bound and separated by forces beyond their control.
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward The story of the enslaved Hiram Walker, who can't remember the mother he lost young but is blessed with mysterious powers and is determined to join the war on slavery, escape the plantation, and rescue the family he made for himself there.
Beloved by Toni Morrison |
Teen Books
SLAY by Brittney Morris As a way of coping with the horrific events that entangle him, Steve, an amateur filmmaker, decides to transcribe his trial into a script, just like in the movies. He writes it all down, scene by scene, the story of how his whole life was turned around in an instant. But despite his efforts, reality is blurred and his vision obscured until he can no longer tell who he is or what is the truth. This compelling novel is Walter Dean Myers's writing at its best.
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother. Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds.
Stamped - Racism, Anti-Racism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out. Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack. |
Children’s Picture Books
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander Future astronaut, Ron McNair, tells the story of his childhood and how he defied segregation laws to register for a library card in the whites’ only library of his South Carolina childhood.
Hair Love by Matthew Cherry In the segregated South, a young girl goes with her Grandfather to register to vote. Despite adversity and hardship because of his decision, he still teaches his granddaughter that the right to vote is precious.
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
New Kid by Jerry Craft 12-year-old Shayla does not like making waves at her junior high school. She is a good student and a rule follower. However, she must decide whether or not following the rules is worth it when her school bans the BLM armband she begins wearing to show support for the movement.
Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams It is 1968 and three sisters, Delphine, Vonetta and Fern are visiting their mother for the summer in Oakland, California. When they arrive in Oakland, they learn their mother works for the Black Panther Party, a group of African Americans struggling for civil rights. The girls spend the summer attending the Black Panther-run community center and learning more about the struggle for equality Black Americans face and more about their mysterious mother who left their father when the girls were very young.
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson |
