Biography & Memoir

A reissue of Sammy Davis Jr.’s 1965 autobiography, Yes I Can chronicles this entertainment icon’s rise to stardom, and his career-spanning pursuit of racial justice, with a new foreword by Questlove. SPECIAL...

'A beautiful and immensely powerful book about love, grief and finding a way to be in a forever altered world' Julia Samuel 'The Flower Bearers goes to some dark places,...

When Tyree Barnette moved to Sydney from North Carolina, he knew little of his new home. On first arriving, he was pleasantly surprised: the police treated him with respect and...

Gucci Mane, one of hip-hop’s most iconic figures and a trailblazer in Atlanta’s rap culture, reveals his struggles with mental health and drug addiction that will provide fans and readers...

A magnificent cultural biography that charts the life of one of our greatest writers, situating her alongside the key historical and social moments that shaped her work.  As the first...

An exhilarating, lyrical 'cosmic biography' of the iconic poet, essayist and activist Audre Lorde A Guardian and Lit Hub most anticipated book of 2024 Read these chapters like a collection...

The definitive biography of MF DOOM, charting the reclusive and revered hip-hop artist's life, career, and eventual immortality. Packed with behind-the-scenes content, for fans of hip-hop biographies like Dilla Time....

On May 2, 1973, Black Panther Assata Shakur (aka JoAnne Chesimard) lay in a hospital, close to death, handcuffed to her bed, while local, state, and federal police attempted to...

A compelling and candid memoir from Allen Iverson, the NBA’s most misunderstood Hall of Famer, detailing his tough childhood in Virginia, his entry into the league as the number one...

From Grammy award-winning spoken word artist and poet Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball, comes a powerful second collection of poetry about falling out of love and into a renewed sense of self.After...

Summer of Our Discontent is the story of the dramatic and not inevitable turn in consciousness, encapsulated in the generation-defining twin calamities of the death of George Floyd and Covid-19....

The long-awaited memoir of legendary Lionel Richie As a storyteller second to none, Lionel Richie is ready to tell it all. In this intimate, deeply candid memoir, Lionel revisits hilarious...

*A NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller* A raw, heartfelt memoir from Darius Rucker, the Grammy Award– winning country music sensation and multiplatinum-selling lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish In 1986...

The Iconic Writer's Legendary Editorship An insightful exploration that unveils the lesser-known dimensions of this legendary writer and her legacy, revealing the cultural icon’s profound impact as a visionary editor...

A Memoir of Slavery, Poverty, Celebrity, and Scientology “Hey, kid. Kid.” A voice in the darkness of the slum dorm. I awoke to my stale, bare mattress. It was midnight....

This book explores the creativity and life of Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), the most published African American woman writer of the first half of the twentieth century. Her life spanned...

A Memoir of Intuition, Instigation, and the Bold Pursuit of Purpose In this rich, transparent, and witty memoir, the Co-Founder of WangaWoman LLC, current President & CEO of Essence Ventures,...

"Part memoir, part history, and part political treatise, The South chronicles Reed's life under Jim Crow to correct what he sees as misleading representations of the past."–Elias Rodriques, Bookforum A...

Beyonce's mother tells her story for the first time ever To understand the icons Beyonce, Solange and Kelly, you have to understand where they came from... A deeply personal and...

Three Tales of John Lee Hooker Legendary bluesman John Lee Hooker lived more life in one of his songs than the collective lifetimes of many. Spanning several decades of the...

Searching for the Real James Brown A Guardian best music book of 2016 The music of James Brown was almost a genre in its own right, and he was one...

It’s Never Too Late for a New Beginning Find hope when you see that it is never too late for a new beginning. This book is for… Every person who...

The autobiography of the fabulous, rule-breaking, one-of-a-kind Josephine Baker, published in English for the first time.This is the iconic Josephine Baker in her own words.Funny, candid and unconventional- the wildly...

A gripping memoir entwined with generations of women whose lives illuminate a century of Black American history'Riveting... one of America's most creative and necessary writers' SAPPHIREOn her second birthday in 1967,...

SUNDAY TIMES MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 MOJO BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 A ROUGH TRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 AN UNCUT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 A VARIETY MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEAR...

Compelling, controversial, angry, startling - one of the fundamental books of the Twentieth Century Civil Rights MovementThey called him the 'angriest black man in America' . . . Celebrated and...

The New York Times Bestseller from the Award-Winning Entertainer THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the award-winning, multihyphenate global entertainer Keke Palmer comes the inspiring true story of her...

A biography of Native Son’s Bigger Thomas that examines his continued relevance in debates over Black men and the violence of racism Bigger Thomas, the central figure in Richard Wright’s novel...

The Shakurs and the Nation They Created A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' PICK An NPR Best Book of the Year • Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year Longlisted for...

A short, powerful memoir from one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century In this deeply personal book, Baldwin reflects on the experiences that shaped him as a...

On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant . . . and Completely Over It A debut book from Entertainment Weekly writer and former Out magazine editor Lester Fabian Brathwaite, Rage is a...

The first and only estate-authorised biography of the legendary rapper and an essential reevaluation of his legacy, fully illustrated with mementos, clothing, handwritten poetry, lyrics, musings and more.There are legends,...

Memories of Girlhood One of bell hooks' foundational works introduced to the UK for the first time. 'With the emotion of poetry, the narrative of a novel, and the truth...

An exquisite meditation on the geographies we inherit and the metaphors we inhabit, from Pulitzer Prize winner and nineteenth U.S. poet laureate Natasha Trethewey “Searching and intimate, this impresses.”—Publishers Weekly In a...

How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System and Pocketed $40 Million 'Tanya Smith's story is unbelievably bold, captivating, and moving. Never Saw Me Coming is a wild ride from...

'Questlove radiates passion, knowledge, wit and profundity as he reflects on this ever-evolving art form' GUARDIAN For a young Black kid growing up in a musical family in 1970s Philadelphia, hip-hop...

My Journey from Brooklyn to Hip Hop, Microsoft, and the Law Microsoft’s associate general counsel shares a story that is “as nuanced as it is hopeful” (Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority...

Essays on Mothers and Daughters and the Things They Leave Behind Reminiscent of The Year of Magical Thinking and Somebody’s Daughter, a deeply empathetic and often humorous collection of essays that...

A memoir of politics and activism, from the bestselling and beloved author of I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS 'A brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal...

A memoir about motherhood and music from the bestselling author of I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS 'A brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman' BARACK...

'In the first decade of the twentieth century, it was not a good time to be born black, or woman, in America.' So begins this stunning portrait of Vivian Baxter...

A beautiful new edition of I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS, the iconic, beloved and deeply moving first volume of Maya Angelou's autobiography. The international classic and bestseller, Maya...

From the beloved and bestselling author of I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS, this memoir chronicles Maya Angelou's involvement with the civil rights movement. 'A brilliant writer, a fierce...

The sequel to I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS 'A brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman' BARACK OBAMA Maya Angelou's seven volumes of autobiography are...

A memoir about home and belonging, from the author of I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS 'A brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman' – BARACK...

From international drag superstar and pop culture icon RuPaul, comes his most revealing and personal work to date-a brutally honest, surprisingly poignant, and deeply intimate memoir of growing up Black,...

A New York Times 6 New Paperbacks to Read This WeekA Los Angeles Daily News 25 Must Read Best Books of 2023A Ms Magazine September 2023 Reads For The Rest...

"You are Black; you are female," Leslie Jones' father once said. "But if you work harder and you're better than everybody else, they can't f*cking deny you." Leslie Jones is...

Moving Through Grief with Grit, Grace, and Gratitude A spirit-lifting memoir on how to turn pain into purpose, how to live always in gratitude, and how to face down tragedy...

My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars In this inspiring coming-of-age memoir, a world-renowned astrophysicist emerges from an impoverished childhood and crime-filled adolescence to ascend through the top...