History & Culture

Why don’t our schools work? Eve L. Ewing tackles this question from a new angle: What if they’re actually doing what they were built to do? She argues that instead...

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....

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....

A collection of essays on archiving the history of hip-hop, featuring a range of official, unofficial, DIY, and community archives. Despite the vast popularity and cultural influence of hip-hop, efforts...

"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...

On Race, Space, and Time A radical new treatise on time, quantum physics, and racial justice from world-renowned artist and advocate Rasheedah Phillips of Black Quantum Futurism. Why do some...

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...

Slangin' Pies and Savin' Lives Poignant stories and 65 knock-out recipes for award-winning pizza, wings, and more from Down North, the mission-driven Philadelphia pizzeria owned and operated exclusively by formerly...

A lyrical meditation on how Black Americans have envisioned utopia - and sought to transform their lives.How do the disillusioned, the forgotten, and the persecuted not merely hold on to...

A Black Man's Perspective on Power, Consent, Breaking Down Binaries, and Combating Erasure An unapologetic guide for readers who are Black, masc, and bi—unlearning biphobia, coming out, combatting erasure, and...

The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do and Who We Want to Be From Marcus Collins, strategist to Apple, Nike and Beyoncé, discover how you can harness the...

The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite How a new “woke” elite uses the language of social justice to gain more power and status—without helping the marginalized and disadvantaged Society...

Racial Feudalism and the Rise of Black Liberalism How medieval-inspired racial feudalism reigned in early America and was challenged by Black liberal thinkers Though the United States has been heralded...

With her characteristic brilliance, grace and radical audacity, Angela Y. Davis has put the case for the latest abolition movement in American life: the abolition of the prison. As she quite...

Terror, Slavery and Self-Making in Nineteenth Century America In this radical re-evaluation of American history, Saidiya Hartman uses her singular talents to create a striking portrait of nineteenth century slavery...

A Flavour-Focused Approach to the World of Rum The ultimate visual guide for all things rum, from its complex history to innovative production techniques, and recipes for well-loved cocktails AS...

A Book About De La Soul The first book about De La Soul, High and Rising is a stunning cultural biography of the era-defining hip-hop trio that touched millions of...

Uncovers histories of Black soul-folk artists who, like the genre they perform, have largely been left out of folk music narratives. Folk music of the 1960s and 1970s was a...

Notes on Confidence from the World’s Only Image Architect From Law Roach, award-winning celebrity stylist and the world’s only image architect, comes a groundbreaking guide to becoming your ultimate, confident...

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...

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 Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide **LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 PEN/JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH AWARD FOR NONFICTION****LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDALS FOR EXCELLENCE****WINNER OF THE 2022 POZ...

A devastating look at how mental health 'care' has been historically used to oppress the Black community in the United States - told through the prism of a segregated asylum,...

'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...

A history of Black imagery that recasts our understanding of visual culture and technology In Black Meme, Legacy Russell, award-winning author of the groundbreaking Glitch Feminism, explores the “meme” as mapped...

How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy A generational work with far-ranging social and political implications, White Poverty, promises to be one of the most influential books...

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Begin Again, a politically astute, lyrical meditation on how ordinary people can shake off their reliance on a small group of...

A foundational reckoning with how Black Americans have used the written word to define and redefine themselves, by one of the nation's major literary critics Distilled over many years from...

In Pursuit of Freedom for All A ground-breaking, personal exploration of America’s obsession with continuing human bondage from the editor of the New York Times–bestselling Barracoon. Freedom and equality are the...

The definitive account of Blaxploitation cinema—the freewheeling, often shameless, and wildly influential genre—from a distinctive voice in film history and criticism In 1971, two films grabbed the movie business, shook...

The Black Fives is a groundbreaking, timely history of the largely unknown early days of Black basketball, bringing to life the trailblazing players, teams, and impresarios who pioneered the sport....

English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever The New York Times bestseller now in paperback. One of the preeminent linguists of our time examines the realms of language that...

This is the first book to define and explore Black fatigue, the intergenerational impact of systemic racism on the physical and psychological health of Black people — and explain why...

'Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, the command to love one's enemy is an absolute necessity for our survival.' Advocating love as strength and non-violence as...

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...

Understanding Our Racial Divide This young adult adaptation of the New York Times bestselling White Rage is essential antiracist reading for teens. An NAACP Image Award finalistA Kirkus Reviews Best...

Illustrated by Hugo Martinez A stunning, imaginative work of history that transforms our understanding of slavery and resistance Women warriors planned and led slave revolts on slave ships during the...

Illustrated by Nate Powell "In sharing my story, it is my hope that a new generation will be inspired by Run to actively participate in the democratic process and help...

INTRODUCED BY ADAM WEYMOUTH, award-winning author of The Kings of Yukon 'The Mississippi. Mighty, muddy, dangerous, rebellious and yet a strong, fathering kind of river. The river captured my imagination...

The Montgomery Story The inspiring account of the march towards American Civil Rights, as told by Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described Stride Toward Freedom as "the...

A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route A profound and harrowing meditation by a descendant of slaves who journeyed to Africa to understand her past. The slave, Saidiya Hartman observes,...

A young reader's edition of Candacy Taylor's acclaimed book about the history of the Green Book, the guide for Black travelers Overground Railroad chronicles the history of the Green Book,...

Remembering the Tulsa Race Massacre and Black Wall Street Illustrated by Stacey Robinson One hundred years after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Across the Tracks is a celebration and memorial of...

A New Statesman essential non-fiction book of 2021Featured in Book Riot's 12 best nonfiction books about Black identity and historyA Times Higher Education Book of the Week Why are there...

New York Times Bestseller What J. D. Vance did for Appalachia with Hillbilly Elegy, CNN analyst and one of the youngest state representatives in South Carolina history Bakari Sellers does...

‘I cannot help but see the bodies of my near ancestors in the current caravans of desperate souls fleeing from place to place, chased by famine, war and toxins. Ideas...

An epic biography of Malcolm X finally emerges, drawing on hundreds of hours of the author's interviews, rewriting much of the known narrativeLes Payne, the renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist,...

In the bestselling tradition of Stuff Matters and The Disappearing Spoon — a clever and engaging look at materials, the innovations they made possible, and how these technologies changed us....

Performing Blackness in America From the New York Times bestselling author of Tears We Cannot Stop For more than thirty years, Michael Eric Dyson has played a prominent role in...

The critically acclaimed journalist and bestselling author of The Rage of a Privileged Class explores one of the most essential rights in America — free speech — and reveals how...