Featured Books

After the Glory by Shaffer, Donald Robert
A study of the two boxing competitions between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, in 1936 and 1938, examines the global significance of the sporting events in terms of a world on the brink of war.

Autobiography of Medgar Evers, The by Evers, Medgar Wiley
Presents the life of the assassinated NAACP leader as revealed through his correspondence, notes, and transcribed speeches, describing his strong commitment to the cause of civil rights despite threats to his personal safety.

Beyond Glory by Margolick, David
A study of the two boxing competitions between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, in 1936 and 1938, examines the global significance of the sporting events in terms of a world on the brink of war.

Black Diva by Weaver, David
The life of Ruby Elzy

Can't Stop Won't Stop by Chang, Jeff
A history of hip-hop cites its origins in the post-civil rights Bronx and Jamaica, drawing on interviews with performers, activists, gang members, DJs, and others to document how the movement has influenced politics and culture.

Footprints by Mercer, Michelle
A portrait of jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter traces the course of his fifty-year career, from his youth in 1930s Newark, New Jersey, to the present day, and assesses his influence on the development of modern jazz.

Hell Without Fires by Pierce, Yolanda Nicole

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You by Dobkin, Matt
The story of Aretha Franklin's creation of her first hit album sets her music against a background of the feminist and civil rights movements of the late 1960s, offering insight into the artist's complex personality and cultural impact.

Louis Armstrong & Paul Whiteman by Berrett, Joshua
Juxtaposes the lives and careers of Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong and bandleader Paul Whiteman.

Room Full of Mirrors by Cross, Charles R
A biography of Jimi Hendrix.

She Would not be Moved by Kohl, Herbert R
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott, Kohl has expanded and updated his groundbreaking discussion of Rosa Parks and her part in the boycott. Kohl, a recipient of the National Book Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, was the first author to dispel the myth that Parks acted on impulse and emotion rather than moral conviction.

Thunder of Angels, The by Williams, Donnie
The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the people who broke the back of Jim Crow.

What I learned from Jackie Robinson by Erskine, Carl
The former Brooklyn Dodger recalls lessons learned from Jackie Robinson, sharing memories from Robinson's widow and his own recollections of Yogi Berra, Sandy Koufax, Pee Wee Reese, Whitey Ford, Billy Martin, and others.

Why not Every Man? by Hendrick, George
African Americans and civil disobedience in the quest for the dream

Featured Websites

The Biography Channel

ASALH- Association for the Study of African American Life and History

The New York Public Library Digital Library- Schomberg Collection