Websearches

Take our Websearches online!

• Biography Websearch
• History Websearch

Webliography

• Black History Hotlist
  This site provides links on a number of historical and current topics including slavery, buffalo soldiers, the civil rights movement, African-American leaders, and more.



• Gale - Black History Month
  This site is awesome! You can find a large number of informative biographies, fun quizzes to test your knowledge on African-American subjects, and an African-American timeline to inform you what happened when.



• The Encyclopedia Britannica's Guide to Black History
  This site is a must see for those of you interested in African American history. Britannica has divided this site into different historical eras. Each era has information on arts, education, biographies, and the prevailing political issues of the time.



• The African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide
  This site has sections on colonization, abolition, migration, and the WPA (Work Projects Administration). There is a lot of information here and it is accompanied by digitized images of original documents and historical photographs. A must see!



• The Underground Railroad
  Ever wonder what it was like for a person escaping from slavery? This interactive site created by National Geographic gives you an insight into what it was really like.



• Black History in Music
  Presented by Rhino Records, this site offers an extensive collection of audio files covering the blues, jazz, soul, and rap. Learn about the evolution of these musical genres, read articles, and most of all listen to the audio files. This site is not to be missed.



• The Internet African-American Challenge
  So you think you know all about African-American history? Take this challenge and find out!

Bibliography

Non-Fiction

• Black Diamond: The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues by Pat McKissak. J 796.357 Ma
  For Nearly a century, African Americans were shut out of the all-American Pastime, major league baseball, because of the color of their skin. And so they formed their own leagues. This book takes the reader through the extraordinary history of the Negro Leagues, one of baseball's most moving and fascinating stories.



• The Buffalo Soldiers by TaRessa Stovall. J 978.004 St
  Recounts the history of the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments, comprised of African American soldiers recruited to open the West to settlers and whose deeds included escorting wagon trains, carrying mail, and fighting battles against Native Americans.



• Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson. J 811.54 NE
  George Washington Carver was born a slave in Missouri about 1864 and was raised by the childless white couple who had owned his mother. In 1877 he left home in search of an education, eventually earning a master's degree. This collection of poems provides a compelling and revealing portrait of Carver's complex, richly interior, profoundly devout life.



• Her Story: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales by Virginia Hamilton. J 398.208 Ha
  Gracefully told by Newbery Medalist Virginia Hamilton, the nineteen stories in this book focus on the magical lore and wondrous imaginings of African American Women.



• Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney. J 920 Pi
  Let It Shine! tells the story of ten extraordinary women who fought for civil rights in the 19th and 20th centuries. These are stories about courage in the face of inequality, oppression, prejudice, and fear, triumphs, and challenges. You can't help but feel inspired after reading these true-life stories.



• Martin's Big Words: the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport. J 921 K534r
  This is a captivating narrative of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life. This is truly an unforgettable portrait of a man whose dream changed America and the world forever.



• Slave Narratives: the Journey to Freedom by Elaine Landau. J 973.049 Sl
  This book contains excerpts from four slave narratives. It portrays what life was like for African-Americans before and after the Civil War through first-hand accounts of former slaves. These personal accounts chronicle a broad range of experiences, including the slave trade, the relationships of slaves with their owners, the abuses and illnesses the slaves endured, and the slaves' duties on the plantations and inside the home.



• Vibe History of Hip Hop by Alan Light. 782.421649 Vi
  The magazine Vibe presents a book about the essence of hip hop, from music, fashion, dance, graffiti, movies, videos, to business. It is all in here. Learn about the roots of this cultural movement to its continued influential presence today.

Also check out the biography sections in each of our locations for biographies on your favorite African American politician, scientist, athlete, and historical figure. (*hint - look in the 921 call number range.)

Fiction

• Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. Y FIC Cur
  Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker. FIC Wal
  Winner of a Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award for Fiction. This is a beautiful story of two sisters, their lives, loves, hardships, and ultimately their survival.
• Hoops by Walter Dean Myers. Y FIC Mye
  A teenage basketball player from Harlem is befriended by a former professional player who, after being forced to quit because of a point shaving scandal, hopes to prevent other young athletes from repeating his mistake.
• I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: the Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl by Joyce Hansen. Y FIC Han
  Twelve-year-old Patsy keeps a diary of the ripe but confusing time following the end of the Civil War and the granting of freedom to former slaves.
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. Y FIC Tay
  A black family living in the South during the 1930's are faced with prejudice and discrimination which their children don't understand.
• Roots by Alex Haley. FIC Hal
  It begins with a birth in 1750, in an African village; it ends seven generations later at the Arkansas funeral of a black professor whose children are a teacher, a Navy architect, an assistant director of the U.S. Information Agency, and an author. Read the book the award winning mini-series was based on.
• The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake. Y FIC Fla
  Thirteen-year-old Maleeka, uncomfortable because her skin is extremely dark, meets a new teacher with a birthmark on her face and makes some discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like.

African-American Booklists on the Web

• Teen reads from the Carnegie Library
• Hip Hop Titles
• Berkeley Public Library's African American Voices
• African American Fiction for Young Adults
• African American Fiction
• Tucson-Pima Public Library's African American Voices: Teen Fiction