Well-plotted, extremely perceptive. — Kirkus Reviews

In Harlem of the 1950s, the age-old dream of sudden wealth centers on the numbers game. Hubert Cooley, an avid gambler, would do anything to get enough money to place a bet. For him, the possibility of a hit represents the solution to everything that’s wrong with his life and the chance to escape from his demeaning job as a superintendent, from the pressures of family life, and from Harlem itself.

This compelling novel traces a day in the life of Hubert and his family, from its ordinary start to its increasingly dramatic episodes of conflict, violence, and disillusionment. Author Julian Mayfield was a distinguished interpreter of the Black experience in fiction, journalism, theater, and cinema. His vivid and compassionate tale of ghetto life portrays not only its pitfalls but also the redemptive possibilities to be found in self-knowledge and the recognition of human truths.

This thorough, well-researched exploration of the origins and development of a rich and varied African American musical tradition features authentic versions of over 40 folk songs. These include such time-honored selections as "Wake Up Jonah," "Rock Chariot," "Wonder Where Is My Brother Gone," "Traveling Shoes," "It’ss Getting Late in the Evening," "Dark Was the Night," "I’sm Crossing Jordan River," "Russia, Let That Moon Alone," "Long John," "Rosie," "Motherless Children," three versions of "John Henry," and many others.
One of the first and best surveys in its field, Negro Folk Music, U.S.A. has long been admired for its perceptive history and analysis of the origins and musical qualities of typical forms, ranging from simple cries and calls to anthems and spirituals, ballads, and the blues. Traditional dances and musical instruments are examined as well. The author — a well-known novelist, folklorist, journalist, and specialist in African and African American cultures — offers a discerning study of the influence of this genre on popular music, with particular focus on how jazz developed out of folk traditions.

"The self-described black feminist lesbian mother poet used a mixture of prose, theory, poetry, and experience to interrogate oppressions and uplift marginalized communities. She was one of the first black feminists to target heteronormativity, and to encourage black feminists to expand their understanding of erotic pleasure. She amplified anti-oppression, even as breast cancer ravaged her ailing body." — Evette Dionne, Bustle Magazine
Winner of the 1988 Before Columbus Foundation National Book Award, this path-breaking collection of essays is a clarion call to build communities that nurture our spirit. Lorde announces the need for a radical politics of intersectionality while struggling to maintain her own faith as she wages a battle against liver cancer. From reflections on her struggle with the disease to thoughts on lesbian sexuality and African-American identity in a straight white man’s world, Lorde’s voice remains enduringly relevant in today’s political landscape.
Those who practice and encourage social justice activism frequently quote her exhortation, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." In addition to the journal entries of "A Burst of Light: Living with Cancer," this edition includes an interview, "Sadomasochism: Not About Condemnation," and three essays, "I Am Your Sister: Black Women Organizing Across Sexualities," "Apartheid U.S.A.," and "Turning the Beat Around: Lesbian Parenting 1986," as well as a new Foreword by Sonia Sanchez.
"When I don’t know what to do, I turn to the Lorde." — Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Bitch Media

“ One of the most profound and courageous writers at work today.” —Michael Cunningham (The Hours). This Stonewall Book Award-winning novel traces the life and unrealized dreams of a homosexual African-American poet. Beautifully written in reverse chronological order, the story opens with Arnold Hawley’s lonely old age, revisits his ill-fated marriage, and concludes with his arrival in New York City, where he forms a lasting bond with his formidable aunt.

In 1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an instant classic that received overwhelming acclaim by Northerners and other abolitionist readers. Southerners, conversely, strongly denied the novel’s accuracy. The following year Stowe answered pro-slavery critics with this unique bestseller, a meticulous and thoughtful defense of her work, which cites real-life equivalents to her characters.

Southern readers were further incensed by this follow-up volume, their wrath in no small part inflamed by a Yankee woman’s presuming to tell men what to think. A critical aspect of Stowe’s Key is her critique of the law’ support of not only the institution of slavery but also the mistreatment of individual slaves. As in the original novel, her challenge extends beyond slavery to the law itself. American society’s first widely read political novel, Uncle Tom’This supplement to the novel offers valuable insights into a historical and literary landmark.

Related Links
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Uncle Tom’s Story of His Life: An Autobiography of the Reverend Josiah Henson by Josiah Henson

Adultery, incest, and questions of racial identity simmer beneath the tranquil surface of suburban life in this novel, set in a small New Jersey town of the early 1900s. Lovely young Laurentine is obsessed with her “bad blood,” inherited from a common-law interracial union. Proud and independent, she longs for the respectability of a conventional marriage. Laurentine“s vivacious and self-confident cousin, Melissa, also aspires to "marry up." But a family secret shadows Melissa“s dreams and ambitions as she approaches an explosive revelation.

This ironically titled tale by an influential figure in African-American literature explores the tragic effects of color prejudice and self-hatred. Jessie Redmon Fauset’s 1933 novel paints a haunting portrait of internalized racism with its depiction of a domineering mother whose determination for her children to pass as white leads to devastating results for the entire family.

An eminent German explorer, ethnologist, and authority on prehistoric art, Leo Frobenius (1873?1938) startled the world of anthropology with his concept of "continuity of cultures" — proposing, for instance, a link between Egyptian religious symbols and preexisting African mythology. In the course of his anthropological fieldwork, Frobenius and other members of his expeditions collected an abundance of authentic African folklore. This volume presents a rich selection of these fascinating tales, fables, and legends.
Stories range from the Kabyl legends of the early Berbers and ballads of the Fulbe bards of Sahel in the southern Sahara to the comically exaggerated Improbable Tales of the Mande in Sudan and the captivating creation myths of the Wahungwe of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The thematic variations in the tales correspond with their narrators’ diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds.
Recounted with engaging simplicity and directness, these frequently amusing, sometimes bizarre stories are illustrated with adaptations of prehistoric rock paintings and portraits of twentieth-century Africans. Of immense value to students of African culture, this book will also appeal to the many devoted readers of folklore and mythology.

Originally published in 1959, Brown Girl, Brownstones is considered considered to be the beginning of contemporary African-American women’s writing.

“An unforgettable novel, written with pride and anger, with rebellion and tears.“ — Herald Tribune Book Review

“Passionate, compelling … an impressive accomplishment.“ — Saturday Review

“Remarkable for its courage, its color, and its natural control.“ — The New Yorker

Selina’s mother wants to stay in Brooklyn and earn enough money to buy a brownstone row house, but her father dreams only of returning to his island home. Torn between a romantic nostalgia for the past and a driving ambition for the future, Selina also faces the everyday burdens of poverty and racism.

Written by and about an African-American woman, this coming-of-age story unfolds during the Depression and World War II. Its setting — a close-knit community of immigrants from Barbados — is drawn from the author’s own experience, as are the lilting accents and vivid idioms of the characters’ speech. Paule Marshall’s 1959 novel was among the first to portray the inner life of a young female African-American, as well as depicting the cross-cultural conflict between West Indians and American blacks. It remains a vibrant, compelling tale of self-discovery.

A shining star of the Harlem Renaissance movement, Langston Hughes is one of modern literature’s most revered African-American authors. Although best known for his poetry, Hughes produced in Not Without Laughter a powerful and pioneering classic novel.
This stirring coming-of-age tale unfolds in 1930s rural Kansas. A poignant portrait of African-American family life in the early twentieth century, it follows the story of young Sandy Rogers as he grows from a boy to a man. We meet Sandy’s mother, Annjee, who works as a housekeeper for a wealthy white family; his strong-willed grandmother, Hager; Jimboy, Sandy’s father, who travels the country looking for work; Aunt Tempy, the social climber; and Aunt Harriet, the blues singer who has turned away from her faith.
A fascinating chronicle of a family’s joys and hardships, Not Without Laughter is a vivid exploration of growing up and growing strong in a racially divided society. A rich and important work, it masterfully echoes the black American experience.

From civil rights to the right to vote, women have spoken up and spoken out throughout American history. Brimming with great power and eloquence, here are twenty-one legendary speeches from the country’s most inspirational female voices, including Jane Addams, Emma Goldman, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Spanning the centuries from 1851 to 2007, these are the rousing words that continue to endure in our nation’s consciousness.
This distinguished collection includes these American women and their speeches: Sojourner Truth, "Ain’t I a Woman?" 1851; Susan B. Anthony, "On Behalf of the Woman Suffrage Amendment," 1880; Margaret Sanger, "A Moral Necessity of Birth Control," 1921; Mary McLeod Bethune, "A Century of Progress of Negro Women," 1933; Eleanor Roosevelt, "On the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," 1948; Shirley Chisholm, "People and Peace, Not Profits and War," 1969; Geraldine Ferraro, "Vice Presidential Nomination Acceptance Address," 1984; Gloria Steinem, "A Twenty-First Century Feminism," 2002; Nancy Pelosi, "Speech Upon Her Election as Speaker of the House," 2007, and many more unforgettable speeches by spirited and influential American women.

Tracing the struggle for freedom and civil rights across two centuries, this anthology comprises speeches by Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, W. E. B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other influential figures in the history of African-American culture and politics.
The collection begins with Henry Highland Garnet’s 1843 "An Address to the Slaves of the United States of America," followed by Jermain Wesley Loguen’s "I Am a Fugitive Slave," the famous "Ain’t I a Woman?" speech by Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass’s immortal "What, to the Slave, Is the Fourth of July?" Subsequent orators include John Sweat Rock, John M. Langston, James T. Rapier, Alexander Crummell, Booker T. Washington, Mary Church Terrell, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Francis J. Grimké, Marcus Garvey, and Mary McLeod Bethune. Martin Luther King, Jr.,’s "I Have a Dream" speech appears here, along with Malcolm X’s "The Ballot or The Bullet," Shirley Chisholm’s "The Black Woman in Contemporary America," "The Constitution: A Living Document" by Thurgood Marshall, and Barack Obama’s "Knox College Commencement Address." Includes 2 selections from the Common Core State Standards Initiative: "I Have a Dream" and "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July."

""In order to get through your work in proper time, you should make it your chief study to rise early in the morning; for an hour before the family rises is worth more to you than two after they are up.""
So begins Robert Roberts’ The House Servant’s Directory, first published in 1827 and the standard for household management for decades afterward. A classic survey of work, home life, and race relations in early America, the book was the result of many years of Roberts’ personal and professional experiences. One of the first books written by an African-American and published by a commercial press, this manual for butlers and waiters offers keen insight into the social milieu, hierarchy, and maintenance of the antebellum manor.
As a servant to a prominent New England family, Roberts provided valuable insights into what was expected of domestic servants. His book contains an abundance of instructions for successfully completing household chores as well as suggestions for properly cleaning furniture and clothing; and for buying, preparing, and serving food and drink for dinner parties of all sizes (much of which is still useful information today). The text also contains suggestions for arranging servants’ work routines, and advice to heads of families on how best to manage their domestic help — extraordinary recommendations for master-servant relationships and highly unusual for the time.
Among the most famous of etiquette books to provide instruction on proper behavior for domestic servants in the early nineteenth century, Roberts’ Directory remains a critical primary source in sociology and African-American history.

You may learn more about this cookbook and other great cook books in Toni Tipton-Martin’s The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks

Selling more than 300,000 copies the first year it was published, Stowe’s powerful abolitionist novel fueled the fire of the human rights debate in 1852. Denouncing the institution of slavery in dramatic terms, the incendiary novel quickly draws the reader into the world of slaves and their masters.

Stowe’s characters are powerfully and humanly realized in Uncle Tom, a majestic and heroic slave whose faith and dignity are never corrupted; Eliza and her husband, George, who elude slave catchers and eventually flee a country that condones slavery; Simon Legree, a brutal plantation owner; Little Eva, who suffers emotionally and physically from the suffering of slaves; and fun-loving Topsy, Eva’s slave playmate.

Critics, scholars, and students are today revisiting this monumental work with a new objectivity, focusing on Stowe’s compelling portrayal of women and the novel’s theological underpinnings.

Related Links

Uncle Tom’s Cabin Told to the Children by Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall

A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin: Presenting the Original Facts and Documents Upon Which the Story Is Founded by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Uncle Tom’s Story of His Life: An Autobiography of the Reverend Josiah Henson by Josiah Henson

A controversial figure in the history of race relations around the world, Marcus Garvey amazed his enemies as much as he dazzled his admirers. This anthology contains some of the African-American rights advocate’s most noted writings and speeches, including "Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World" and "Africa for the Africans."

Africa For The Africans

Say! Africa for the Africans,
Like America for the Americans:
This the rallying cry for a nation,
Be it in peace or revolution. 

Blacks are men, no longer cringing fools;
They demand a place, not like weak tools;
But among the world of nations great
They demand a free self-governing state. 

Hurrah! Hurrah! Great Africa wakes;
She is calling her sons, and none forsakes,
But to colors of the nation runs,
Even though assailed by enemy guns. 

Cry it loud, and shout it Ion’ hurrah!
Time has changed, so hail! New Africa!
We are now awakened, rights to see:
We shall fight for dearest liberty. 

Mighty kingdoms have been truly reared
On the bones of blackmen, facts declared;
History tells this awful, pungent truth,
Africa awakes to her rights forsooth. 

Europe cries to Europeans, ho!
Asiatics claim Asia, so
Australia for Australians,
And Africa for the Africans. 

Blackmen’s hands have joined now together,
They will fight and brave all death’s weather,
Motherland to save, and make her free,
Spreading joy for all to live and see. 

None shall turn us back, in freedom’s name,
We go marching like to men of fame
Who have given laws and codes to kings,
Sending evil flying on crippled wings. 

Blackmen shall in groups reassemble,
Rich and poor and the great and humble:
Justice shall be their rallying cry,
When millions of soldiers pass us by. 

Look for that day, coming, surely soon,
When the sons of Ham will show no coon
Could the mighty deeds of valor do
Which shall bring giants for peace to sue 

Hurrah! Hurrah! Better times are near;
Let us front the conflict and prepare;
Greet the world as soldiers, bravely true:
"Sunder not," Africa shouts to you.