84 Books Published by Third World Press on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

In this transcendent memoir, grounded in fond reminiscence of family, community, and a career dedicated to love and service, Dr. Adelaide L. Sanford shares personal reflections of her journey to becoming a renowned educator, public scholar, school leader, Board of Regents policymaker, and activist.

Born and bred in Brooklyn, New York, Sanford has been a lifelong educator and staunch advocate for Black students and families, for African-centered teaching, and for equity and excellence in education. The author shares intimate, painful memories of her enslaved grandmother who would often proudly recount her family’s Ibo (Nigeria) origins to Sanford and other family members. From Enslavement to Belovedness is dedicated to ‘the beloved ones’ (i.e., African Peoples throughout the world) for whom Sanford – witnessed through her lifetime of study, struggle, teaching, and service – embodied a deep, lasting connection that shaped and informed her life as wife, mother, teacher, and servant-leader. Narrating the complexities of struggle and commitment,

From Enslavement to Belovedness is a heartfelt, illuminating, and visionary memoir about family and the unshakeable bond of love, leadership, and service to the community.

Journey is a collection of poems that offers a reflective look at various periods and experiences of Wade Hudson’s life journey. There are poems about growing up in Mansfield, LA, a small, Jim Crow town in the south and the people who nurtured him and loved him. There are poems about the Black struggle for freedom and justice. Also included are poems that offer words of wisdom gained over years as an activist and Black cultural advocate. Poet and author Tony Medina calls Journey a “collection of lifelong wealth, experience, wisdom, and passion.” Writer and literary critic E. Ethelbert Miller says “Wade Hudson’s journey continues beyond the last page. His book is a baton to be passed to the next generation. His writing hand is filled with love.”

“Haki R. Madhubuti knows that nothing human is elegant. He is not interested in modes of writing that aspire to elegance. He is well acquainted with “elegant’ literature (what hasn’t he read) but, while certainly respecting the advantages and influence of good workmanship, he is not interested in supplying the need of Harvard or Oxford, nor the editors of the Partisan Review, although he could mightily serve as a fact factory for these. he speaks to Black hungry for what they themselves refer to as “real poetry. The Black find themselves and the stuff of their existence in his healthy lithe lustry reaches of free verse. The last thing these people crave is elegance. It is very hard to enchant, with elegant song, the ears of a fellow whose stomach is growling. He can’t hear you. The more interesting noise is loud.”
—Gwendolyn Brooks, U.S. Poet Laureate (1985–1986)

In these new and selected poems Madhubuti, formerly Don L. Lee, poet, publisher, editor, and activist, places us in lyrical proximity to a legacy of women whose lives he honors with heart warm verses and timeless reverence. Each poem is a vivid portraiture of the “magnificent energy” emanating from a rainbow of Black women. In this mosaic collection of poetry, Madhubuti celebrates the luminous spirits of women whose visible ’greatness’ has left an indelible mark on his life’s work. In Taught By Women, Madhubuti sings their struggles and praises with pitch perfect precision, every note — an empowering song and unforgettable melody.

Black Panther earns three Oscars. Since its inception Marvel Studios’ Black Panther has provoked and stoked a wide range of interest, and now that the blockbuster film is the recipient of three Oscars the film’s acclaim extends beyond the box office. No, it didn’t get the top prize, but it was a barrier breaker as Ruth Carter was the first black woman to ever win in the Costume Design category; and another first for a black artist when Hannah Beachler took the trophy, which she shared with Set Decorator Jay Hart, in Production Design. Additional spice arrived when Ludwig Goransson earned an Oscar for the Best Score in a Motion Picture.

These awards and other nominations for Black Panther augurs well for populist cinema that is traditionally scorned when it comes to taking home the coveted awards, particularly an Oscar, which is Marvel’s first. It’s a good bet the honors to Black Panther will not only boost the appreciation for populist cinema, it should also enhance the appeal of a number of products and projects such as Black Panther: A Paradigm Shift or Not? the forthcoming anthology at Third World Press, edited by Haki Madhubuti and Herb Boyd. "All of the celebration and awards for the film is nothing to thumb your nose at and we at Third World Press extend all our good wishes and hope we can do as well with our publication," said Madhubuti, the press’s publisher and founder.

The anthology, which includes more than forty writers, film critics, scholars, and activists, has a timely appearance and should be able to reap some of the renewed media attention the film has sparked. Among the contributors are Nicole Mitchell Gantt, Jelani Cobb, Brent Staples, Abdul Alkalimat, Bobby Seale, Robyn Spencer, Diane Turner, Greg Tate, Maulana Karenga, Marita Golden, and Molefi Keta Asante, et al. As may be discerned from the contributors the anthology is a compilation of mixed views and opinions—with both praise and a critique of the film. "The film has aroused a variety of conclusions, a wellspring of differences that we felt compelled to give them a forum," said Boyd. "Like the film, the views expressed in the book are often very provocative."

Kitwana, author of the best-selling The Hip-Hop Generation, sits down with leadership of the five major national hip-hop organizations, a larger part of the force that is driving the innovative marriage between hip-hop and civic engagement—The League of Young Voters, The Hip-Hop Congress, The National Hip-Hop Political Convention, The Hip-Hop Caucus and The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. Hip Hop Activism in the Obama Era is a collection of interviews with activists and political organizers at the forefront of increasing youth involvement in electoral politics.

Brilliant Flame! Amiri Baraka is an intergenerational collection of writing from poets, dramatists, musicians, educators, historians and cultural workers and theorists examining the work and influence of Amiri Baraka.

The dramatist, novelist and poet, Amiri Baraka is one of the most respected and widely published African-American writers. With the beginning of Black Civil Rights Movements during the sixties, Baraka explored the anger of African-Americans and used his writings as a weapon against racism. Also, he advocated scientific socialism with his revolutionary inclined poems and aimed at creating aesthetic through them. Amiri Baraka’s writing career spans over nearly fifty years and has mostly focused on the subjects of Black Liberation and White Racism. Often recognized as a key founder of the Black Arts Movement, Amiri Baraka was a prolific writer and world-renowned poet. While this book provides its contributors a forum in which to examine his poetic and artistic aesthetics, Brilliant Flame! will more importantly bring to the forefront Baraka’s reach as political activist, historian and cultural visionary.

A Poet, A Preacher, and a Philosopher…sit down to talk after greeting each other with warm laughter and the easy telling of quick stories from the last time they’d been together. There is genuine joy in the tones that emerge in their speech as they relax in the presence of each other’s work and legacy. The commonality and differences in the paths they’ve walked and the ideas they’ve promulgated adds a respectful tension necessary for high-level exchange and learning. Knowledge of history suggests smiles are imminent from knowing that they again in the company of those who have not only charged into uncounted battles for human rights and justice, it is their commitment and practice. Their ideas and work have expanded in understanding and delivery. They have been criticized and often misunderstood and yet, they stood, and are still standing, in the growing storm we face today.

Donald J. Trump is the 45th president of the United States. This happened in 2016 and it is not a hallucination. Trump’s political ascendancy, cabinet-level federal appointments, and subtle endorsement of white nationalism, have expedited feelings of fear, loathing, and endless uncertainty among many Americans – in particular, the poor and working-class.

Not Our President: New Directions from the Pushed Out, the Others, and the Clear Majority in Trump’s Stolen America is a call-to-action for critical thinking and action, and progressive movement-building among everyday people – the vast majority of whom stand outside of Trump’s vision for America. This important volume addresses diverse areas including economics, education, culture, media, labor, religion, and politics.

The book includes a foreword by Cornel West and contributions from Molefi K. Asante, Edmund W. Gordon, Maulana Karenga, Henry Giroux, Mitch Landrieu, Greg Carr, Sonia Sanchez, Bill Ayers, Gerald Horne, Elizabeth Warren, Ishmael Reed, Julianne Malveaux, jessica Care moore, Nikky Finney, Herb Boyd, Michael Simanga, Tallib Kweli Greene, and others.

Rise of the Phoenix ""is a collection of personal narratives that articulate the political, social, religious, and cultural experiences of many who participated in Chicago’s black struggle for self-determination, self-reliance, and equality during the civil rights and Black Power movements. Contributors include Timuel Black, Carol Adams, John R. Porter, and Ellis Cose with a preface by Julieanna Richardson, director of The HistoryMakers.

Christine Houston wrote Two Twenty Seven, a play about her childhood growing up at 227 E. 48th Street, located in what is now known as Bronzeville. She went on to win the ANTA West, the Lorraine Hansberry and the Norman Lear Playwriting contests. The latter took her to Los Angeles where she wrote a teleplay for the TV series The Jeffersons. Marla Gibbs, one of the stars of The Jeffersons, performed the play at her theater and received the NAACP Image award for best actress, while Mrs. Houston received the NAACP Image award for playwriting. Mrs. Houston went on to become a staff writer on the Punky Brewster TV series, and in 1985, Two Twenty-Seven was adapted to television and became NBC’S hit television series 227. Professor Houston continues to write for stage and screen. Most recently, she finished her first novel called Laughing Through the Tears and co-wrote a textbook with Christine List entitled, The Screenwriter’s Guidebook: Learning from African American Film and Television Writers.

Taking Bullets: Black Boys and Men in Twenty-First Century America Fighting Terrorism, Stopping Violence, and Seeking Healing starts a national debate on Black male empowerment with an urgency for the survival of a generation of Black men and boys who are confronted with disparity and adversity on the streets of every city in America. Haki Madhubuti speaks directly to these young men with an empathic understanding of their plight, yet he sees hope and a vision for their future. In Taking Bullets, he challenges community leaders, educators, and all of those individuals who directly impact the lives of our young men to develop sustained strategies to confront and challenge the systematic problems of police violence, mass incarceration and economic disparity.

In Black Hollywood Unchained, Ishmael Reed gathers an impressive group of scholars, critics, intellectuals, and artist to examine and respond to the contemporary portrayals of Blacks in films. Using the 2012 release of the film Django Unchained as the focal point of much of the discussion, these essays and reviews provide a critical perspective on the challenges facing filmmakers and actors when confronted with issues on race and the historical portrayal of African American characters. Reed also addresses the black community’s perceptiveness as discerning and responsible consumers of film, theatre, art, and music.

Twenty-eight contributors including this book’s editor, Ishmael Reed, offer insightful, informed and provocative points of view on the ever changing, yet unchanged, landscape of Hollywood and film production in America. While the 2012 release of Django Unchained was the film that generated nation-wide conversations and many of the essays in this collection, this book intentionally extends that dialogue about race, history, entertainment and the image of Blacks on the screen to include an examination of the culture of contemporary films and television. Black Hollywood Unchained is critical of the roles of actor, film-maker and viewer as it asks questions that redirect our thinking about the multi-billion dollar industry we call “the movies.”

Contributors

J. Douglas Allen-Taylor, Houston A. Baker Jr., Amiri Baraka, Playthell G. Benjamin, Herb Boyd, Cecil Brown, Ruth Elizabeth Burks, Art T. Burton, Stanley Crouch, Justin Desmangles, Lawrence DiStasi, Jack Foley, David Henderson, Geary Hobson, Joyce A. Joyce, Haki R. Madhubuti, C. Liegh McInnis, Tony Medina, Alejandro Murguía, Jill Nelson, Halifu Osumare, Heather D. Russell, Hariette Surovell, Kathryn Waddell Takara, Jerry W. Ward Jr., Marvin X, Al Young

A contextual historical examination of the civil rights movement and the artists who inspired it, this recollection depicts this storied era and how these artists signified the affecting change they helped create. The exploration details the development of the Black Arts Movement from precursor activities such as the Umbra Workshop to transitional activities such as Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem "for colored girls who considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf"’and gives in-depth information about the role of prominent poets, such as Amiri Baraka, and the influence of black music.

More about the Black Art’s Movement

With essays concerned with the struggle to achieve equal educational opportunity through desegregation and the struggle for equality of educational achievement, Gordon uses logical analysis to exploit the potential of the dominant system’s theories (""the master’s tools"") to subvert that system’s efforts at intellectual marginalization and oppression of low-income people of color.

Gordon uses logical analysis to exploit the potential of the dominant system’s theories (“the master’s tools”) to subvert that system’s efforts at intellectual marginalization and oppression of low-income people of color.

This precious volume of new and selected poems justly widens Dr. Hord’s space among the poets of the Black Arts Movement. He remains, as John O. Killers would state, one of the long distance runners. He is in a league with Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Askia Toure, Jayne Cortez, Eugene Redmond, Lucille Clifton, Kalamu ya Salaam, and others who created a movement that helped to change America and the world for the literate and liberated majority.

With essays concerned with the struggle to achieve equal educational opportunity through desegregation and the struggle for equality of educational achievement, Gordon uses logical analysis to exploit the potential of the dominant system’s theories ("the master’s tools") to subvert that system’s efforts at intellectual marginalization and oppression of low-income people of color.

Celebrating a career that spans four decades, Eugene B. Redmond’s collected work—Arkansippi Memwars—triumphs.  An award-winning poet, playwright and educator, Redmond represents through his body of work the veracity and audacity of the Black Arts Movement, the traditions of the Yoruba, and the complex history of the Black American.  The poetry of Redmond moves to the cadence of drums stripped from his ancestors and reclaimed by the burgeoning Hip-Hop movement of the 1970s. Fearless, sharp, and satirically masterful are but a few words to describe the excellence of Eugene Redmond and his poetry.

Read Press Release from Third World Press Announcing Landmark Publication of This Book

The heart of the book is Malcolm’s impressions, his personal observations on the people he meets and the circumstances he encounters, his own feelings of trepidation and inadequacy. There are segments in which the book will be complemented by passages from Malcolm’s autobiography, though in our book his immediate reactions have not been disturbed by editors. And in several ways and instances the diary amplifies the autobiography.

“From the pages of his Diary, we hear his voice distilled and pure, devoid of outside interference, manipulation or intent. With his Diary, the entire world can now accurately assess the value, contribution and magnitude of Malcolm X.” —Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X

""Home/Bass ""brings to the forefront the myriad of folks that inhabit the up-South streets of Chicago or the unaltered roads of Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, and other pockets inhabited by Blacks throughout the South. Sterling Plumpp has lived with these folks—sharecroppers, preachers, misplaced Mississippi blues men and women. He has been in their houses, has dined at their tables, and has drunk at the bars on the corners. He is not a stranger to their articulations—voices that call to him from a Natchez cemetery, from the outskirts of some Mississippi Delta town, or settle on Maxwell Street in Chicago—all through the observant and often omnipresent lens of blues artist Willie Kent. Plumpp is always mindful of the slow, steady rhythms of the blues, not as backdrop, but as the foundation and framework on which he structures the components of this book. With the publication of ""Home/Bass, ""Plumpp has once again captured the very essence of language and the blues from the inside out.

Tony Medina’s latest collection of poetry is satirical and surprising commentary on contemporary issues facing young and old alike. His mastery of language, imagery, conversation, and voice permeates each and every selection within this 100-plus page volume. The Caribbean writer and novelist Jan Carew shares the following: ""The poetry … is complex. It strips the street to its simplest common denominator of survival and tears off layer upon layer of stark realism.""

For over thirty years, poets Gwendolyn Brooks and Haki R. Madhubuti shared a unique literary and personal relationship. In this latest volume of his work, Madhubuti, a renowned poet in his own right, pays tribute to Brooks’ legacy and memory with this collection of poems that he produced during those years. He also offers two essays and a selection of newer poems to express his gratitude and show his great respect for this literary giant.

Compiled as a response to Manning Marable’s controversial new biography of Malcolm X, more than 30 noted scholars from the African American community offer their opinions on Marable’s portrayal of the man whose short life still inspires speculation of what might have been.

Contributors include: Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Abdul Alkalimat, Molefi Kete Asante, Rick Ayers, Bryonn Bain, Amiri Baraka, Aslaku Ber­hanu, Amir Bey, Todd Steven Burroughs, Ta-Nehisi Coates, William Jelani Cobb, Karl Evanzz, Iyaluua and Herman Ferguson, Bill Flectcher, Jr., Glen Ford, Rhone Fraser, Wil Haygood, Kelly Harris, Errol A. Henderson, Fred Hord, Peter James Hudson, Ezra Hyland, Regina Jennings, Peniel E. Joseph, Clyde Ledbetter Jr., Fred Logan, Kevin McGruder, Starla Muhammad, Nell Irvin Painter, Imani Perry, Gregory J. Reed, Sonia Sanchez, Diane D. Turner, Ilyasah Shabazz.

This collection of conversations between celebrity intellectual Marc Lamont Hill and famed political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal is a shining example of African American men speaking for themselves about the many forces impacting their lives. Covering topics such as race, politics, hip-hop culture, education, mass incarceration, and love, their discussions shine a spotlight on some of the most pressing issues in 21st century African American life.

Intended to cut clean through the oppression imposed upon the mainstream by society’s ""intellectual superstructure,"" this collection of revolutionary essays by literary and cultural legend Amiri Baraka raises numerous issues concerning contemporary African American life. The socially conscious will appreciate the creative analyses and stimulating critiques on display here, buoyed by Baraka’s distinctive, bold, and aggressive opinions about the ways our culture bestows ignorance upon the ignorant merely to exploit them. Further developing the ideals of black nationalism and social justice that put Baraka on the cultural map, these essays dissect the sedentary attitudes of the American majority to promote a finer tomorrow.

Ballers of the New School uses American sports culture to challenge and explore notions of race in America.

Dr. Lewis pushes back against topics such as anti-intellectualism, jingoism, and exploitation in collegiate athletics, as well as the role of sports culture in cultivating notions of masculinity. The book fearlessly critiques and challenges the notion that sports culture has altruistically functioned as a progressive pioneer of social and racial progress and offers a reexamination of the narrative of American sport as a leading contributor to racial progress by pointing to glass ceilings in areas of leadership on and off fields of play.

The reconstructions as well as challenges to modern athletes that Ballers of the New School offers makes it a usable book of sometimes uncomfortable, but necessary truths.

An Africa-centered framework unifies these essays about misconceptions in standard accounts of the evolution of black music. Topics are cross-disciplinary and include Africa and the African diaspora, American black popular music, black consciousness and art, black message music, and the future of rap.

Also included are poems by Nicole Sealey and Sandra Turner-Barnes; personal narratives by gospel music scholar James E. Adams and blues musician Byard Lancaster; and interviews with Katherine DeChavis, Kenny Gamble, Wynton Marsalis, Trudy Pitts, Shirley Scott, Ira Tucker, and McCoy Tyner. Rare archival photographs of musical pioneers complete this collection that leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the rich traditions of black music.

This children’s book tells the true story of Oney Judge, a young African American woman who was a slave in George Washington’s presidential household. She liberated herself by way of a daring escape and defied his attempts to recapture her.

Oney speaks to us from the pages of history: “I escaped one night in May 1796 when the President and Miss Martha were eating their dinner.” Author Diane D. Turner gives substance to this woman whose life has been documented in the stories of our nation’s history, but whose narrative very few people know.

The book includes a timeline and glossary of terms to help young audiences understand more about this period of American history. For children ages 8-12.

Noted African American journalist Roland Martin takes readers back down President Barack Obama’s campaign trail in this chronological journal of events that dates back to when then Senator Obama had yet to announce his candidacy and follows him on his journey to the presidency. Martin’s charismatic writing style is presented through his in-depth analysis of the presidential campaign and Obama’s struggles and successes. Martin gives readers insight on how each important event played out in front of the nation and also shares interviews from his broadcasts, including an interview he conducted with President Obama after his win in Iowa in January 2008. Other Notable interviews include Dr. Cornel West, Rep John Lewis, Spike Lee, Maxine Waters and Michael Eric Dyson.

Spanning a long career, these poems helped define and sustain a movement that added music and brash street language to traditional poetics. Like Amiri Barka (aka LeRoi Jones), this poet and social activist has long combined the personal and the political by adding anger, activism, and outsider art to well-crafted poems. Spoken-word poetry (which recently garnered the author a Grammy nomination) and ""message"" poetry aimed at community healing are innovations in the later works, and as a whole the poems provide an overview of emerging black culture as they borrow language from black consciousness, hip-hop, political speeches, and motivational talks.

The hip-hop culture on the south side of Chicago links these short stories that are otherwise very different from each other in subject and approach. Stark scenes of gang violence, drug use, and prison life are contrasted with light and humorous stories, and the grittiness of urban life is softened by the preoccupations of adolescence, the chance for romance, or the ordinary moments of family life.

The frustration, anger, and restlessness caused by African American oppression are exorcised in this moving collection of poetry. Speaking initially from the perspective of black struggle, these works evolve to invoke the common denominator of all humanity. A familiar voice laments the feelings of a shared past, including tributes to Paul Robeson, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Muhammad Ali, as well as non-African American icons such as Che Guevara, ultimately offering a more thoughtful and transcendental vision of human suffering and injustice.

Representing conversations from the Eighth National Black Writers Conference in 2006, this collection provides in-depth meditations and analyses of literature by black writers. Reflections on the black experience, the American experience, and a more global experience and worldview are all widely discussed, as well as future trends and ascensions for black literature. Students, teachers, journalists, and other writers will welcome the chance to view parts of the writing process and see inside the heads of prominent black writers. Participants include Marita Golden, Walter Mosley, Ishmael Reed, Herb Boyd, Valerie Boyd, Haki R. Madhubuti, Elizabeth Nunez, Tananarive Due, Valerie Wilson Wesley, Camille Yarbrough, Susan McHenry, and many others.

Seventeen writers, educators, and close friends of the late poet contribute their praise through this collection of brief anecdotes from actual encounters with Gwendolyn Brooks. The contributors relate the poet’s influences on their art, their lives, and the world; expressing their indebtedness for the revolutionary language of her poems, her universal maternity, and her outstanding kindness. Some of Brook’s most influential poems are included such that this tribute keeps her words and wisdom alive.

A reexamination of Harold Cruse’s classic ""Crisis of the Negro Intellectual, "" published in 1967 at the height of the civil-rights movement and now required reading in African American studies courses, this polemic pays tribute to the earlier book’s importance and takes to task the current generation of black scholars for failing to meet Cruse’s rigorous standards for public commentary. Detailing the evolution of black-intellectual discourse since the 1960s, this assessment points to a lack of ongoing discussion about the role of intellectuals—black or white—in our society and insists that the experience of black Americans is so complex it deserves the closest and most honest scrutiny possible from black writers and academics. Instead, the book is sad to report, today’s scholars are often caught up in media battles such as those described in the chapters ""Three of a Kind: Black Conservatives, Black Liberals, and Black Radicals"" and ""Why Black Female Intellectuals Tend to Shout.""

The poems traces the journeys of Tubman and her fugitives through the backwoods of America.

Defining a cultural dialogue that will be prevalent well into the 21st century, these writings celebrate life and the living by humanizing the effects of HIV and giving powerful voices to the affected and afflicted. The writings, presented in four major sections, speak out about the hard-hitting truths that surround HIV; the forms of abuse, such as incest and rape, which cast HIV into the lives of girls and women;

This fictionalized memoir of the award-winning author, Gloria Naylor, tells a story of a massive covert surveillance operation perpetrated against her by an official of the U.S. government.

Read more about the The State of the Black Union 2006 and The Covenant with Black America

Six years’ worth of symposiums come together in this rich collection of essays that plot a course for African Americans, explaining how individuals and households can make changes that will immediately improve their circumstances in areas ranging from health and education to crime reduction and financial well-being. Addressing these pressing concerns are contributors Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. surgeon general; Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; Angela Glover Blackwell, founder of the research think tank PolicyLink; and Cornell West, professor of Religion at Princeton University. Each chapter outlines one key issue and provides a list of resources, suggestions for action, and a checklist for what concerned citizens can do to keep their communities progressing socially, politically, and economically. Though the African American community faces devastating social disparities—in which more than 8 million people live in poverty—this celebration of possibility, hope, and strength will help leaders and citizens keep Black America moving forward.

See the update, The Covenant with Black America - Ten Years Later