Daylian

In this joyful and impactful picture book, a transgender boy prepares for the first day of school and introduces himself to his family and friends for the first time. Inspired by the authors’ own transgender child and accompanied by warm and triumphant illustrations, this authentic and personal text promotes kindness and empathy, offering a poignant and inclusive back-to-school message: all should feel safe, respected, and welcomed. Buy Now ▶ Go On Girl! Book Club Reading List, January to June 2020 Launched in 1991, Go On Girl! Book Club is one of the largest national reading organizations in the U.S. for Black women. Their reading list spans over a quarter of a century. Review their complete list; you’ll definitely discover some great books and authors. Added Bonus: If you purchase all 6 books (hardcover, $154.96) from the January – June 2022 list you will get free shipping and no sales tax (unless you ship to the state of Florida). Plus, half of the profit from the sales of all books on the Go On Girl! reading list will be donated to the Go On Girl! Book Club’s Scholarship Fund. Buy Now ▶ More than 100 New Books by, or About Black, People Spike by Spike Lee Featuring hundreds of never-before-seen photographs by David Lee, Spike’s brother and long-time still photographer, SPIKE the book, includes behind-the-scenes, insider images that underscore his creative process and his significant impact on the culture at large. From his critically acclaimed film Malcolm X (1992) starring Denzel Washington, to his recent film Da 5 Bloods (2020) featuring the late Chadwick Boseman, Spike Lee’s work continues to resonate now more than ever. Also included here are his beloved commercials with Michael Jordan for Nike, which helped launch the billion-dollar Jordan brand product empire, as well as his music videos with Prince and Michael Jackson. This is a must-have collector’s item and ideal gift for any cinephile and fan of one of the most prominent and influential filmmakers in history. Buy Now ▶ Rosie’s Curl and Weave: An Anthology This is a reissue of a popular anthology by four bestselling authors, Rochelle Alers, Donna Hill, Felicia Mason, and Francis Ray Whether you want a cut, weave or braid; a facial, manicure, or massage; there’s always a helping hand-and a sympathetic ear-at Rosie’s Curl and Weave on 125th Street in Harlem. And sometimes, when you least expect it, love walks in the door. So sit back, relax, put your feet up, and enjoy, as four talented writers render four magical stories about the love of beauty and the beauty of love. Buy Now ▶ Africa, Amazing Africa: Country by Country by Atinuke Africa, Amazing Africa was an AALBC bestselling book 6 months before publication! Atinuke, a Nigerian storyteller, explores all fifty-five Africa countries: its geography, peoples, animals, history, resources, and cultural diversity. The book is divided into five distinct sections—South, East, West, Central, and North—and each country is showcased on its own bright, energetic page brimming with friendly facts on science, industry, food, sports, music, wildlife, landscape features, even snippets of local languages. Buy Now ▶ Be the First to Discover Great Soon-to-Be-Released Books An Evening with Acclaimed Writer Honorée Fanonne Jeffers On Thursday, December 9, 2021, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET, the Center for Black Literature will host an evening with Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, author of The Love Songs of W. E. B. Du Bois, an epic debut novel that explores the history of an African American family in the American South, from the time before the American civil war and slavery, through the Civil Rights Movement, to the present. For over twenty years, Jeffers has been lifting her voice on issues of Black culture, racism, American history, and gender through the medium of writing. She is an American poet, essayist, novelist, and professor of English at the University of Oklahoma. She has published five collections of poetry, including The Age of Phillis, which won the NAACP Image Award of Outstanding Literary Work in Poetry and was longlisted for a National Book Award. Register for Free Now ▶ Dear Reader, As always, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by sponsored by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – November 23, 2021 - Issue #342

The 1619 Project’s lyrical picture book in verse chronicles the consequences of slavery and the history of Black resistance in the United States, thoughtfully rendered by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery honor-winning author Renée Watson. A young student receives a family tree assignment in school, but she can only trace back three generations. Grandma gathers the whole family, and the student learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were stolen and brought to America by white slave traders. But before that, they had a home, a land, a language. She learns how the people said to be born on the water survived. And the people planted dreams and hope, willed themselves to keep living, living. And the people learned new words for love for friend for family for joy for grow for home. With powerful verse and striking illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, Born on the Water provides a pathway for readers of all ages to reflect on the origins of American identity. Praise for The 1619 Project: Born on the Water: * A Barnes & Noble “Book of the Year” finalist * A Barnes & Noble “Best Picture Book of 2021” * A Publishers Weekly “Best Book of 2021” * An am*zon “Best of November, Ages 6-8” ★ “A celebration of Black Americans for young readers, derived from Hannah-Jones’ 1619 Project…Smith’s evocative, vibrant art is full of emotion and motion…Overall it is a tremendous achievement.” – Kirkus, starred review ★ “Written in lovely and loving verse, with dynamic, expressive, and expansive illustrations that convey the emotional journey of a resilient people, this book provides a moving, informative answer to an essential question.” – Horn Book, starred review ★ “While detailing the specifics of an often-obscured history and its effects, this volume powerfully emphasizes that Black history is not merely a story of slavery and suffering but one of perseverance and hope.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review ★ “A stunning work, providing a glimpse into the history of the Black experience before and after the slave trade; the poetic language and breathtaking artwork will have a lasting effect on readers.” – School Library Journal, starred review “Born on the Water isn’t just a reframing of American history; it reframes how children, especially Black children, are taught their own history." – Essence “My mind was overwhelmed by the power of this breathtaking book…The narrative free verse used to tell the story is magnificent. Every title, line, and word flow flawlessly…enriched even more by Nikkolas Smith’s jaw-dropping illustrations…will inspire pride, empathy, and, hopefully, activism in readers." – The Brown Bookshelf This email is sponsored by Kokila, an Imprint of Penguin Random House. Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email.

Gayle Jessup White had long heard and pondered the stories passed down from her father’s family, that they were direct descendants of Thomas Jefferson, and all the weight that statement holds. After four decades of research, Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant’s Search for Her Family’s Lasting Legacy chronicles her remarkable journey to definitively understand her heritage and reclaim it — as a Black descendant of both Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. Now available wherever books are sold. Buy Now ▶ 15th Annual Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence 15th Annual Ernest Gaines Award winner is Nathan Harris for his debut novel, The Sweetness of Water In the spirit of The Known World and The Underground Railroad, “a miraculous debut” —Washington Post Harris’ novel tells a story set in the waning days of the Civil War. The tale is about an unlikely bond between two freedmen who are brothers and the Georgia farmer whose alliance will alter their lives, and his, forever. Check out all the Gaines Award Winning Books for the Past 15 Years ▶ Board Books Help Children Discover the World Board books are great for young children, but don’t get the attention they deserve. Board books are perfect for introducing young children to the written word at a time when their brains are optimized for learning. Today there so are many excellent board books available that celebrate Black culture — enriching children of all backgrounds. Discover our growing and curated list of board books ▶ Donate a Copy of The 1619 Project and Support AALBC Bookshop.org and Black Wall Street Booksellers (an AALBC Business) are happy to partner with The 1619 Project’s publisher, One World, on an initiative to get copies of this historical work into schools, libraries, and other educational and community organizations nationwide. When you buy a copy of The 1619 Project using this link, you will be supporting our chosen donation partner The Literary Freedom Project with the donated books, as well as supporting Black Wall Street Booksellers business with your purchase! The Literary Freedom Project is a Bronx-based 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit arts organization that believes cultural identity is a fundamental cornerstone in the development of smart, creative, and engaged communities. Help get this book into more hands today ▶ Dear Reader, As always, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by sponsored by Amistad Books Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – November 16, 2021 - Issue #341

Named a People Pick and in the vein of Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist, Girl Gurl Grrrl: On Womanhood and Belonging in the Age of Black Girl Magic is a provocative, humorous, and, at times, heartbreaking collection of essays on what it means to be black, a woman, a mother, and a global citizen in today's ever-changing world. Now on sale in paperback wherever books are sold. Buy Now ▶ The Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Awards Announced The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award™ honors the best in Black literature. Introduced in 2001, the Legacy Award was the first national award presented to Black writers by a national organization of Black writers. Fiction, debut fiction, nonfiction, and poetry honorees are selected in a juried competition. Check out all of the nominees, finalists, and winners ▶ Interview: Tracy Sherrod, Editorial Director of Amistad We recently interviewed Tracy Sherrod, the Editorial Director of Amistad. Amistad is the premier publisher of multicultural fiction and nonfiction, this renowned imprint showcases award-winning novelists, celebrated cultural figures, and esteemed critics and scholars. Amistad was founded as an independent press by Charles Harris in 1987. Listen to the entire interview, discover a part of Black book history, and learn how we can all help ensure important Black books are published and reach the hands of readers ▶ Uwem Akan to the John Oliver Killens Reading Series On Thursday, November 11, 2021, 7:30pm ET, the Center for Black Literature will host an evening with Uwem Akpan, author of New York, My Village. Born in Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria, Uwem's short stories and autobiographical pieces have appeared in the special editions of The New Yorker, Oprah magazine, and other publications. In his immigrant story, New York, My Village, Uwem writes about the city with the same promise and pain we saw in his New York Times best-seller Say You're One of Them (2008) which was the 2009 Oprah Book Club selection. Say You're One of Them also won the Commonwealth Prize (Africa Region), the Open Book Prize, and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. Register Now ▶ Dear Reader, It was a pleasure to interview Tracy Sherrod, of Amistad, this past week. She, and her team, continues to expand upon Charles Harris’s legacy. Amistad’s impact on Black books is significant and extends throughout the Black book ecosystem. Maximizing shareholder wealth while being a positive contributor to Black culture is super difficult, but Sherrod does it as well as anyone I know. Reader, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by sponsored by Amistad Books Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – November 10, 2021 - Issue #340

An Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller “Rich in magic and mythos, Beasts of Prey is a feast for all the senses.” —Renée Ahdieh, New York Times bestselling author of The Beautiful In this blockbuster fantasy series, perfect for fans of Kingdom of the Wicked and Iron Widow, fate binds two Black teenagers together as they journey into a magical jungle to hunt down a vicious monster. Buy Now ▶ AALBC Bestselling Books October 2021 Fiction: Number one in fiction is Voices of the Harlem Renaissance: Originally Published as The New Negro an Interpretation. Edited by Alain Locke and featuring a new introduction by AALBC’s Founder, Troy Johnson. This classic title was republished in hardcover by Konecky & Konecky, in March of 2020, and has made our bestsellers list seven times. In 1999, QBR: The Black Book Review included the book on their list of “100 Essential Black Books.” Nonfiction: Topping our nonfiction category is Chasing Me to My Grave which tells the hearth wrenching, yet inspiring, story of Winfred Rembert who was arrested after fleeing a demonstration, survived a near-lynching at the hands of law enforcement, and spent seven years on chain gangs. Years later, at the age of fifty-one, he started drawing and painting scenes from his youth using leather tooling skills he learned in prison. Children’s Books: Our #1 bestselling children’s book is Gabrielle Union’s 2020 picture book, Welcome to the Party made our bestsellers list for the second time this year. Union has really made her mark on the literary scene, as she has also penned her 2nd memoir this year, You Got Anything Stronger? Poetry: Two titles, Vice: New and Selected Poems by Ai Ogawa and Second Line Home: New Orleans Poems by Mona Lisa Saloy, were popular with readers this period. Discover more excellent poetry books. View the Entire List ▶ Magnificent Books of Photography These coffee table books are not just beautiful volumes to adorn your home or office, they also nourish your mind. The marriage of Baldwin’ masterwork, The Fire Next Time with more than 100 photographs from Steve Schapiro, who traveled the American South with Baldwin, is magnificent. Chester Higgins’ book celebrates the sacred agency of people of African descent and their influence on the foundation of Western religion. His images illustrate how faith migrated up and down the River Nile from Ethiopia to Egypt leaving vestiges of ancient practice in today’s worship. This visual portrayal of faith reexamines our spiritual beginnings. Donate a Copy The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story Help AALBC.com, Bookshop.org, and One World (an imprint of Random House) donate copies of The 1619 Project to the Literary Freedom Project, a Bronx-based, 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit arts organization that believes cultural identity is a fundamental cornerstone in the development of smart, creative, and engaged communities. The 1619 Project will be published on November 16 and is already an AALBC Bestseller. The book features a significant elaboration of the original project’s Pulitzer Prize-winning lead essay, by Nikole Hannah-Jones, on how the struggles of Black Americans have expanded democracy for all Americans, as well as two original pieces from Hannah-Jones, one of which makes a profound case for reparative solutions to this legacy of injustice. Donate Today Donations accepted from November 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022. Recently Reviewed Books Alice in Dreamland by Roland S. Jefferson Imagine a world where the majority of the population in the United States of America treacherously abandons their country. This is the story depicted in the fascinating crime thriller Alice in Dreamland by Roland S. Jefferson. The most powerful men in the country have conspired to destroy the United States. These people are known as the “Alice committee.” They have planned meticulously and have executed their agenda effectively. The biggest corporations in the country are supporting and financing their evil plan known as the Alice Dream Plan. Suddenly, a black prostitute called Pepper comes into possession of the Alice Dream Plan; which is safely stored in a flash drive. She tries to blackmail the Alice committee, but these are very powerful and dangerous people who will not allow anybody to truncate their trillion-dollar investment. Pepper’s fate is sealed; she must die. Read the Review ▶ A List Black-Owned Online Bookstores These Black-owned, online bookstores operate websites whose primary focus is on books written by people of African descent. Most also operate brick and mortar stores. A healthy Black Book Ecosystem requires many participants. When one powerful corporate entity dominates the Black book space we are not, indeed can not be well served. Some excellent stores, like the Mahogany Books store chain started out online and QBR, who runs the Harlem Book Fair, operates an online store. Online stores also reviews books, operate pop-up stores, host reading, and participate in book festivals and fairs. Their contributions to uplifting Black books and authors must not be marginalized, Check out our list of online bookstores ▶ Dear Reader, As always, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by sponsored by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – November 3, 2021 - Issue #339

100 New Audio Books You’ll Love ♥ AALBC offers for sale, in partnership with Libro.fm, more than 2,000 audiobooks. Here are 100 of the most recently published Audiobboks on AALBC. Audiobook membership is only $14.99 per month. Choose one free audiobook every month. Cancel, or pause, your month payments at anytime and keep your audiobooks forever. Discover the best new audiobooks ▶ Book Reviews Fool Me Thrice: Money Changes Everything by Dean Conan “No doubt, I was born a sucker—a sucker for a hot girl with a smile, that is. I have to admit I was abused by every gold-digger I came across. For as long as I can remember, I’ve chased the kitty, and it took me losing all my belongings to realize I had a problem.” So opens Conan’s sexy caustic tale of love, loss, and revenge, and what happens when they intertwine. In Fool Me Thrice: Money Changes Everything, women are types who fall into categories, all of which revolve around money—mostly trying to get Charlie Mo’s money. Regardless if they are a former best friend, fixer, businesswoman, spiritualist, Christian, stripper, or Daddy’s girl, these types are all calculating, gold-diggers who use sex to achieve their aim. Read the entire review written by Carol Taylor ▶ Another Pandemic Surprise: A Mini Indie Bookstore Boom Publishers Weekly article by Judith Rosen, Oct 15, 2021 Though it may be hard to measure just how much the reverberations from George Floyd’s murder contributed to the opening of Black bookstores, the number of such stores has more than doubled, from 54 at the nadir in 2014 to 111 today, according to Troy Johnson, founder and webmaster of AALBC.com (the African American Literature Book Club). In addition to operating the oldest Black online bookstore, Johnson opened his first monthlong pop-up in Tulsa, Okla., the Black Wall Street Bookstore, in August to mark the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The store was so successful that he continues to supply the Greenwood Welcome Center, where the store was located, with books. Read the entire article ▶ BLACK ART IN AMERICA™ BLACK ART IN AMERICA™ (BAIA) is a leading online portal and network focused on African-American Art with visitors from over 100 countries visiting their site each month and about half a million visitors to their social media pages. BAIA amplifies thought-provoking commentary on today’s visual arts news from a variety of perspectives, including breaking news, gallery meet-ups, market trends, and profiling leading (and emerging) Black visual artists in the country. BAIA also publishes a quarterly newspaper. Purchase a copy of Voices of the Harlem Renaissance from AALBC, or any indie store (email me the receipt), and I’ll send you the latest issue of their newsletter for free. Black Book Distributors: The Unseen Force Behind Black Books These distributors represent the premier, Black-owned, book distributors in the country. AALBC buys books, for resale, from these distributors and endorses them without reservation. They will have titles, including many AALBC bestselling books, that are simply unavailable from any other distributors. Working behind the scenes, with little fanfare, these businesses are crucial to the “Black Book Ecosystem” and are responsible for ensuring important Black books are available for sale, not just here on AALBC.com, but to bookstores around the world. A Powerful Tribute to Paule Marshall and John A. Williams If you have not watched this video, please check it out. Not only does the video give viewers tremendous insight into the work of both Marshall and Williams, it also gives the viewer keen insight into the difficulty faced by Black writers, how the challenges were met, and what remains to be done. The video was filmed during the 2021 National Black Writers Conference Biennial Symposium, hosted by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. AALBC Mourns the Passing of Author/Illustrator, Jerry Pinkney Little, Brown Books for Young Readers announced the passing of Jerry Pinkney; “…one of the most heralded children’s book illustrators of all time. The illustrator of more than one hundred books, he had the rare distinction of being the recipient of five Caldecott Honors and the winner of the 2010 Caldecott Medal for The Lion and the Mouse. He died at age eighty-two after a brief non-Covid-related illness on Wednesday, October 20, 2021.” Jerry Pinkney (December 22, 1939 – October 20, 2021) has been illustrating children’s books since 1964. In addition to his work on children’s books, he is an extremely successful artist who has had eleven one-man retrospectives at venues ranging from the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists to the Art Institute of Chicago. More ▶ Dear Reader, As always, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – October 26, 2021 - Issue #338

Available once again, the definitive biography of the pioneering Black performer—the first nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award—who broke new ground in Hollywood and helped transform American society in the years before Civil Rights movement—a remarkable woman of her time who also transcended it. Woven from extensive research and unique interviews, as magnetic as the woman at its heart, Dorothy Dandridge captures this dazzling entertainer in all her complexity: her strength and vulnerability, her joy and her pain, her trials and her triumphs. Buy Now ▶ Abdulrazak Gurnah Wins the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature Abdulrazak Gurnah is a novelist who was born, in the Sultanate of Zanzibar and moved to the United Kingdom in the 1960s as a refugee during the Zanzibar Revolution. The motivation for the Nobel Prize was, “…for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.” The other Black writers who have won the Nobel Prize for literature are, Toni Morrison, of the United States (1993); Derek Walcott, of St. Lucia (1992), and Wole Soyinka of Nigeria (1986). Book Reviews Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature by Farah Jasmine Griffin With a solid array of books to her credit, Farah Jasmine Griffin has possibly written one of the artistic highlights in the national book marketplace this season. Her new book, Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature, is the perfect storm of imagination, research, compassion, and intellectual analysis. It soars to a new level of wisdom, community love, and enlightenment for readers and critics alike. Read the rest of Robert Fleming’s review ▶ Recently Published Books The Between by Tananarive Due We’re in the midst of a Black Horror renaissance. We have Jordan Peele, Colson Whitehead, and Victor LaValle all producing the masterpieces of our time. But let’s not forget who started it all—Tananarive Due is the queen of Black Horror. Writing dozens of mesmerizing novels, teaching Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA, and even producing the groundbreaking documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror—Due has been a leading voice for more than 20 years. And now, her hauntingly thrilling 1995 debut novel The Between has being reissued. The novel follows the story of Hilton, a young boy who discovers his grandmother’s cold, dead body lying on the kitchen floor. When he returns with help, she’s alive but something just isn’t the same. The story picks up thirty years in the future—Hilton is married with kids and running a successful rehab center. But Hilton’s perfect life starts to flip upside down. He’s barely getting any sleep, his memories are fading, his relationships begin to fall apart. The line between reality and nightmares blurs…and Hilton’s mind begins to unravel… More ▶ Polo Cowboy by G. Neri, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson How does a Black kid from North Philly wind up playing polo? The much-anticipated sequel to Ghetto Cowboy, now a major motion picture starring Idris Elba and Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin. When Cole moves in with his dad, Harp, he thinks life will be sweet—just him and his horse, Boo, hanging out with Philadelphia’s urban cowboys. But when Harp says he has to get a job, Cole winds up as a stable hand for the polo team at George Washington Military Academy, where the players are rich, white, and stuck-up—all except Ruthie, the team’s first and only girl, who’s determined to show the others she can beat them at their own game. As Cole and Ruthie become friends—and maybe more—he starts imagining his future, maybe even at the academy. Read an Excerpt ▶ The Forgotten First: Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Marion Motley, Bill Willis, and the Breaking of the NFL Color Barrier by Keyshawn Johnson The Forgotten First chronicles the lives of four incredible men, the racism they experienced as Black players entering a segregated sport, the burden of expectation they carried, and their many achievements, which would go on to affect football for generations to come. More than a year before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, there was another seismic moment in pro sports history. On March 21,1946, former UCLA star running back Kenny Washington—a teammate of Robinson’s in college—signed a contract with the Los Angeles Rams. This ended one of the most shameful periods in NFL history, when African-American players were banned from league play. More ▶ Say Their Names: How Black Lives Came to Matter in America by Curtis Bunn, Michael H. Cottman, Patrice Gaines, Nick Charles, and Keith Harriston “With five noted journalist, we crafted Say Their Names: How Black Lives Came to Matter in America, a book that will stand up over time as a historical reference that puts into context all of the life-changing events of the last year and a half. We dug deep to create a book that will engage and inform you, like none other, about the times we will recall the rest of our lives. We cover Black Lives Matter, the coronavirus, racism in policing, mass incarceration, the role of the Black church, political forces and hope for the future in young leaders, and more.” —Curtus Bunn Another Noteworthy Book by a 2021 MacArthur Fellow Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration by Nicole R. Fleetwood A powerful document of the inner lives and creative visions of men and women rendered invisible by America’s prison system. More than two million people are currently behind bars in the United States. Incarceration not only separates the imprisoned from their families and communities; it also exposes them to shocking levels of deprivation and abuse and subjects them to the arbitrary cruelties of the criminal justice system. Yet, as Nicole Fleetwood reveals, America’s prisons are filled with art. Despite the isolation and degradation they experience, the incarcerated are driven to assert their humanity in the face of a system that dehumanizes them. More ▶ Interesting Events This Week The Art of the Short Story: An Evening with Danielle Evans and Jocelyn Nicole Johnson John Oliver Killens Virtual Reading Series: The Art of the Short Story: An Evening with Danielle Evans and Jocelyn Nicole Johnson Thursday, October 14, 2021, 6:30 PM–8:00 PM ET, Presented Virtually The Center for Black Literature will present a conversation and reading with authors Danielle Evans and Jocelyn Nicole Johnson. Johnson’s debut collection of short stories is My Monticello: Fiction (Henry Holt & Co., 2021). In the title story, Johnson tells of a diverse group of Charlottesville neighbors fleeing violent white supremacists. Evans brings her signature voice and insight to the subjects of race, grief, apology, and American history in The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories (Riverhead Books, 2020). She is the award-winning author of Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self (Riverhead Books, 2010). Learn more and Register ▶ Mystery, Murder & Mayhem Featuring Walter Mosley This free virtual event will be held on Wednesday, October 13th (11:00 am ET – 5:00 pm ET) and will feature author conversations, plus an interactive and immersive mystery/thriller experience for all participants. Walter Mosley, Kellye Garrett, S.A. Cosby, Yasmine Angone, Naomi Hirahara, and others will be your guides as they talk all things mystery-thriller! Learn how to access sessions on October 13th ▶ Dear Reader, As always, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by sponsored by Amistad Books Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – October 12, 2021 - Issue #337

From funny and fearless entertainment journalist Sesali Bowen, Bad Fat Black Girl combines rule-breaking feminist theory, witty and insightful personal memoir, and cutting cultural analysis for an unforgettable, genre-defining debut. Weaving together searing personal essay and cultural commentary, Bad Fat Black Girl interrogates sexism, fatphobia, and capitalism all within the context of race and hip-hop offering a new, inclusive feminism for the modern world. Buy Now ▶ Books by 2021 MacArthur “Genius” Fellows The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, each year, identifies talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction. Awardees receive a no-strings-attached grant of $625,000, paid out over five years. Algorithms Of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism by Safiya Umoja Noble Algorithms Of Oppression is a revealing look at how negative biases against women of color are embedded in search engine results and algorithms. I noticed this problem more than a decade ago, when I observed Google’s search results highlighted the most negative aspects of Black women authors — so much one had to dig hard to discover their positive accomplishments. Recently, Facebook rejected the inclusion of Algorithms Of Oppression on my Facebook store. This bias is simply baked into the way the handful of companies, who control the World Wide Web, operate. Learn More ▶ Sing, Aretha, Sing!: Aretha Franklin, Respect, and the Civil Rights Movement by Hanif Abdurraqib A young Aretha Franklin captivates her community with the song “Respect” during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, in this striking picture book biography that will embolden today’s young readers to sing their own truth. With Hanif Abdurraqib’s poetic voice and Ashley Evans’s dynamic illustrations, Sing, Aretha, Sing! demonstrates how one brave voice can give new power to a nation, and how the legacy of Aretha Franklin lives on in a world still fighting for freedom (Preorder: Ships Dec 28, 2021). Felon: Poems by Reginald Dwayne Betts The AALBC bestselling book, Felon tells the story of the effects of incarceration in fierce, dazzling poems — canvassing a wide range of emotions and experiences through homelessness, underemployment, love, drug abuse, domestic violence, fatherhood, and grace — and, in doing so, creates a travelogue for an imagined life. Reginald Dwayne Betts confronts the funk of post-incarceration existence and examines prison not as a static space, but as a force that enacts pressure throughout a person's life. Drawing inspiration from lawsuits filed on behalf of the incarcerated, the redaction poems focus on the ways we exploit and erase the poor and imprisoned from public consciousness. Traditionally, redaction erases what is top secret; in Felon, Betts redacts what is superfluous, bringing into focus the profound failures of the criminal justice system and the inadequacy of the labels it generates. Challenging the complexities of language, Betts animates what it means to be a felon. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi Kendi is also the author of the bestselling book on AALBC.com for 2020, How to Be an Antiracist. But it his earlier work, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, is his most critically acclaimed. AALBC captured video of Kendi, in 2016, when he won the National Book Award for nonfiction in 2016. In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the Beginning uses the life stories of five major American intellectuals to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Race for Profit uncovers how exploitative real estate practices continued well after housing discrimination was banned. The same racist structures and individuals remained intact after redlining’s end, and close relationships between regulators and the industry created incentives to ignore improprieties. Meanwhile, new policies meant to encourage low-income homeownership created new methods to exploit Black homeowners. The federal government guaranteed urban mortgages in an attempt to overcome resistance to lending to Black buyers — as if unprofitability, rather than racism, was the cause of housing segregation. Bankers, investors, and real estate agents took advantage of the perverse incentives, targeting the Black women most likely to fail to keep up their home payments and slip into foreclosure, multiplying their profits. As a result, by the end of the 1970s, the nation’s first programs to encourage Black homeownership ended with tens of thousands of foreclosures in Black communities across the country. AALBC Gift Certificates An AALBC gift certificate is a great way to share the joy of reading. Gift certificates can also be applied to all of AALBC’s services including advertising — a perfect gift for the author in your life. Literary Activist Lynda Johnson Passes Lynda Johnson was a renaissance woman. She was a professor, fashion stylist, and magazine journalist. She was also the President and Co-founder of Go On Girl! Book Club a national literary sisterhood, boasting more than 48 chapters, 500 members, across 16 states, supporting authors, in multiple genres, from the African diaspora. Lynda was an ardent supporter of AALBC. She helped make what I do possible. She encouraged and celebrated my efforts. I will always love her for that. Her loss will be profoundly felt across the Black book world. May she rest in peace. Dear Reader, As always, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by sponsored by Amistad Books Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – October 5, 2021 - Issue #336

Change Sings Inside Us All A lyrical picture book debut from presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman and #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long “I can hear change humming In its loudest, proudest song. I don't fear change coming, And so I sing along.” In this stirring, much-anticipated picture book by presidential inaugural poet and activist Amanda Gorman, anything is possible when our voices join together. As a young girl leads a cast of characters on a musical journey, they learn that they have the power to make changes—big or small—in the world, in their communities, and most importantly, in themselves. With expressive text and rhythmic illustrations that build to a dazzling crescendo, Change Sings is a triumphant call to action for everyone to use their abilities to make a difference. A People Best Book of Fall “A rousing anthem of love and hope.” —Parents “Reminds kids that they have the power to make change in the world.” —Book Riot Amanda Gorman is the youngest presidential inaugural poet in US history. She is a committed advocate for the environment, racial equality, and gender justice. Amanda’s activism and poetry have been featured on The Today Show, PBS Kids, and CBS This Morning, and in the New York Times, Vogue, Essence, and O, The Oprah Magazine. In 2017, Urban Word named her the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. After graduating cum laude from Harvard University, she now lives in her hometown of Los Angeles. The special edition of her inaugural poem, The Hill We Climb, was published in March 2021 and debuted at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. Loren Long is the author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Otis series which is in development as an animated television series. He's also the illustrator of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Of Thee I Sing by Barack Obama and Love by Matt de la Pena. This email is sponsored by Viking Books for Young Readers. Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email.

New York Times Bestseller! Combining street smarts and hard-learned corporate savvy, Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter by Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson is a smartly written bible for success from one of the most influential and prolific public figures of our generation. A deeply reflective yet intimate account of 50 Cent's unwavering passion for success and all the lessons he learned along the way, this is a guide to help you successfully achieve your own comeback. Buy Now ▶ Longlist for 2021 National Book Awards Announced The mission of the National Book Foundation is to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of great writing in America. National Book Awards are given five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. The first African-American writer to win a National Book Award was Ralph Ellison for Invisible Man. Check out the books, by or about Black people, that were nominated for the “Academy Award” of the book world ▶ Black Women Writers at Work: A Literary Salon The Center for Black Literature, in partnership with The Harlem Writers Guild, will present “Black Women Writers at Work: A Literary Salon.” On Thursday, September 30, 2021 (6:30 p.m. ET), join The Center for this special free event that will spotlight dynamic women authors of the African diaspora. The celebrated writers will discuss their inspiration for creating the complex characters and memorable storylines that are at the heart of their contemporary narratives. Panelists will include (pictured above left to right) Ladee Hubbard (The Rib King); Karla FC Holloway (Gone Missing in Harlem); and Morowa Yejidé (Creatures of Passage). Jennifer Baker (senior editor, Amistad Books at HarperCollins Publishers) will serve as moderator. Register Today! Click HERE Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence “As an Pan Africanist, I feel it’s important to provide our youth with stories of African leaders and events that give them a greater understanding and appreciation of our African heritage.” —Renowned Poet-Activist, Useni Eugene Perkins, on the inspiration for Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence With illustrations by Coretta Scott King Honor winner Laura Freeman, Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence (Picture book for children ages 4 to captures the magic of the night Ghana was declared a free nation and shares the remarkable life of Kwame Nkrumah — one of Africa’s most celebrated leaders. Dear Reader, As always, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This Newsletter was Sponsored by Amistad Books Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – September 21, 2021 - Issue #335

With contributions by leading scholars and illustrated with 80 images from the forthcoming exhibition at Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (September 2021), Make Good the Promises explores the enduring legacy of the post-Civil War period known as Reconstruction. An incisive and illuminating analysis broken into five distinct yet intertwined sections—Liberation, Violence, Repair, Place, and Belief—Make Good the Promises is a comprehensive story of Black Americans’ struggle for human rights and dignity and the failure of the nation to fulfill its promises of freedom, citizenship, and justice. More ▶ More New Books Published Today (September 14) Palmares by Gayl Jones First discovered and edited by Toni Morrison, Gayl Jones has been described as one of the great literary writers of the 20th century. Now, for the first time in over 20 years, Jones is ready to publish again. Palmares is the first of five new works by Gayl Jones to be published in the next two years, rewarding longtime fans and bringing her talent to a new generation of readers. Intricate and compelling, Palmares recounts the journey of Almeyda, a Black slave girl who comes of age on Portuguese plantations and escapes to a fugitive slave settlement called Palmares. Following its destruction, Almeyda embarks on a journey across colonial Brazil to find her husband, lost in battle. More ▶ You Got Anything Stronger?: Stories by Gabrielle Union “Gabrielle Union has written another wonderful book that pulls no punches. The searing honesty of You Got Anything Stronger? is a gift to readers. Union faces head-on the different ways women become mothers and partners in an emotionally resonant and universal way. Her voice is relatable, warm, and sharp. You owe it to yourself to curl up with this book and to pass it along to a friend.” —Tressie McMillan Cottom, Professor and MacArthur Fellow “Remember when we hit it off so well that we decided We’re Going to Need More Wine? Well, this time you and I are going to turn to our friend the bartender and ask, You Got Anything Stronger? I promise to continue to make you laugh, but with this round, the stakes get higher as the conversation goes deeper.” —Gabrielle Union More ▶ I Take My Coffee Black: Reflections on Tupac, Musical Theater, Faith, and Being Black in America by Tyler Merritt As a 6'2" dreadlocked black man, Tyler Merritt knows that getting too close to the wrong person can get him killed. But he also believes that proximity can be a cure for racism. Tyler Merritt’s video “Before You Call the Cops” has been viewed more than 59 million times. He’s appeared on Jimmy Kimmel and Sports Illustrated and has been profiled in the New York Times. The viral video’s main point—the more you know someone, the more empathy, understanding, and compassion you have for that person—is the springboard for this book. By sharing his highs and exposing his lows, Tyler welcomes us into his world in order to help bridge the divides that seem to grow wider every day. More ▶ Paradise on Fire by Jewell Parker Rhodes From award-winning and bestselling author Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age survival tale exploring issues of race, class, and climate change Addy is haunted by the tragic fire that killed her parents, leaving her to be raised by her grandmother. Now, years later, Addy’s grandmother has enrolled her in a summer wilderness program. There, Addy joins five other Black city kids—each with their own troubles—to spend a summer out west (Target Age Group: Middle Grade). More ▶ Teaching Black History To White People by Leonard N. Moore With Teaching Black History to White People, which is “part memoir, part Black history, part pedagogy, and part how-to guide,” Moore delivers an accessible and engaging primer on the Black experience in America. He poses provocative questions, such as “Why is the teaching of Black history so controversial?” and “What came first: slavery or racism?” These questions don’t have easy answers, and Moore insists that embracing discomfort is necessary for engaging in open and honest conversations about race. More ▶ Subscribe to AALBC’s (SMS) Text Messages Are you reading this message on a handheld device? Consider subscribing to our text messages. We will send book give-a-way and other exclusive text messages to our subscribers. Look out for a text message, going out later today, for a give-away of autographed copies of one of the books listed above. Receive Our Text Alerts Text messages are limited to just two a week (max); you can opt out at any time; and, as always, we do not sell or share text message, or newsletter, subscriber information. Dear Reader, If you’ve discovered, through AALBC, a book you think you will enjoy consider buying it from AALBC or another indie bookseller. As always, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This Newsletter was Sponsored by Amistad Books Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – September 14, 2021 - Issue #334

As a 6'2" dreadlocked Black man, Tyler Merritt knows what it feels like to be stereotyped as threatening, which can have dangerous consequences. But he also knows that proximity to people who are different from ourselves can be a cure for racism. Tyler's viral video “Before You Call the Cops” has been viewed millions of times and is respected for its simple yet profound message—the more you know someone, the more empathy, understanding, and compassion you have for that person. In his new book, Tyler shares his highs, exposes his lows, and welcomes us into his world in order to help bridge the divides that seem to grow wider every day. “Readers will be awed.”—Publishers Weekly starred review This emailing is sponsored by Worthy Publishing. Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email.

Free speech has long been one of America’s most revered freedoms. Yet now, more than ever, it is reshaping America’s social and political landscape even as it is coming under attack. Bestselling author and critically acclaimed journalist Ellis Cose wades into the debate to reveal how this Constitutional right has been coopted by the wealthy and politically corrupt. The Short Life and Curious Death of Free Speech in America explores and reveals the crumbling of free speech under the combined weight of polarization, technology, money and systematized lying in this concise yet powerful and timely book. On sale next week 9/14/2021! Preorder Today ▶ AALBC Bestselling Books August 2021 Our bestsellers list has been published continuously since 1998 and is the most visible list focused on Black Books in existence. You will learn about books selling well, in the Black community, that may never show up on lists published by larger corporate entities. Sales for this period also include sales from AALBC’s Black Wall Street Book Store, a pop-up bookstore which began operating on Black Wall Street, in Tulsa OK, in August of 2021. Check out the List ▶ Recently Reviewed Books Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me Into the Life of My Dreams by Yvonne Orji Part self-help, part comedic memoir, part inspirational and motivational how-to, Yvonne Orji’s Bamboozled by Jesus is heartfelt and relatable advice that is equally, personal, biblical, aspirational, and grounded. Orji draws on her Nigerian heritage and personal experience in her stand-up comedy special Momma, I Made It! She is also an inspirational speaker with a popular TEDx Talk, and the actress Molly Carter from Insecure. Orji can now add author to her list of hyphens. In Bamboozled by Jesus, she draws on her experiences of being bamboozled by Jesus, using stories from her life and her relationship with God. These anecdotes are filled with wisdom and humor, and her stories about hope, relationships, family, love and faith (both in oneself and in a higher power) are relatable and inspiring. Read More ▶ Don’t Drop the MIC: The Power of Your Words Can Change the World by T. D. Jakes In chapters ranging from “Preach but Don’t Preach,” “Find the Joint!” to “Every Shot is the Only One You Have,” “Learn the Grammar of Body Language,” “The Pregnant Pause,” and “Keep Your Cool When the Mic is Hot,” Don’t Drop the Mic delivers on diversity and depth. Packed with insights on the importance of proper communication, sage advice, tips, mentions of other influential communicators over time, and undergirded by biblical references, the book is authenticated by Bishop Jakes’ unique character and persona present throughout its pages. In fact, to some extent, in terms of language and Jakesian cadences, it reads like a sermon on communication. Read More ▶ The Third Verse by Jerry Canada America is a glorious idea founded on democracy and equality for all. When Jerry Canada, a former trial lawyer and New Yorker, chooses one of the most famous quotes by President Abraham Lincoln, he sets the basic premise of his controversial novel, The Third Verse. “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” wrote Lincoln. The novel reveals the consequences of race hate and societal divisiveness which can undermine the unity and future of the American republic. Canada’s premise of institutional racism causing the collapse of democracy fuels the book with President Lawrence Edison and his Chief of Staff Anthony Marks dueling with China and his plan to support the Black resistance. China sides with the African American population in their quest for human rights against the powerful might of white backlash. The Chinese officials offer that community a chance of equality by switching with whites and enjoying the good life for once. Read More ▶ Zodiac Saga 2 The Balance of Power by Kaitlyn McKnight This novel, Zodiac Saga: The Balance of Power, re-works the Greek mythic formula with a spoonful of family loyalty, divine conflicts, and rivalries. Its young writer, Kaitlyn McKnight, shoves the action and double-talk down the reader’s throat. She knows her audience, teens and tweens eager to sample mystery and fantasy without a touch of realistic violence or temptation, McKnight’s “eccentric” style go off the rails, but she always reels the action back into a normal flow. Her main character, Cyrus O’ Hara aka Lancaster, is out to save the world, among her besties, Sofia the fearless, Peter the Great, and Judas the Ghoul. The novel features a dramatic quest into a territory of identity, magic, and alchemy, even the worship of mythic figures. She places Lancaster in the middle of turbulence, clinging to belief in the Zodiac Gods despite his discovery of their home, The Temple of Zodia. The focus of the book never wanders from the well-publicized myths of the Zodiac Gods. Aquarius, Virgo, Cancer, Scorpio, Sagittarius get their chance to fill the reader’s sense of the larger-than-life Gods. Read More ▶ Book Excerpts AALBC provides, often exclusive, excerpts of books. Our excerpts are also optimized for printing or downloading for offline reading. Here are just a few recently added book excerpts — enjoy! Dick Gregory’s Natural Diet for Folks Who Eat: Cookin’ with Mother Nature by Dick Gregory So many times I hear people resist changing their diet because they don’t want to give up something they like. That’s the first great myth to be dispelled. Learning to eat as Mother Nature intended her children to eat does not mean giving up something. It means just the opposite! It means gaining something of great value—a value far greater than the old rationalization “I’ve grown accustomed to its taste.” It means gaining health, youthful energy and appearance, increased mental capacity, and a joy in living you never dreamed was possible. To say nothing of the clean, fresh, natural taste of the food you will be enjoying! Read the Chapter ▶ God in the Ghetto: A Prophetic Word Revisited by William Augustus Jones Jr. Chapter 1: The System “The System” refers implicitly to the American trinity of capitalism, racism, and militarism. Capitalism is the economic system. Erected on the damnable foundation of slave labor, it pyramided on cheap labor after the emancipation and now thrives on social stratification, which is racism made manifest. Racism serves to preserve and perpetuate The System. Militarism, the formula’s third ingredient, has almost become a political necessity. It is not mere happenstance that the nation has known no real peace for more than three decades. Militarism saps the mental and physical energies of the nation’s youth, those most capable of creatively confronting the evils of racism and capitalism. A gravestone in a cemetery in Japan bears the inscription: Here lies a Black man Who fought the Yellow man For what the White man Took from the Red man Read the Entire Chapter ▶ Get all 6 Novels in the Tears Of A Hustler Series and Save $30 The Tears Of A Hustler series, by Silk White, starts with Book 1 which tells the story of Ali, a drug dealer slash business man who tries to change the way the game is played by giving back to the community. But at the same time he has to keep a close eye on his childhood crime partner G-Money… In the series we learn about variety of compelling characters including; Pauleena, a ruthless drug queen pin; and Wolf, leader of the Spades are a powerful organization determined to clean up the streets and put an end to drug dealing and crime in the community. Get the series today — only one more available at $30 off . International Royal Music & Art Festival Festival (Sept. 11 & 12, Fresno, Texas) The 2021 International Royal Music & Art is set to be an acclaimed cross-genre experience inspired by the historic Woodstock Festival. This interactive festival will feature 7 Pavilions with Music, Film, Fashion, Art, Literary, Health, and Business. Live performances will include Grammy Award Nominee, singer/songwriter, Chanté Moore and Grammy Award Nominee & Black Girls Rock Awards performer, rapper/singer/songwriter, Maimouna Youssef aka “Mumu Fresh.” Our Literary Pavilion special invited guests include “The Money Coach,” New York Time Best-selling Author and TV personality, Lynnette Khalfani-Cox* and Troy Johnson, the founder of AALBC. Additional special guest performers and celebrities will be announced. Dear Reader, As always, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, Black people. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission to celebrate Black books and authors. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This Newsletter was Sponsored by Amistad Books Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated mailing. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – September 7, 2021 - Issue #333

Award-winning author Louis Edwards makes his long-awaited comeback with this epic tale of a New Orleans boy whose very creation is so filled with tension that it bedevils his destiny before he is even born. Spanning from the Deep South to the Middle East, Ramadan Ramsey bridges multiple countries and cultures, entwining two families who struggle to love and survive in the face of war, natural disasters, and their equally tumultuous, private mistakes and yearnings. More ▶ AALBC Mourns the Passing of Eloise Greenfield Eloise Greenfield (May 17, 1929 – August 5, 2021) was famous for her descriptive, rhythmic style and positive portray al of the black experience. She published approximately 50 books for children over the course of her illustrious and trailblazing career. “…my mission has been to write for children and to try to enhance their love for words, because I think that children are all born with this love for language and words, and I want to enhance that. I want make them laugh. I want to give them ideas. I want them to see how beautiful they are. I want them to be reflected their work … I want them to love literature.” —Eloise Greenfield Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and the Klan Partner The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha Gray Davidson C. P. Ellis grew up in the poor white section of Durham, North Carolina, and as a young man joined the Ku Klux Klan. Ann Atwater, a single mother from the poor black part of town, quit her job as a household domestic to join the civil rights fight. During the 1960s, as the country struggled with the explosive issue of race, Ellis and Atwater met on opposite sides of the public school integration issue. Their encounters were charged with hatred and suspicion. In an amazing set of transformations, however, each of them came to see how the other had been exploited by the South’s rigid power structure, and they forged a friendship that flourished against a backdrop of unrelenting bigotry. The film adaption of this book is now on streaming on Netflix. I watched it last night and found it to be a moving story. More ▶ AALBC’s Black Wall Street Pop-Up Bookstore is Thriving! Books are selling fast at The Black Wall Street Bookstore, in the historic Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Ok. Business has also been bolstered by visitors, from all over the country, to the Greenwood Rising museum which opened across the street last week. Local readers are super sophisticated quickly recognizing many of the classic titles and important authors whose book are offered for sale. It is one thing to sell books on the web and understand the impact your have on readers, but to actually see a child’s eyes light up with the excitement of seeing and holding a book full of wonderful images and words gives me a awesome feeling! Please keep spreading the word about AALBC and purchasing books from us. Your support helps us bring smiles to the faces of children all over the country. International Royal Music & Art Festival Festival (Sept. 11 & 12, Fresno, Texas) The 2021 International Royal Music & Art is set to be an acclaimed cross-genre experience inspired by the historic Woodstock Festival. This interactive festival will feature 7 Pavilions with Music, Film, Fashion, Art, Literary, Health, and Business. Live performances will include Grammy Award Nominee, singer/songwriter, Chanté Moore and Grammy Award Nominee & Black Girls Rock Awards performer, rapper/singer/songwriter, Maimouna Youssef aka “Mumu Fresh.” Our Literary Pavilion special invited guests include “The Money Coach,” New York Time Best-selling Author and TV personality, Lynnette Khalfani-Cox* and Troy Johnson, the founder of AALBC. Additional special guest performers and celebrities will be announced. AALBC Sells Books, in All Formats, Through Partnerships AALBC is able to sell the physical books we showcase, on our website, because of a wide variety of important partnerships with distributors and publishers including; Black Classic Press; Africa World Press & The Red Sea Press; Lushena Books; and Ingram. Audiobooks sales are done through our partnership with Libro.fm. Libro.fm’s audiobooks service is objectively superior to Audible (owned by am*zon), because when you buy audiobook from Libro.fm you own them — even it you cancel your subscription. Libro.fm is also Social Purpose Corporation (SPC) who has demonstrated a commitment to serving readers and independent booksellers, like AALBC. AALBC currently partners with a My Must Reads for the sale of eBooks. They offer a fine alternative to the Kindle eBook (owned by am*zon). To sell books that are not in our store we use Bookshop.org. Bookshop gives the bookseller the entire profit margin. Yes, you read that correctly, Bookshop doesn’t earn money off sales generated by booksellers. All profit from the sales we refer come back to AALBC. This is almost 10 times what am*zon.com offers booksellers! Bookshop.org is in the process of being certified as a Benefit Corporations (B-Corp), so they are very serious about supporting independent booksellers. Often, readers would like to support AALBC with the purchase of a book that we do not showcase on our online store. Bookshop allows us to profit from the sales of these books too. The best way to buy a book not showcased on AALBC, and support our site, is to visit this page. There you can search for, and purchase, over 15 million different titles. Readers, by supporting indie booksellers, and the businesses who support us, you are ensuring that stores like AALBC can continue to grow and that our stories and history is told with fidelity. In a world where a single company (am*zon) dominates the sales of physical books, e-books, and audiobooks the entire book ecosystem is put at a disadvantage in terms of discoverability of books and revenue to the professionals who make books possible. Authors, if your books, eBooks, and Audiobooks are only available from am*zon, independent booksellers, even online booksellers like AALBC, can not buy them to sell in our stores. This is by design, as it provides a strong incentive to send readers to am*zon. This further strengthens am*zon and weakens the rest of the book ecosystem, and readers are less well served as a result. Robinhood - Get a Free Stock Just for Signing Up! Robinhood - Invest in Stocks and ETFs and Get a Free Stock Just for Signing Up! If you see a non-book related service promoted in this newsletter, it is because I’m personally vouching for it. This is the case with Robinhood. I first started using Robinhood just over a year ago and was able to earn a couple hundred dollars before spending a single penny. This was based solely upon the appreciation of the free stock I earned from referrals. The application is clean and very easy to use. You can leave at any time by cashing out or transferring your stock to another brokerage account. Check it out ▶ Dear Reader, I don’t normally dedicate so much newsletter space to the business of books, but the subject of am*zon’s control over the book industry is important. Independent booksellers provide a variety of services, both online and in the real world, that am*zon simply does not. The only way to ensure we do not continue to lose (and we have lost a great deal in the Black book ecosystem) is to use our power and directly support independent booksellers. Consider it a direct investment in the preservation of our culture and institutions. As always, you are why I’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, Black people. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission to celebrate Black books and authors. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This Newsletter was Sponsored by Amistad Books Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated mailing. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – August 11, 2021 - Issue #332

The long-lost novel from legendary writer and three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee John Oliver Killens, The Minister Primarily follows the story of Jimmy Jay, who in the 1980s follows his wanderlust to the fictitious African country, The Independent People’s Democratic Republic of Guanaya, to “find himself” only to be enlisted in a scheme to foil a would-be coup. Learn More and Buy the Book ▶ Reading List for Folktales’ Black Women’s Literary Society 2021 marks the 29th year for the Folktales’ Black Women’s Literary Society. They have read over 250 books! Folktales’ has been generous enough to share their carefully curated list with AALBC. For your reading pleasure, we share all the books, on their reading list, going back to 2016. Check out the books ▶ Bestselling Nonfiction Books in the Black Community One of the most prominent businesses in the global Black Book Ecosystem is, Africa World Press & The Red Sea Press (AWP & RSP). The sister publishing companies were founded by Kassahun Checole, almost 40 years ago. With offices in Lawrenceville, New Jersey; London; Eritrea; Ethiopia; and Ghana; AWP & RSP is one of the largest Black-owned book publishers and distributors in the world. There are a universe of books written, published, and read by Black people, that are overlooked by mainstream media. AWP & RSP is responsible for distributing many of these titles throughout the African Diaspora. AWP & RSP has shared the books, with the greatest demand, from the booksellers they distribute to. Several are AALBC bestsellers. While these books are can be easily discovered in Black-owned independent bookstores, you'll struggle to discover them anywhere else. Please check out and share the list ▶ Videos About New Black Wall Street Anthologies Release Me: the Spirits of Greenwood Speak Edited by Phetote Mshairi Poet Phetote Mshairi tells us about Release Me: the Spirits of Greenwood Speak. This anthology is the culmination of the synergy between contributions from an eclectic array of poets (including Poet Laureate of the United States, Joy Harjo and Tulsa based educator, activist, and poet Quraysh Ali Lansana), brilliant artists, masterful writers, skillful photographers, sagacious historians, and some talented citizens of Tulsa, OK. Watch the video ▶ An Impulse to Keep: Greenwood Art Project by Greenwood Art Project Jerica D. Wortham, Project Director of the Greenwood Arts Project describes the anthology, An Impulse to Keep. Published on the occasion of the Greenwood Art Project, an initiative led by artists Rick Lowe/William Cordova with Jerica Wortham, Marlon Hall, Jeff Van Hanken and Kode Ransom. The project brings together artists, residents, leaders, organizations, and businesses to raise awareness of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre and the destruction of its thriving Black community in the historic Greenwood District that included Black Wall Street, one of the most prominent Black-owned business districts in the United States during the early 1900s. Watch the video ▶ The Importance of Indie Booksellers like Boarding House Books One of the things I like to do when I visit a new city is to check out the indie bookstores. It is almost always a pleasurable experience -- especially when the owner is happy to talk shop. Such was the case at Boarding House Books in Claremore, OK. Claremore, OK is a really small town in north eastern, OK. I have lived in an apartment complex with more apartments than there are people living in all of Claremore. Its most famous residents include Patti Page and Will Rogers… Read More▶ Three hours north-west of Boarding House Books, in Wichita, KS is Watermark Books & Café. The photo below is just one of the displays featuring books by Black writers I found in the store. The owner, Sarah Bagby, and I had a terrific conversation as well. Thirty minutes south in Broken Arrow, OK is McHuston Books & Bistro. I purchased so many books from this store the owner threw in a couple for free. I’ve invested over two decades sharing information about Black-owned bookstores, but check out any indie bookstore you encounter, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find. Dear Reader, As always, you are why I’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, Black people. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission to celebrate Black books and authors. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This Newsletter was Sponsored by Amistad Books Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated mailing. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – July 28, 2021 - Issue #331