150 Top Children's Books, Events, Book Club Pick, and Why Our Site is so Slow Today - 10/1/2019

[Daylian]

Top Recommended African-American Children’s Books

Our list of the “Top Recommended African-American Children’s Books” was complied with input from children book authors, editors, publishers, booksellers, and avid readers. We know children and young readers will enjoy most, if not all, of these books, as they have already brought joy to countless children and parents. We recommend printed books for young readers, or when reading to a child. Some of these books are decades old, but are still in print due to their significance. Others are brand new, reflecting contemporary voices and themes.

Popular Book Events, Festivals, and Conferences

Black Authors and Readers Rock will be held at the Harborside Hotel, in Oxon Hill, MD. Friday October 4th and 5th. This year’s conference will feature a keynote address by poet, educator, and New York Times bestselling author of 28 books, Kwame Alexander. Many other authors will be presenting including AALBC favs, Mary Monroe, Brian W. Smith, Steven Van Patten, Rochelle Alers, J.B. Vample, Victoria Kennedy, Joy Copeland, Joan Vassar, and Blacc Topp. AALBC's founder, Troy Johnson will participate in the “Why Black Books Matter!” panel discussion and chronicle the event. The two-day literary conference is open to everyone. There are still a few tickets available. Tickets will not be sold at the door. #blackauthorsandreadersrock

15th Annual African American Literary Awards Show

The Annual African American Literary Awards Show will take place Saturday, October 5, 2019 at the Schomburg Center For Research In Black Culture in Harlem. Launched in September of 2004, by Yvette Hayward, this event is unique in that it celebrates both authors and book industry professionals. If you are a reader or author this is a great event to see and meet the people who produce the book you love. If you are in the area, check it out; tickets are still available.

AALBC Online Book Club Selection

The Complete Muhammad Ali by Ishmael Reed “One can’t help but think about the controversy that surrounds such an icon. Everyone in his circle has been criticized for his extended boxing career leading to Parkinson’s disease, but who knows when those injuries occurred, and with what is known today about concussions – the identification of the injuries is impossible. Reed provided a good history Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam: non-judgmental – he simply told of the organization. The Mafia’s intrusion into Black boxers’ careers was enlightening, and the history of Black boxers was informative as well. The interviews gave such insight into so many situations and so many people – writing the book had to exhausting. The ancillary knowledge was worth the price of the book.” —Tony Lindsay, AALBC’s Online Book Club Moderator

A Surge in Traffic Has Slowed AALBC’s Website

Over the past couple of days AALBC’s website has benefited from surge in traffic — thanks to the sharing of our content on social media. This has resulted in an increase in books sales and advertising revenue. However it has also slowed our website’s response time dramatically and made portions of it, like our discussion forums, inaccessible. I apologize for the inconvenience. Fortunately, the resulting increase in revenue will allow us to to purchase a faster, more powerful, web site hosting solution to handle future spikes and increases in traffic.

Dear Reader, In October of 1997, I sat down to create what would ultimately become AALBC.com. I was experimenting with eCommerce, so that I could better advise the clients I had for a website development sideline business I ran. I chose books not because I was an avid reader, or even knowledgeable about selling books. Books simply seemed like a product I could easily sell on the world wide web. Immediately, after launching the site, a whole new world opened up to me! I was discovering amazing stories, ideas, history, and poetry, from the pens of talented Black writers, for the very first time. Sharing these discoveries with others became my passion. In 2008, this passion became my livelihood. As always, thank you for your support and please keep reading — and sharing our content! Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com

Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated mailing. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – October 1, 2019 - Issue #278