The 97 Most Critically Acclaimed Books of 2019, Bestsellers February 2020 - 3/24/2020

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Sinister, surreal, smart and electric, Lakewood is a masterful debut novel about class and race that evokes a terrifying world of medical experimentation, based on true history.

The 97 Most Critically Acclaimed Books of 2019

The Most Critically Acclaimed Books on our list have earned multiple honors including; winning an award; making our bestsellers list; or being selected for inclusion on prominent book club reading list. Our list is continuously evolving as we incorporate additional sources to help readers discover the best books available. Our list spans 80 years and includes over 1,000 books! This is one of the best pages, on AALBC, to discover your next great read enjoy ♥

AALBC Bestsellers February 2020

Fiction: Fiction sales were led by the two-time AALBC bestseller The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins, which was also a Go On Girl! Book Club selection for January 2020. Read what the ladies had to say about this book. Nonfiction: The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations by Toni Morrison topped all sales in the Nonfiction category. In addition to being a two-time AALBC Bestseller, Morrison’s book is the winner of a 2020 NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction. Children’s Books: Dominated sales of all genres this period. Sales were led by Epoca: The Tree of Ecrof by Ivy Claire. The book was created by Kobe Bryant and his publishing company Granity Studios. Poetry: We did not sell enough poetry books to compile a list this period. However editor choices include, A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing: The Incarceration of African American Women from Harriet Tubman to Sandra Bland by Damaris B. Hill and Mistress by Chet’la Sebree

Community Video Conference: “Black Books in the Age of the Coronavirus”

Black Books in the Age of the Coronavirus is the first of several community video conversations designed to report on and uplift the Black Book Ecosystem. Over 200 supporters joined us in this historic conversation. You may visit AALBC to watch a video of the entire conversation and read a transcript of the chat session, which ran concurrently with the video conference. You’ll hear from booksellers, many legendary, from all over the country.

Recommended Reads

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o, Illustrated by Vashti Harrison Sulwe was one of the most popular and critically acclaimed Children’s Books books on AALBC in 2019. Among many other accolades Sulwe is a; * Top 150 African-American Children’s Book; * 3–Time AALBC.com Bestselling Book; * Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book 2020; and * NAACP Image Award Honored Book Sulwe takes the issue of colorism on directly. Read AALBC’s Review of Sulwe, which is the first in our planned series of reviews, of books, on the subject of colorism.

CJ’s Big Dream by C.J. Watson, Illustrated by Cameron Wilson C.J. Watson, former NBA star, played professionally for over 12 years and his career has allowed him to play for some of the best teams in NBA history such as the Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, and the Chicago Bulls. C.J.’s Big Dream is a story about a young basketball player that Watson has written to promote his message: “Always believe in yourself and to follow your dreams.” The story follows a young boy from a low-income neighborhood with a big game that day. By believing in himself, he works his hardest to succeed at his game. He plans on making this book into a series that will impact children from any background.

We Now Categorize Children’s Books by Age

I’ve listened to your feedback and have added Target Age Group Descriptions for all of our Children’s Books. Collecting the data and updating our website has been a challenge, because there is no universal way to easily categorize children’s books by age. I talked to a bunch of people for guidance and have defined the following five “Target Age Categories;” Board Book (Infant to 3 Years), Picture Books (3 to 6 Years of Age), Early Reader (6 to 10), Middle Grade (8 to 12), and Young Adult (12 and older). The age ranges for each group are meant as guides — not firm rules. Every child is different, so the age range and subject appropriateness will vary from child to child. I hope this helps and, as always, I welcome you feedback.

WURD One of a Few African-American Radio Stations

WURD-FM/AM is the only African-American owned and operated talk radio station in Pennsylvania, and one of few in the country. WURD covered the 28th Annual African American Children’s Book Fair in Philadelphia. This event is one the oldest and largest diverse Children's Literary festival in the country. The event is hosted and produced by The African American Children's Book Project. There were thousands of people in attendance and if platforms like WURD were not present to record and chronicle the event, this story would not be told and many others would miss-out. Listen to hosts like authors Solomon Jones and Charles Ellison at https://wurdradio.com/.

Dear Reader, The Coronavirus pandemic has touched is all in one way or another. I pray we all emerge from this challenge both healthy and financially sound. We have pushed our annual Black Pack Party, to Wednesday, July 22, 2020. I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who have purchased books from AALBC. You know I simply can’t get books to you as quickly as Jeff Bezos, but I can help you find books, by Black writers, that you are most likely to enjoy more quickly. I encourage you to watch or listen the video I shared, Black Books in the Age of the Coronavirus; it will help you appreciate the incredible challenges Black booksellers are dealing with now and why we are still optimistic for the future (hint: {{first_name,fallback=Reader}} your power is key). Finally, consider supporting this newsletter by volunteering to pay for your subscription. If you have already paid for an annual subscription, thank you on behalf of AALBC and the writers whose work you are helping to celebrate. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com

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