New Books, Bookfest, Johnson Receives Pillar Award, Book Reviews, and More - 6/1/2021

[Daylian]

Edelweiss by Above the Treeline is hosting Bookfest, on June 8th and June 9th, and they’re extending an invitation to AALBC’s friends and family! Join Clint Smith, Farah Jasmine Griffin, Rivers Solomon, Hanif Abdurraqib, Bridgett M. Davis, Tayari Jones, Jewell Parker Rhodes, P. Djèlí Clark, Kimberly Jones, K.M. Jackson, Danielle Henderson, Zakiya Dalila Harris, Tia Williams and many, many more… Bookfest will be over 2 full days of fun and learning. It will feature 65 sessions to choose from, over 85 authors and 28 author panels and over 50 publishers sharing HUNDREDS of new books. The all-access pass is $50 but we are extending an invitation for the 2-full-day, all-access pass for only $20! Register here and enter promocode: AALBCBF30.

New Books

Magic City: A Novel by Jewell Parker Rhodes “A compelling page-turner that will keep readers hoping against hope that everything will somehow, magically, turn out for the best.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution With a new Afterword from the author reflecting on the 100th anniversary of one of the most heinous tragedies in American history—the 1921 burning of Greenwood, an affluent black section of Tulsa, Oklahoma, known as the “Negro Wall Street”—Jewell Parker Rhodes’ powerful and unforgettable novel of racism, vigilantism, and injustice, weaves history, mysticism, and murder into a harrowing tale of dreams and violence gone awry. ▶

Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress by Alicia D. Williams, Illustrated by April Harrison Meet Shirley, a little girl who asks way too many questions! After spending her early years on her grandparents’ farm in Barbados, she returns home to Brooklyn and immediately makes herself known. Shirley kicks butt in school; she breaks her mother’s curfew; she plays jazz piano instead of classical. And as a young adult, she fights against the injustice she sees around her, against women and black people. Soon she is running for state assembly…and winning in a landslide. Three years later, she is on the campaign trail again, as the first black woman to run for Congress. Her slogan? “Fighting Shirley Chisholm—Unbought and Unbossed!” ▶

Troy Johnson Recipient of Go On Girl! Book Club’s Pillar Award

Go On Girl! Book Club (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization) has been in existence for 30 years and boasts 500 dedicated members in scores of chapters across the country. The books on the Club’s reading list, over the past 30 years, are available for sale on AALBC. Every book is a winner, as the club has a meticulous process for selecting books to be read. AALBC contributes half for the profit from the titles on their reading list to the Go On Girl! Book Club’s scholarship fund. On May 22, 2021, Go On Girl! Book Club chose to honor me with their Pillar Award. I’m so proud of this honor, because I have always held, in high regard, the work of Go On Girl! Book Club — Thank you ladies!

Go On Girl! Book Club’s Reading List July to December 2021

Recently Reviewed Books

The Culinary Art Portfolio of Josephine E. Jones by Wendy Jones The Culinary Art Portfolio is neither a cookbook nor a how-to-book. It’s a portfolio, with ready- to-frame prints of the culinary art created by Josephine E. Jones with photography by the late John Turner, written by her daughter Wendy Jones. Introduced as “where art and food intersect” Jones writes, “For years, people took snapshots of Josephine’s food before devouring it, declaring that it ‘looked too good to eat.’”… “I cannot tell you how Josephine did what she did. I can only describe it. My mother did not take a class, read a book, or make sketches of what she wanted to do before she did it. I never saw Josephine practice her cutting technique before she put a piece of fruit or vegetable on a creation.” … “I think she visualized the culinary creation, and then cut, carved, and placed all the components where they needed to be to complete that vision.” … “My mother lived her life that way too, envisioning what she wanted to accomplish, despite the obstacles of racial, gender, and class discrimination, then taking the steps to complete her vision.”More ▶

Salmon Croquettes by Glodean Champion Salmon Croquettes is a debut novel rich in prose. The book is loaded with purposeful dialogue and heartwarming descriptive scenes. The novel’s authentic dialogue rings familiar and inviting. The well written scenes are reminiscent of African American culture in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. Champion uses historical events, newspaper headlines, television shows, poetry, and music to place the reader in the Civil Rights era. One could easily classify the novel as a coming-of-age story, a rite of passage tale about a young woman coming to terms with her homosexuality, and this critique is partly true, but in Salmon Croquettes so much more is offered. The reader witnesses generational mother daughter conflicts, class divisions within the Black community, homophobia, and American racism. More ▶

PBS News Hour’s Article About Black Bookstores

Anti-racist reading drove business to Black bookstores. Owners hope that’s not the end of the story “Troy Johnson said he sold more books in June 2020 than he did in all of 2019. Johnson, founder and owner of the online bookstore African American Literature Book Club (AALBC), was among a number of Black booksellers that experienced a sudden uptick in requests last year for titles focusing on race and racism in America.” Read the entire article, by Courtney Vinopal, on the PBS News Hour Website ▶

Get AALBC Text Alerts

Some of you may have received a text message from me about AALBC’s new text message service. If not, please consider signing up. I’ll be sending information on books, and special promotions, that will not be included in our email newsletter. I promise not to “blow up” your cell phone, and I will never share your contact information with anyone. You can always, easily, stop the text messages at anytime.

Subscribe to AALBC’s YouTube Channel

AALBC videos have been views more than 1.2 million times without promotion, just organic reach. I cover aspects of the Black book world that is often not covered by mainstream media. The best way to help me celebrate our authors, businesses, and events is to subscribe to AALBC’s YouTube Channel, watch, and share our videos.

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 our mission to celebrate Black books and authors. Also, if you are in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, in August, look out for my new pop-up bookstore, The Black Wall Street Book Store (blackwallstreetbookstore.com). I will showcase local authors and books related to the Tulsa Race Massacre. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com

Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated mailing. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – June 1, 2021 - Issue #325