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State of Play Annual Books Special, The Loss of Two Book Icons, and More - 7/20/2021


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I had the opportunity to be interviewed on State of Play, the weekly public affairs show that airs on BNC (the Black News Channel). The show is hosted by former District of Columbia Mayor, Sharon Pratt and co-anchored by former Deputy Chief of Staff to President Clinton, Karen Tramontano, and journalist/activist, the Rev. Mark Thompson.

The program also included Dr. Brenda M. Greene, Professor Joshua Clark Davis, and Ramunda & Derrick Young. We all discussed the state of Black books, Watch the Video ▶

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God Bless Our Divided America: Unity, Politics and History from a Biblical Perspective by David W. Marshall

At its core, David W. Marshall’s God Bless Our Divided America: Unity, Politics and History from a Biblical Perspective is about protecting our democracy from the metastatic cancer cells of divisiveness. From the book’s introduction, “Our Father,” to the closing lines of its final chapter, “The Conscience Driven Servant,” Marshall issues a clarion call for unity, couching his entreaty in biblical perspectives and pages taken from the teachable realm of history. Peppering his discourse with penetrating questions, he calls out the corporate church, the government, the politicians, as well as the everyday American, imploring them to do their part in excising the disease that plagues our nation.

From the outset, Marshall goes to great lengths to clarify the biblical point of view on family and unity (“one body/many parts”). He asserts, “By serving as the one social institution which acts as the moral conscience for the nation, the corporate church must show a secular world what unity within the family of God is supposed to look like… Read the full review ▶

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Harlow Giles Unger is a veteran journalist, broadcaster, educator, and historian. He is the author of 27 books, including the Encyclopedia of American Education and eight other books on American education. These include books on college admissions, public-school education, vocational education, and special needs education. His latest book is The Billion Dollar College Admissions Scam: How to Keep Your Kids from Losing Your Shirt.

“Two million students drop out of college in the United States every year. They leave without degrees, without skills, usually without jobs, deeply in debt, and often facing poverty. Don’t let this happen to your kids. There are millions of ways to succeed without college.” Read our interview ▶

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We Mourn the Loss of Floyd Cooper & Bernette Ford

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Bernette Ford (June 30, 1950 – June 20, 2021) was a formable figure in the world of book publishing and a advocate for Black children’s books. Her book Bright Eyes, Brown Skin, co-authored with Cheryl Willis Hudson, illustrated by her husband George Ford, and published by the Black owned publishing company Just Us Books was named as a “Top 150 African-American Children’s Book” and is a 5-Time AALBC.com Bestselling Book!

I had the pleasure of meeting Bernette during a the “Where are the People of Color in Children’s Books?” panel I moderated during Book Expo America, back in 2014. Ford shared a wealth of information regarding Children’s books, providing a firsthand account of the history, relating how far we have come, and how much further we need to go.

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Floyd Cooper (January 8, 1956 – July 15, 2021) has been honored with at least 4 Coretta Scott King Honors, 10 ALA Notables, and many other awards for his Children’s book illustrations. In an environment with so many talented illustrators, Floyd was one of my favorites. I’ve given away so many copies of Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, one would have to question my desire to actually sell books 😉

I first met Floyd during the 2020 African American Children’s Book Fair. I was looking to reconnect with Floyd, as he was planning to create a mural in here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was a cool Brother.

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AALBC Website Tip

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We provide two easy ways to find books; one, if you know specifically which book you are looking for; and two if you’d like to find books in over 1,500 different categories. Consider a search the book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee and other books in the same category:

1. You can directly search for the book The Sum of Us, by using our site’s Search Engine.
2. You can find other books in the same category as The Sum of Us, Social Classes & Economic Disparity category (most books are in multiple categories).

Learn more about search for books on AALBC by category ▶

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Microsoft-Bing-Logo-2020

I’ve always been a proponent of the massive corporations sharing the enormous profits they generate completely on the back of our participation. Facebook would be worthless without us; shouldn’t they share some of the wealth?

Today you can earn free gift cards to a variety of companies and more just by using Microsoft’s Bing search engine. I still use Google and DuckDuckGo’s search engines, but I've added Bing as my default engine just to get something back and help, in a very small way, to prevent a Google monopoly on search. I’d prefer cash, but gift cards are better than nothing. Start Earning Now ▶.

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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

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Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated mailing.
★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – July 20, 2021 - Issue #330

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