Bestselling Books October 2021, Black-Owed Online Booksellers, and More - 11/3/2021

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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