Find suggestions for what to read during Black History Month – all of these items (and more) can be found in our collections. If you can’t find something you’re looking for in our catalog, let us know and we will be happy to get it for you through InterLibrary Loan.
Learn more about prominent figures in black history:
- The Dark End of the Street by Danielle L. McGuire
- Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007
- Martin Luther King Jr.: His Life, Martyrdom, and Meaning for the World by William Robert Miller
Learn about important African American women in science:
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Learn about the injustices of the American justice system:
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Learn about the Underground Railroad:
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad by Eddie S. Glaude
Incredible fiction by African American authors:
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- Swing Time by Zadie Smith
- Early Novels and Stories by James Baldwin
Fiction for young adult (and adult) readers:
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Dear Martin by Nic Stone
- March by John Lewis
Non-fiction and biographies for elementary school aged kids:
- The Civil Rights Movement by Tamra Orr
- 28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World by Charles R. Smith
- Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
- Black Frontiers: A History of African American Heroes in the Old West by Lillian Schlissel
- Kingdoms of Africa by Stuart A. Kallen
- Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman
When you want a movie instead: