99 books like The Juneteenth Story

The wealth gap between Blacks and Whites in the U.S. is enormous! Whites have 10 times the wealth as Blacks. The disparity is not because Whites are smarter or have worked harder. This book does a masterful job of clearly explaining one of the reasons behind the wide wealth gap. 

Most people are aware of the fact that 246 years of slavery was a successful government policy that intentionally enriched Whites while simultaneously impoverishing Blacks. But most people are not aware that a new system with the same dual objectives, followed the abolition of slavery in 1865. This book tells the story of Black Codes, Vagrancy Laws, and convict leasing that occurred for 60 years after the passage of the 13th Amendment, emancipating Black enslaved people. These government supported policies replaced slavery as the new program to subsidize White wealth creation at the expense of millions of Blacks. 

Douglas Blackman… show more.

It’s hard to know quite where to begin with this book–there is so much to love.

This book tells the story of the Great Migration of African American people out of the South across the United States to Chicago, New York, California, and beyond; it transforms and fills in a crucial part of American history that every American should know to understand our present day. But for me, what I love most starts with the way Isabel Wilkerson cares for people’s stories. 

Wilkerson tells this decades-long, sweeping, under-told story through individual stories that are so detailed and compelling, so thoroughly contextualized with historical research, that I was completely enmeshed in these people’s lives, their struggles, their loves, and their feelings. I cared. In the years since I read it, stories from the book often come to my mind, teaching and guiding me like the words of a beloved relative. 

This is one of my all-time favorite books! It was given to me by my nephew Kareem, in 2018. I have read it cover to cover, twice. My handwritten notes are on over 50% of the pages. 

The research that Baradarian put into this book is unparalleled. The book is chockful of facts and data that I never knew about Black history. For example, her research uncovered the fact that the forty acres of land that were to go to the 4 million formerly enslaved Black people after the Civil War was to be sold, not given to Blacks at $1.25 per acre. 

This book is filled with an abundance of typically unknown data, as she admirably tells the history of Blacks in America, through the Black banking industry’s chronicles. 

In the spirit of full transparency, my love for this book preceded the 2019 interview that I did of Baradarian… show more.

After reading Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston, I wanted to learn more. This book, about the last Black person captured in Africa and enslaved in America, was astounding, but short. 

My thirst for more about the protagonist, Kossolo Lewis, led me to Dreams of Africa in Alabama. This book gives excellent riveting details about slavery, the crime against humanity. It also fascinatingly tells the detailed story, supported by research of facts and data about a crime against Federal U.S. laws, how Mr. Lewis was taken from Africa in the 1850’s, more than 4 decades after the U.S. prohibited the importation of people to be enslaved in 1808. 

By reading this book, I was exposed to real life stories about a White family, who broke laws, so they could enrich themselves off of the suffering of other humans. But even more importantly, the book chronicles Mr. Lewis’ life after slavery.… show more.

An excellent fantasy tale with loads of great imagery and a very distinct narrative voice. It blends some of the best kinds of epic and high fantasy together. It also has very intricate and interesting lore to its story and characters that I couldn’t put down.

I loved seeing the creativity in how his world was formed and how it operates. Coleman is really able to paint a picture that’s beautiful and unique. 

I liked this book because it’s off the beaten path. It’s amazing to me that the author at some point mentioned she’s never seen the Firefly series, yet this book really does evoke that kind of story in a good way. It has to do with a fun, colorful bunch of crooks on a rickety ship that take on a new member who turns out to land them in a world of trouble.

I really loved the voice of the main lead, given that she’s a tough lady, but she also has vulnerable sides too. The crew all have well-defined roles and personalities and the plot is enjoyable. It also has elements from harem and josei manga/anime, which is right up my alley. 

Muscadine Wine is a love letter to the South and to romance. It’s a collection of stories that really show the charm and complications of living in the South. Someone once called it supernatural soul and I think that’s a great way to describe it.

I’ve lived in Georgia my whole life, so it was really nice to see landmarks and other things that I know even though this is set in decades past, as plenty of things endure through time. It also has some great folklore to it, which is one of Milton J. Davis’ specialties in his books.  

Blackened Roots is an excellent collection of bloody, messy, intrigue. Often, we don’t get to see zombies from the lens of people of color (ex. Michonne from The Walking Dead) so this collection is worth its weight in gold. It has so many different perspectives on the classic horror monster that I certainly think should be read as a thriller on Juneteenth.

The stories are all very well-written by indie and traditionally published authors alike, so it’s very diverse and I really enjoyed the voices of each author. One doesn’t have to be a horror fan to enjoy it (though I’m certain it helps!) as there is also plenty of humor, dark and otherwise, to have fun with too. 

This book is a fantastic story that’s a throwback to noir and espionage. I loved the vibrant voice and the distinct characters, as well as the storyline itself. It has one of my favorite voices in the narration, often witty, vulgar, and insightful. It’s definitely a book of mystery and intrigue with plenty of humor to make it enjoyable, too. 

In this brief and powerful book, esteemed historian Annette Gordon-Reed focuses on “Juneteenth”, the day (June 19, 1865) when enslaved workers in Texas were declared free by the Union Army following the conclusion of the Civil War. For Gordon-Reed, a black Texas woman, Juneteenth, recently declared a federal holiday, offers a starting point for pondering the legacy of slavery and emancipation for Afro-Texans and for thinking more broadly about the tension between history and myth. In the course of all this, Gordon-Reed tells her own personal story about navigating the often fraught terrain of her state’s legacy of racial exploitation.