African-American Bibliography
Prepared by Bonnie Kunzel, Youth Services Consultant
New Jersey State Library
The following titles were nominated for the Best Books for Young Adults list over the past nine years. Those with an asterisk made the list.
*Feelings, Tom. Soul Looks Back in Wonder . Dial Books, 1993. Poetry. (Adult)
Colorful, stunning, collage-effect illustrations by Tom Feelings beautifully complement African-American poetry by Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and others.
*Feelings, Tom. Middle Passage . Dial, 1995. Non-Fiction. (Gr. 7+)
After an introduction by historian Jon Henrik Clarke, Tom Feelings uses only his magnificent paintings, no words, to interpret this tragic and cataclysmic period of history.
*Flake, Sharon G. The Skin I'm In . Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 1998. Fiction. (Gr. 7-9)
Maleeka (13) finds that her extremely dark skin makes her the butt of jokes and an outcast among her peers until a new teacher helps her to accept herself.
*Fogelin, Adrian. Crossing Jordan . Peachtree, 2000. Fiction. (Gr. 5-8)
Their families are prejudiced towards one another, but the daughters, one African-American and one white, become friends after running on the "chocolate milk" team.
*Fradin, Dennis Brindell and Judith. Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement . Clarion Books, 2000. Biography. (Gr. 5+)
Born a slave, Ida B. Wells fought hard against lynching and became an early leader in the fight for Civil Rights.
Frank, E. R. Life Is Funny . Dorling Kindersley, 2000. Fiction. (Gr. 9+)
Eleven Brooklyn teens, whose lives intertwine, share their hopes and tragedies over a period of years.
French, Albert. Holly . Viking, 1995. Fiction. (Adult)
Holly is a twenty-year-old white girl who falls in love with an African-American disabled veteran in 1945.
*French, Albert. Billy . Viking, 1993. Fiction. (Adult)
A ten-year-old black boy, who accidentally kills a teenage white girl, faces the electric chair in Mississippi in the 1930s.
 *Frey, Darcy. The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams . Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Non-Fiction. (Adult)
A journalist spends a year following the struggles of four hoop stars at Coney Island's Abraham Lincoln High School to win college scholarships and a better life.
Fuqua, Jonathon Scott. The Reappearance of Sam Webber . Bancroft Press, 1999. Fiction. (Adult)
Sam looks back on the year his father disappeared, when the black janitor at his tough new school took the young boy under his wing and helped him get back on track.
*Gaines, Ernest. A Lesson Before Dying . Alfred Knopf, 1993. Fiction. (Adult)
When Jefferson, a young black man, is sentenced to die for a crime he did not commit, his grandmother comes to another black man, a local teacher, and asks him to help her grandson die like a man, rather than the "hog" the defense attorney called him.
Gardner, Robert and Dennis Shortelle. The Forgotten Players: The Story of Black Baseball in America . Walker, 1993. Non-Fiction. (Gr. 5-8)
Sports history and race relations combine in this treatment of the segregated Black baseball leagues, including their personalities and their contribution to the game.
*Gaskins, Pearl Fuyo. What Are You? Voices of Mixed-Race Young People . Henry Holt, 1999. Non-Fiction. (Gr. 8+)
Forty-five young people write about being biracial in essays and poetry.
Gates, Henry. Colored People . Knopf, 1994. Biography. (Adult)
This reminiscence of growing up "colored" in the 1950s and 1960s in rural West Virginia shows how family and community changed during the Civil Rights movement.
Giovanni, Nikki, ed. Grand Mothers: Poems, Reminiscences and Short Stories about the Keepers of Our Traditions . Henry Holt, 1994. Non-Fiction. (Adult)
Writings about the many different roles of grandmothers by a culturally diverse group of authors.
*Glover, Savion and Bruce Weber. Savion: My Life in Tap . Morrow, 2000. Biography. (Gr. 5+)
The inspiring rise to fame of a talented Tony Award-winning tap dancer.
Golden, Marita. And Do Remember Me . Doubleday, 1992. Fiction. (Adult)
A troubled young black woman is running away from a sexually abusive father when she meets a young civil rights activist and gains love and a purpose in her life.
Greene, Patricia Baird. The Sabbath Garden . Lodestar/Dutton, 1993. Fiction. (Gr. 7-10)
The hostility between a black teenage girl and her elderly Jewish neighbor is transformed to friendship by their efforts to nurture a neighborhood garden.
*Guy, Rosa. The Music of Summer . Delacorte, 1992. Fiction. (Gr. 9+)
Spoiled, rich, lighter-complected blacks ostracize dark-skinned Sarah, but her courage and a new love help her overcome their racism and a near-death experience.
Haizlip, Shiree Taylor. The Sweeter the Juice: A Family Memoir in Black & White . Simon & Schuster, 1994. Biography. (Adult)
The author of this memoir reveals that her heritage is Black, White and Indian.
 *Hamilton, Virginia. Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales and True Tales . Scholastic, 1995. Short Stories. (Gr. 5-8)
The imagination of African American women is celebrated in this collection.
Hamilton, Virginia. Plain City . Blue Sky Press/Scholastic, 1993. Fiction. (Gr. 5-7)
Buhlaire (12) finds the courage to search for her unknown father's identity and in return learns a lot about herself.
Hamilton, Virginia. Second Cousins . Blue Sky Press, 1998. Fiction. (Gr. 5-8)
Events from last summer and this year's reunion result in strong family ties, in spite of a family secret that is suddenly revealed.
Haskins, Jim. Black, Blue and Gray: African Americans in the Civil War . Simon & Schuster, 1998. Biography. (Gr. 6+)
Biographical information on many famous African Americans in the Civil War.
Haskins, Jim. The Geography of Hope: Black Exodus from the South after Reconstruction . Twenty-First Century, 1999. Non-Fiction. (Gr. 6+)
The demise of African Americans before, during and after the Civil War and the migration of the exodusters.
Haskins, Jim. The March on Washington . HarperCollins, 1993. Non-Fiction. (Gr. 5-9)
Excellent presentation of a pivotal event of the Civil Rights movement.
*Haskins, Jim. One More River to Cross: Stories of Twelve Black Americans . Scholastic, 1992. Biography. (Gr. 5-9)
The lives of twelve black Americans, some well-known and others not, and the impact they had on society.
Haskins, Jim. The Scottsboro Boys . Henry Holt, 1994. Non-Fiction. (Gr. 7-10)
A carefully-documented treatment of what happens to nine black youths charged with the assault of two white women in Scottsboro, Alabama in 1931.
Haskins, Jim. Thurgood Marshall: A Life for Justice . Henry Holt, 1992. Biography. (Gr. 6-9)
An informative overview of Marshall's life and the history of the Civil Rights movement in the twentieth century.
*Haynes, David. Right By My Side . New Rivers Press, 1993. Fiction. (Adult)
This African-American "Holden Caulfield" works through a difficult year as his mother leaves home and he and his father struggle to make new lives for themselves.
Hazelgrove, William Elliott. Tobacco Sticks . Pantonne, 1995. Historical Fiction. (Adult)
Lee (14) witnesses both human cruelty and strength in the summer of 1945, when his father risks everything to defend a falsely-accused young black woman.
 Hewett, Lori. Lives of Our Own . Dutton, 1998. Fiction. (Gr. 7-10)
After her parents' divorce, Shawna decides to spend a year with her dad in a small Georgia town and experiences considerable cultural shock as a result of this decision.
Hewett, Lori. Soulfire . Dutton Children's Books, 1996. Fiction. (Gr. 9+)
A family of brothers and cousins finds it difficult to grow up in Denver without destroying themselves or others when some of them get involved in gang activity.
*Hewett, Lori. Dancer . Dutton, 1999. Fiction. (Gr. 6-10)
Stephanie (16), struggling against her parents' lack of support for her dedication to ballet, gets unexpected help from a former ballerina and her handsome nephew.
Higginson, Vy. Mama, I Want to Sing . Scholastic, 1992. Fiction. (Gr. 6+)
A young girl's beginnings in the church and gospel singing carry her into the world of show business, with all its pitfalls and traps. Based on an off-Broadway musical.
*Horrigan, Kevin. The Right Kind of Heroes: Coach Bob Shannon and the East St. Louis Flyers . Algonquin Books, 1992. Biography. (Adult)
Coach Bob Shannon works valiantly to create an oasis of achievement possibilities for the young black men on his high school football team in the neglected urban environment of East St. Louis.
Hughes, Dean. End of the Race . Atheneum, 1993. Fiction. (Gr. 6-8)
Jared and Davin compete in 400 meter races and search for answers about race.
*Hughes, Langston. Block . Viking, 1995. Poetry. (Gr. 5+)
Striking pictures illustrate Hughes' poetic treatment of a block in Harlem.
Hunter, Latoya. The Diary of Latoya Hunter: My First Year in Junior High . Crown, 1992. Biography. (Gr. 6-8)
One year in the life of Jamaican-born Latoya, her impressions of junior high, first love, changes in her family and witnessing a murder, all faithfully recorded in her diary.
Johnson, Angela. Humming Whispers . Orchard, 1995. Fiction. (Gr. 7+)
Sophy (14) is afraid that she will follow in her older sister's footsteps and develop schizophrenia, an illness that has ruined her sister's life.
*Johnson, Angela. Toning the Sweep . Orchard, 1993. Fiction. (Gr. 6-10)
Emmie and her mother come to the desert to help dismantle her dying grandmother's house, a trip that proves to be a healing process for two strong women.
 *Johnson, Angela. Heaven . Simon & Schuster, 1998. Fiction. (Gr. 7+)
Marley (14) has her idyllic life in the small town of Heaven disrupted when she discovers that her father and mother are not her real parents.
*Jones, Maurice K. Say It Loud! The Story of Rap Music . Millbrook, 1994. Non-Fiction. (Gr. 7+)
The entertainers and the world of rap, from its historical roots to its rise as a musical phenomenon of the 1990s.
*Kalergis, Mary Motley. Seen and Heard: Teenagers Talk about Their Lives . Stewart, Tabor & Chang, 1998. Non-Fiction. (Adult)
Fifty-one teens talk candidly about what their lives are like, presenting a variety of viewpoints from a cross-section of wonderfully unique individuals.
*Kimble, Bo. For You, Hank: The Story of Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble . Delacorte, 1992. Biography. (Adult)
Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble were inseparable friends and basketball teammates from high school through college, until Hank collapsed and died on a basketball court.
Kotlowitz, Alex. The Other Side of the River: Story of Two Towns . Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 1998. Non-Fiction. (Adult)
The points of view with regard to race of two Michigan towns, one wealthy and predominately white, the other poor and predominately black, after the body of a black teenager is found floating in the river between them.
*Lanier, Shannon and Jane Feldman. Jefferson's Children: The Story of One American Family . Random House, 2000. Biography. (Gr. 8+)
The two branches of the Thomas Jefferson family, one Black and the other White, are reunited by a journey that spans the country and several centuries.
*Levine, Ellen. Freedom's Children . Putnam, 1993. Biography. (Gr. 6+)
Personal narratives of those who were involved in desegregation and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.
Lupoff, Richard A. The Bessie Blue Killer . St. Martin's, 1994. Mystery. (Adult)
A humorous mystery with wacky characters that provides a thought-provoking commentary on race relations as well as a fascinating look at the flyboys of WW II.
*Lyons, Mary E. Letters from a Slave Girl . Scribner, 1992. Biography. (Gr. 5-9)
A fictionalized account of the life of Harriet Jacobs, a young African-American slave woman who hid in an attic for years waiting for a chance to gain her freedom.
Major, Clarence, ed. Calling the Wind: Twentieth Century African-American Short Stories . Edward Burlingame/HarperPerennial, 1993. Short Stories. (Adult)
Short stories that provide testimony to the truths in African-American culture.
Mathabane, Mark and Gail. Love in Black and White . HarperCollins, 1992. Biography. (Adult)
The author of Kaffir Boy and his wife tell their story -- how an affluent white woman fell in love with and married a poor South African black man.
 McBride, James. Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother . Riverhead Books, 1996. Non-Fiction. (Adult)
James' mother, the daughter of an Orthodox Rabbi, ran away to Harlem and married a black Baptist minister.
*McCall, Nathan. Makes Me Wanna Holler . Random House, 1994. Biography. (Adult)
With brutal honesty the author recounts his experiences from his childhood in a working class African-American neighborhood, full of anger at the white world, to a three-year prison term and finally to his job as a journalist with the Washington Post.
*McKissack, Patricia and Frederick. Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman . Scholastic, 1992. Biography. (Gr. 5-8)
The life of Sojourner Truth, an eloquent orator for the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of women.
*McKissack, Patricia and Frederick. Red-Tail Angels: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II . Walker and Company, 1995. Non-Fiction. (Gr. 6+)
A fascinating history of the role these African-American pilots played in WWII.
*McKissack, Patricia and Frederick. Young, Black and Determined: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry . Holiday House, 1998. Biography. (Gr. 8+)
A biography of the young black playwright who gave us A Raisin in the Sun , played an active role in the Civil Rights movement and died in her thirties.
*McKissack, Patricia C. Rebels Against Slavery: American Slave Revolts . Scholastic, 1996. Non-Fiction. (Gr. 6+)
Profiles of the leaders of resistance movements against slavery in North America.
*Meyer, Carolyn. Jubilee Journey . Harcourt Brace, 1997. Fiction. (Gr. 6-9)
Emily (13) learns about family history and racism when her family takes a trip to a small town in Texas from their home in Connecticut.
*Meyer, Carolyn. White Lilacs . Gulliver Books/Harcourt Brace, 1993. Historical Fiction. (Gr. 5-7)
Rosa Lee is very upset when the whites in her Texas town in the 1920s decide to turn her black neighborhood into a park and force the black families to move to a much less desirable area outside of town.
*Miller, E. Ethelbert, comp. In Search of Color Everywhere: A Collection of African-American Poetry . Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1994. Poetry. (Adult)
Organized in sections by themes, this anthology of African-American poetry ranges from spirituals to contemporary poets and rap artists.
Morrison, Toni. Jazz . Knopf, 1992. Historical Fiction. (Adult)
Violet tries to understand why her middle-aged husband got involved with and then killed his eighteen-year-old lover in 1920s Harlem.
Mowry, Jess. Six Out Seven . Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1993. Fiction. (Adult)
Young Corbitt comes of age as he travels from Mississippi to California and learns firsthand about his African heritage and the possibilities for his future.
*Mowry, Jess. Way Past Cool . Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1992. Fiction. (Adult)
Rival black gangs in Oakland, California, are made up 12 and 13-year-old boys.
*Myers, Walter Dean. The Glory Field . Scholastic, 1994. Historical Fiction. (Gr. 7+)
An epic history of the Lewis family, from the capture and enslavement of an African boy through subsequent generations to the present-day reunion of his descendants on the family farm, known as "The Glory Field."
Myers, Walter Dean. The Journal of Joshua Loper: A Black Cowboy . Scholastic, 1999. Historical Fiction. (Gr. 5-8)
The adventures of young Joshua Loper on a cattle drive along the Chisholm Trail.
Myers, Walter Dean. Shadow of the Red Moon . Scholastic, 1995. Fantasy. (Gr. 5-9)
When the Fens attack his home in New City, Jen (15) flees into the wilderness with other young Okalians to search for the Ancient City.
Myers, Walter Dean. Darnell Rock Reporting . Delacorte, 1994. Fiction. (Gr. 5-8)
When he becomes a reporter for the school newspaper, Darnell discovers that people begin to pay attention to him.
*Myers, Walter Dean. Somewhere in the Darkness . Scholastic, 1992. Fiction. (Gr. 7-10)
Jimmy is shocked when his father, who has been in prison for eight years, shows up and insists on his son coming with him to Chicago, a journey of discovery for both.
*Myers, Walter Dean. Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary . Scholastic, 1993. Biography. (Gr. 6-10)
The man and the legend are brought together, in clear, concise prose.
*Myers, Walter Dean. Slam! Scholastic, 1996. Fiction. (Gr. 7+)
"Slam" Harris (17), a talented basketball player living in Harlem, dreams of fame and fortune as an NBA star, but first he has to pass the courses in his tough new school.
*Myers, Walter Dean. The Righteous Revenge of Artemis Bonner . HarperCollins, 1992. Historical Fiction. (Gr. 7-10)
Teenage Artemis goes to Tombstone to track down the killer of his uncle and look for a buried treasure.
Myers, Walter Dean. Amistad: The Long Road to Freedom . Dutton, 1998. Non-Fiction. (Gr. 6-10)
An examination of the circumstances surrounding the Amistad, the slave ship under the control of African slaves found off the coast of Long Island in 1839.
*Myers, Walter Dean. One More River to Cross: An African-American Photograph Album . Harcourt Brace, 1996. Non-Fiction. (Adult)
Minimal text accompanies carefully-chosen photographs of people, both famous and unknown, in this celebration of the African-American presence in this country.
 *Myers, Walter Dean. Harlem . Scholastic, 1997. Poetry. (Gr. 6+)
Rich, vibrant verse and striking illustrations bring Harlem to life.
Myers, Walter Dean. At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England . Scholastic, 1999. Biography. (Gr. 5-8)
An African princess, saved from death by a British naval officer, is taken to England and placed under the care of Queen Victoria.
Myers, Walter Dean. 145 th Street . Delacorte, 2000. Short Stories. (Gr. 6+)
Life on a block in Harlem is the subject of this collection of stories.
*Myers, Walter Dean. Monster . HarperCollins, 1999. Fiction. (Gr. 7+)
On trial for being part of a robbery that resulted in a murder, Steve sits in his cell and in the courtroom and describes what is happening to him in the form of a screenplay.
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