I
know how limited our reading time can be sometimes,
so I want to help by sharing with you some books that
have caught my attention. I’ll update the list
from time to time. For now, here are some titles of
books I wanted to make sure you considered. Some have
just been published and some are classics. They are
all wonderful books. I highly recommend them.
CLASSICS
THEIR
EYES WERE WATCHING GOD,
by
Zora Neale Hurston. (My all-time favorite novel.
When I read this for the first time as a senior
in Gloria Wade Gayles’ African-American
Literature class in 1971, it changed my life
by showing me that one could write about country
Southern black people – bean pickers and
store clerks and maids and roustabouts –
and create literature from their lives.
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NEW
SPEAK,
SO YOU CAN SPEAK AGAIN
by
Lucy Anne Hurston and the Estate of Zora Neale
Hurston. (What a treasure trove! I felt as if
Zora Neale Hurston had opened up her personal
trunk up in the attic and shared her life with
me. This is a must for anyone who loves
and respects the artist who was Zora.) |
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DYING
IN THE DARK,
A Tamara Hayle Mystery by Valerie
Wilson Wesley. This is the seventh book in this
series. Valerie always delivers. |
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DREAMS
FROM MY FATHER
A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack
Obama (U.S. Senator from Illinois.)
Now this is a man to watch! This memoir includes
the complete text from his ‘04 Democratic
Convention keynote address. |
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BABYLON
SISTERS
by Pearl Cleage
Pearl, who always captures our hearts and minds
with her deeply rendered characters and ideas,
returns to Atlanta with a love story that is fast-paced
and emotionally resonant. She is a true artist
who I’m proud to call a sisterfriend. |
TINA’S
ALL-TIME FAVORITES
BELOVED
SISTERS AND LOVING FRIENDS:
Letters from Rebecca Primus of Royal Oak,
Maryland, and Addie Brown of Hartford, Connecticut,
1854-1868. Edited and with commentaries throughout
by Farah Jasmine Griffin. Alfred A. Knopf, 1999. |
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ONLY
TWICE I’VE WISHED FOR HEAVEN
by Dawn Turner Trice
I love first novels. And this one is a beauty!
And so are the other four debut novels listed
below. Two are new and two were published in the
1990s. All are worthy of your time. You will also
want to pick up these authors’ later works,
too. |
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THESE
SAME LONG BONES
by Gwendolyn M. Parker
Gwendolyn has captured a time and family in a
way that will capture your heart. |
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LIVING
WATER
by Obery Hendricks
This man understands women and is able to put
that understanding on the page in beautiful language.
This will become a classic. |
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SOUL
KISS
by Shay Youngblood
Shay broke new ground with is deeply felt, moving
coming-of-age novel. It is just a beautiful work.
Ten years after first reading it, I still remember
scenes from it. |
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SHIFTING
THROUGH NEUTRAL
by Bridgett M. Davis
This novel will resonate with every daddy’s
girl or person who has listened to a Stevie Wonder
tune while driving down the highway. |
CHILDREN’S
BOOKS
JAZZY
MIZ MOZETTA
by Brenda Roberts, Illustrations by Frank
Morrison
(“One fine evening, Miz Mozetta puts on
her firecracker-red dress and favorite blue shoes
and heads outside to enjoy the moonlight.”) |
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DID
I TELL YOU I LOVE YOU TODAY?
by Deloris and Roslyn Jordan, Illustrations
by Shane Evans
The authors are the mother and sister of basketball
superstar Michael Jordan. They celebrate family
in this reassuring book about the many special
ways we cherish those we love. |
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HARLEM
STOMP!
A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance
by Laban Carrick Hill, foreword by Nikki Giovanni.
A breathtaking whirlwind tour through this fascinating
era. Lavishly designed and illustrated, it’s
a virtual time capsule, packed with poetry, prose,
photographs, paintings, and historical documents. |
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THE
PEOPLE COULD FLY:
The Picture Book by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated
by Leo and Diane Dillon
This is one of my all-time favorite children’s
books. I have given it as gifts to folks of all
ages. It is considered the late Newbery Medalist
Virginia Hamilton’s finest story about long-ago
Africa when the people knew magic that enabled
them to fly, then lost the magic when they were
brought to America to be slaves. Powerful illustrations
by the multi-Caldecott Medal winning Dillons illuminate
every page. |
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REMEMBER:
The Journey to School Integration
by Toni Morrison
This book contains a treasure chest of archival
photographs that depict the events of this tumultuous
time. The unforgettable images serve as inspiration
for Morrison’s fictional account of the
dialogue and emotions of the students who lived
during this era. |
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