African Cities

NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY DWIGHT GARNER, THE NEW YORK TIMES NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY San Francisco Chronicle | NPR | The Root | The Telegraph | The Globe and Mail NATIONAL BESTSELLER FINALIST, PHILLIS WHEATLEY BOOK AWARD TEJU COLE WAS NAMED...

A New York Times bestselling and award-winning author presents a complex story about his coming-of-age journey as a Black boy, from the societal roots of trauma to finding joy. "If I had two wishes, it would be that D. Watkins spend an entire book writing through the terrifying wonder of Black...

The life and 1984 murder of a beloved Black grandmother that changed community activism forever—and sparked the ongoing movement against racist policing and brutality #SayHerName: The story of Eleanor Bumpurs, told for the first time by decorated historian and Bumpurs's former neighbor LaShawn...

Johnny Washington is a ruthless survivor, a Black teen raised on the streets of LA, a battlefield of broken families, rival gangs, and minimum wage—all under the cold, watchful eye of the men and in blue. But Johnny's found a loophole. He knows the freight yards like the back of his hand. He and his crew, Josh and Buddy, hit them often, stealing just enough to get by. Until Josh is gunned down by a security guard, who gets his brains bashed in by Buddy. Out of options, Johnny turns to Elliot Davis, a local kingpin who recruits and exploits Johnny's sister until she's no longer useful.

For fans of Ashley Herring Blake’s Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and Chencia C. Higgins' D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding comes an utterly charming and queerly irresistible romantic comedy…where all’s fair in love and bowling. This is how love rolls… For teacher Ava Williams, some...

In Juliana Goodman's powerful young adult debut The Black Girls Left Standing, Beau Willet will stop at nothing to clear her sister's name. Sixteen-year-old Beau Willet has dreams of being an artist and one day leaving the Chicago projects she’s grown up in. But after her older sister, Katia...

The 7-10 Split For fans of Ashley Herring Blake’s Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and Chencia C. Higgins' D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding comes an utterly charming and queerly irresistible romantic comedy…where all’s fair in love and bowling. For teacher Ava Williams, some subjects...

Alyssa Cole returns with a fun, sexy romance novella in the Reluctant Royals series! While her boss the prince was busy wooing his betrothed, Likotsi had her own love affair after swiping right on a dating app. But her romance had ended in heartbreak, and now, back in NYC again, she’s...

New York Times bestselling author Zane presents a tantalizing short story collection, which is now the basis of the Cinemax series Zane's Sex Chronicles, calls for a sexual revolution and brings forth our favorite characters—Patience James, Maricruz, Lyric, Eboni, and Ana Marie—as they...

Comprising two distinct short novels - Monroe's Nightmare in Paradise and Bad Luck Shadow from critically acclaimed Victor McGlothin - Borrow Trouble is a hot double-feature that perfectly showcases each author's unique style.

"If you're looking for an easy charmer, this is the novel for you."—Shondaland When their foster-turned-adoptive mother suddenly dies, four brothers struggle to keep open the doors of her beloved Harlem knitting shop. Jesse Strong is known for two things: his devotion to his adoptive mom...

A LIBRARYREADS BONUS PICK! “This romance has it all—flirty banter, deep emotion, and a smart, sassy heroine.”—JENNIFER PROBST, New York Times bestselling author She’s brilliant, beautiful…and tired of being the only Black woman in the room. Two years ago, Kennedy Mitchell was...

Junot Diaz’s critically acclaimed collection Drown meets Janet Mock’s Emmy-winning series Pose, “in this remarkable debut…capturing the heartbreak of queer youth, a woman’s rebellion against the confines of motherhood, and, above all, the pain and power of friendship” (Adam Haslett...

Jazz could not contain Fred Hersch. Hersch’s prodigious talent as a sideman—a pianist who played with the giants of the twentieth century in the autumn of their careers, including Art Farmer and Joe Henderson—blossomed further in the eighties and beyond into a compositional genius that...

One man must prove his innocence while finding which friend betrayed him in this high-drama, action-packed novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Family Business series. Jay Crawford has spent too long paying for a crime he didn't commit. For ten years, he's been in prison...

Inner-city Black America is often stereotyped as a place of random violence; in fact, violence in the inner city is regulated through an informal but well-known code of the street. How you dress, talk, and behave can have life-or-death consequences, with young people particularly at risk. The most powerful force counteracting this code and its reign of terror is the strong, loving, decent family, and we meet many heroic figures in the course of this narrative.

One New Haven summer evening in 2006, a retired grandfather was shot point-blank by a young stranger. A hasty police investigation culminated in innocent sixteen-year-old Bobby being sentenced to prison for thirty-eight years. New Haven native Nicholas Dawidoff returned home and spent eight years reporting the deeper story of this injustice, and what it reveals about the enduring legacies of social and economic disparity. In The Other Side of Prospect, he has produced an immersive portrait of a seminal community in an old American city now beset by division and gun violence.

Housatonic Book Award Winner Longlisted for the National Book Award and Carnegie Medal in Nonfiction Shortlisted for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and Stowe Prize One of The New York Times' “11 New Books We Recommend This Week” | One of Oprah Daily's “20 of the Best Books to Pick Up This...

Learn key lessons on diversity and inclusion from front-line expert Marc Morial, CEO of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans. Marc Morial knew his calling from a young age was to be a leader in the fight for meaningful change. Growing up in the segregated South and helping...

Recent research has revealed that the richest person of all time lived in the 14th century in West Africa and went by many names, including Kankan Musa Keita, Emir of Melle, Lord of the Mines of Wangara, Conqueror of Ghanata, and the Lion of Mali II, but today he is usually referred to as Mansa Musa. Adjusting his wealth to modern values, he was worth about an estimated $400 billion as the Sultan of ancient Mali, which controlled the trade routes across the Sahara Desert.