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The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion
"A penetrating reconstruction of the most disturbing and crucial slave uprising in America's history." --New York Times
The definitive account of the most infamous slave rebellion in history and the aftermath that brought America one step closer to civil war--newly reissued to include the text of the original 1831 court document "The Confessions of Nat Turner"
The fierce slave rebellion led by Nat Turner in Virginia in 1831 and the savage reprisals that followed shattered beyond repair the myth of the contented slave and the benign master, and intensified the forces of change that would plunge America into the bloodbath of the Civil War. Stephen B. Oates, the celebrated biographer of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr., presents a gripping and insightful narrative of the rebellion--the complex, gifted, and driven man who led it, the social conditions that produced it, and the legacy it left.
A classic, here is the dramatic re-creation of the turbulent period that marked a crucial turning point in America's history.
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Long After We Are Gone
"A big, beautiful, devastating, and ultimately hopeful novel." --Erica Bauermeister, New York Times bestselling author of No Two Persons
An explosive and emotional story of four siblings--each fighting their own personal battle--who return home in the wake of their father's death in order to save their family's home from being sold out from under them, from the author of One Summer in Savannah.
"Don't let the white man take the house."
These are the last words King Solomon says to his son before he dies. Now all four Solomon siblings must return to North Carolina to save the Kingdom, their ancestral home and 200 acres of land, from a development company, who has their sights set on turning the valuable waterfront property into a luxury resort.
While fighting to save the Kingdom, the siblings must also save themselves from the secrets they've been holding onto. Junior, the oldest son and married to his wife for 11 years, is secretly in love with another man. Second son, Mance, can't control his temper, which has landed him in prison more than once. CeCe, the oldest daughter and a lawyer in New York City, has embezzled thousands of dollars from her firm's clients. Youngest daughter, Tokey, wonders why she doesn't seem to fit into this family, which has left an aching hole in her heart that she tries to fill in harmful ways. As the Solomons come together to fight for the Kingdom, each of their façades begins to crumble and collide in unexpected ways.
Told in alternating viewpoints, Long After We Are Gone is a searing portrait on the power of family and letting go of things that no longer serve you, exploring the burden of familial expectations, the detriment of miscommunication, and the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children.
"Explosive and emotionally charged." --Etaf Rum, New York Times bestselling author of A Woman is No Man and Evil Eye
"A tour de force of history, injustice, and the brutal, beautiful everlasting ties of family." --Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The House Girl and The Last Romantics
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The Epic of Gilgamesh: A Norton Critical Edition
This Norton Critical Edition includes:
- An expanded translation from the Akkadian by Benjamin R. Foster based on new discoveries, adding lines throughout the world's oldest epic masterpiece.
- Benjamin R. Foster's full introduction and expanded explanatory annotations.
- Eleven illustrations.
- Analogues from the Sumerian and Hittite narrative traditions along with "The Gilgamesh Letter," a parody of the epic enjoyed by Mesopotamian schoolchildren during the first millennium BCE.
- Essays by Thorkild Jacobsen, William L. Moran, Susan Ackerman, and Andrew R. George, and a poem by Hillary Major.
- A Glossary of Proper Names and a Selected Bibliography.
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James Baldwin: Later Novels (Loa #272): Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone / If Beale Street Could Talk / Just Above My Head
Includes If Beale Street Could Talk, now a major motion picture directed by Barry Jenkins. The Library of America completes its edition of the collected fiction of the literary voice of the Civil Rights era with this volume gathering three revealing later works of the 1960s and '70s. With such landmark novels as Go Tell It on the Mountain, Giovanni's Room, and the essay collections Notes of a Native Son and The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin established himself as the indispensable voice of the Civil Rights era, a figure whose prophetic exploration of the racial and sexual fissures in American society raised the consciousness of American readers. But by the late 1960s and '70s many regarded Baldwin as being out of sync with the political and social currents transforming America: too integrationist for Black Arts Movement writers and others on the Left, yet too "pessimistic" for many white readers, and as a result his later novels have never received the consideration given his earlier fiction. Sober in outlook but ambitious in scope, these works show Baldwin responding with his signature passion--for music, for justice, for life--and searching intelligence to the new realities of a rapidly changing cultural landscape, as the Movement era gives way to the age of identity politics that we still live in today. This culminating volume in the Library of America edition of his fiction illustrates how Baldwin continues to be relevant in twenty-first-century America, especially in his dramatizing of the unequal treatment of black men by the police and the justice system, his nuanced depictions of the black family, and his explorations of sexuality. LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation's literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America's best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries. -
My Divine Natural Hair: Inspiration & Tips to Love & Care for Your Crown
Learn how to love and care for your natural hair spiritually and practically.
Uplifting and authentic, My Divine Natural Hair: Inspiration and Tips to Love and Care for Your Crown helps Black women embrace the God-created beauty of natural hair through inspirational readings and salon chair guidance on how to heal, consistently care for, and grow their coils. As a response to the history of discrimination against Black hair and the societal pressure Black women continue to face to alter their hair texture, My Divine Natural Hair brings together raw personal reflections and hands-on hairapy to both encourage and equip readers to care for their hair as the crown God has placed on their head. Inside this book, which was inspired by one of the coauthor's experiences with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, or CCCA, you will find:
-Why your beliefs about natural hair are directly impacted by your spiritual life
-How to maintain a healthy scalp, healthy hair care routine, and healthy hair esteem
-How to heal from past hair care trauma, hair loss, and texturism
-""Salon Chair Sessions"" with tips on developing healthy hair habits, DIY hair care recipes, and practical resources
The authors address deeply personal topics like hair loss, comparison, and self-doubt, while also offering everyday tips for hair growth, styles, and maintenance, as well as scriptural and literary affirmations and a glossary of terms.
My Divine Natural Hair will enhance the self-esteem and hair health of Black women and girls.
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Everything and Nothing at Once: A Black Man's Reimagined Soundtrack for the Future
For Readers of Heavy, Punch Me Up to The Gods, and A Little Devil in America, a beautiful, painful, and soaring tribute to everything that Black men are and can be.
Growing up in the Bronx, Joél Leon was taught that being soft, being vulnerable, could end your life. Shaped by a singular view of Black masculinity espoused by the media, by family and friends, and by society, he learned instead to care about the gold around his neck and the number of bills in his wallet. He absorbed the "facts" that white was always right and Black men were seen as threatening or great for comic relief but never worthy of the opening credits. It wasn't until years later that Joél understood he didn't have to be defined by these things. Now, in a collection of wide-ranging essays, he takes readers from his upbringing in the Bronx to his life raising two little girls of his own, unraveling those narratives to arrive at a deeper understanding of who he is as a son, friend, partner, and father. Traversing both the serious and lighthearted, from contemplating male beauty standards and his belly to his decision to seek therapy to the difficulties of making co-parenting work, Joél cracks open his heart to reveal his multitudes. "I learned that being Black is an all-encompassing everything...To be Black, to be a Black man in the era I grew up in, was easily everything and nothing at once." Crafted like an album, each essay is a single that stands alone yet reverberates throughout the entire collection. Pieces like "How to Make a Black Friend." consider challenging, delightful and absurd moments in relationships, while others like "Sensitive Thugs All Need Hugs" and "All Gold Everything" ponder the collective harms of society's lens. With incisive, searing prose, Everything and Nothing at Once deconstructs what it means to be a Black man in America.Sold out -
The Interesting Narrative
Olaudah Equiano's Interesting Narrative, in which the author describes his birth in Africa, his enslavement and transportation to America, and his journey from slavery to freedom, was published just a few days before the British parliament first debated the abolition of the slave trade in 1789. As a first-hand account of the horrors of slavery, it was a vital part of the campaign to end that "accursed trade," but the book is far more than merely a political pamphlet. It is the most important African autobiography of the eighteenth century, telling the story of a life of high adventure on land and sea, from the Caribbean to the North Pole via America, Turkey, and Great Britain, in a style that remains lively and engaging to this day. This new edition includes an introduction surveying the recent debates about Equiano's birthplace and identity, and showing how the book achieved its increasingly central position among the great works of eighteenth-century literature. -
The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery
Selected as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times Book Review, this landmark work gives us a definitive account of Lincoln's lifelong engagement with the nation's critical issue: American slavery. A master historian, Eric Foner draws Lincoln and the broader history of the period into perfect balance. We see Lincoln, a pragmatic politician grounded in principle, deftly navigating the dynamic politics of antislavery, secession, and civil war. Lincoln's greatness emerges from his capacity for moral and political growth. -
The Dream Big, Little One Collection
This irresistible collection by #1 New York Times bestselling creator Vashti Harrison is the perfect way to introduce little readers to inspiring leaders, thinkers, and dreamers in Black history. Beautifully illustrated and accessibly written, Dream Big, Little One; Think Big, Little One; and Follow Your Dreams, Little One are board book adaptations of the bestselling Little Leaders, Little Dreamers, and Little Legends books. These inspiring books highlight trailblazing Black women leaders, visionary Black creators, and exceptional Black men who changed the world--now available in a collection sure to inspire big dreams in the youngest readers, or any little leader in the making. -
The Black Woman's Guide to Coping with Stress: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Skills to Create a Life of Joy and Well-Being
Do you feel like you're doing it all for everyone--all the time? Written by a Black woman for Black women, this book offers mindful self-awareness practices to help you prioritize self-care, soothe stress, and create a life of joy, fulfillment, and well-being.
As a Black woman, do you often feel an intense pressure to do it all? To be a kind of "superwoman" who never lets others down? Do you feel compelled to hide your own emotions for fear of being vulnerable or appearing weak? If so, you are not alone. Our culture tells us in many ways that Black women must be strong and unwavering for their community, family, friends, and partners. But at what cost? If you're feeling the effects of stress and burnout, this book can help you find balance.
In The Black Woman's Guide to Coping with Stress, Black psychologist and registered nurse Cheryl Woods Giscombe introduces the innovative, research-based superwoman schema (SWS) framework--five core beliefs that drive Black women's stress--and provides self-care practices grounded in mindfulness and self-compassion to help you live a life of joy and greater well-being.
In this empowering guide, you'll identify the core beliefs that may be contributing to your experience of stress--that you must always be strong, hide your emotions, resist vulnerability, succeed even in the face of inadequate resources, and always help others while neglecting self-care. You'll learn how these beliefs can lead to burnout and a feeling of imbalance in your life. And finally, you'll discover how to harness the strengths within these beliefs, so they no longer cause you harm.
There's nothing wrong with being strong--but sometimes it's essential to "take off your superwoman cape," recharge, and prioritize self-care. You are worth it. This book will help you gain the self-awareness you need to stay balanced and live your very best life.
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Finders Keepers
She found a love worth more than money.
When Olivia Cameron set out to renovate the house left to her by her great-aunt, the last thing she expected to find behind the walls was millions of 1929 dollars. As the director of a charter school, to reap this much money would be life changing, so long as it's hers to keep. When FBI agent Sloan Kendrick comes to question her, the instant attraction thrumming between them gives Olivia nervous butterflies.
Sloan feels the pull between him and Olivia too, but first, he's got a job to do. As his investigation brings him and Olivia closer, Sloan recognizes in Olivia's hesitation that she doesn't fully trust him yet...
Because a romance like this is too good to be true. Olivia already had her miracle, and lightning doesn't strike twice, does it?
Praise for The Time of Your Life:
"A feel good story of second chances and new beginnings." --Woman's World Magazine
"This story of two kindhearted individuals being given a life-changing gift is a welcome, if brief, reprieve in an unfair world." --Buzzfeed
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Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer
Grace, dignity, and eloquence have long been hallmarks of Maya Angelou's poetry. Her measured verses have stirred our souls, energized our minds, and healed our hearts. Whether offering hope in the darkest of nights or expressing sincere joy at the extraordinariness of the everyday, Maya Angelou has served as our common voice. Celebrations is a collection of timely and timeless poems that are an integral part of the global fabric. Several works have become nearly as iconic as Angelou herself: the inspiring "On the Pulse of Morning," read at President William Jefferson Clinton's 1993 inauguration; the heartening "Amazing Peace," presented at the 2005 lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House; "A Brave and Startling Truth," which marked the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations; and "Mother," which beautifully honors the first woman in our lives. Angelou writes of celebrations public and private, a bar mitzvah wish to her nephew, a birthday greeting to Oprah Winfrey, and a memorial tribute to the late Luther Vandross and Barry White. More than a writer, Angelou is a chronicler of history, an advocate for peace, and a champion for the planet, as well as a patriot, a mentor, and a friend. To be shared and cherished, the wisdom and poetry of Maya Angelou proves there is always cause for celebration.Sold out -
Sold outDestiny's Gift
Destiny loves words, and her favorite place in the world is Mrs. Wade's bookstore, where words abound.
Destiny loves words, and her favorite place in the world is Mrs. Wade's bookstore, where words abound. On Saturdays, Destiny helps Mrs. Wade at the store, and at day's end they relax together, drinking tea and reading. Then one Saturday Mrs. Wade does not seem her usual self, and Destiny later learns the store may have to close.
Destiny is determined not to let this happen. As she works to help keep the store open, she also creates an imaginative gift for Mrs. Wade that captures the warmth and special magic of the store forever.
Destiny's Gift is a heartwarming celebration of friendship and creativity, and a touching tribute to a child's love for reading and the power of words.
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Sold outSilver: Poems
Rowan Ricardo Phillips's fourth collection is a book as lustrous as the metal of its title.
This beautiful, slender collection--small and weighted like a coin--is Rowan Ricardo Phillips at his very best. These luminous, unsparing, dreamlike poems are as lyrical as they are virtuosic. "Not the meaning," Phillips writes, "but the meaningfulness of this mystery we call life" powers these poems as they conjure their prismatic array of characters, textures, and moods. As it reverberates through several styles (blank verse, elegy, terza rima, rhyme royal, translation, rap), Silver reimagines them with such extraordinary vision and alluring strangeness that they sound irrepressibly fresh and vibrant. From beginning to end, Silver is a collection that reflects Phillips's guiding principle--"part physics, part faith, part void"--that all is reflected in poetry and poetry is reflected in all. This is work that brings into acute focus the singular and glorious power of poetry in our complex world.Sold out -
The Conductors
"A seamless blending of magic, mystery, and history . . . Glover's worldbuilding, characters, and attention to historical detail create a delightfully genre-bending debut!" -- Tananarive Due, American Book Award winner, author of Ghost Summer: Stories
From a bold new voice in speculative fiction comes a vibrant historical fantasy of magic and murder set in the aftermath of the Civil War
Hetty Rhodes and her husband, Benjy, were Conductors on the Underground Railroad, ferrying dozens of slaves to freedom with daring, cunning, and magic that draws its power from the constellations. With the war over, those skills find new purpose as they solve mysteries and murders that white authorities would otherwise ignore.
In the heart of Philadelphia's Seventh Ward, everyone knows that when there's a strange death or magical curses causing trouble, Hetty and Benjy are the only ones that can solve the case. But when an old friend is murdered, their investigation stirs up a wasp nest of intrigue, lies, and long-buried secrets--and a mystery unlike anything they handled before. With a clever, cold-blooded killer on the prowl testing their magic and placing their lives at risk, Hetty and Benjy will discover how little they really know about their neighbors . . . and themselves.
"An unforgettable debut . . . Wholly original and thoroughly riveting." -- Deanna Raybourn, New York Times best-selling author of A Murderous Relation
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Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South
The true story of two African-American brothers who were kidnapped and displayed as circus freaks, and whose mother endured a 28-year struggle to get them back. The year was 1899 and the place a sweltering tobacco farm in the Jim Crow South town of Truevine, Virginia. George and Willie Muse were two little boys born to a sharecropper family. One day a white man offered them a piece of candy, setting off events that would take them around the world and change their lives forever. Captured into the circus, the Muse brothers performed for royalty at Buckingham Palace and headlined over a dozen sold-out shows at New York's Madison Square Garden. They were global superstars in a pre-broadcast era. But the very root of their success was in the color of their skin and in the outrageous caricatures they were forced to assume: supposed cannibals, sheep-headed freaks, even "Ambassadors from Mars." Back home, their mother never accepted that they were "gone" and spent 28 years trying to get them back. Through hundreds of interviews and decades of research, Beth Macy expertly explores a central and difficult question: Where were the brothers better off? On the world stage as stars or in poverty at home? Truevine is a compelling narrative rich in historical detail and rife with implications to race relations today.Sold out