A Record of Childhood and Youth Richard Wright 1945 448p 5 x 8 Richard Wright grew up in the woods of Mississippi amid poverty, hunger, fear, and hatred. He lied, stole, and raged at those around him; at six he was a ‘drunkard,’ hanging about in taverns. Surly, brutal, cold, suspicious, and self-pitying, he was … Continue reading Black Boy
As Told to Alex Haley Malcolm X & Alex Haley 1965 460p MMPB From his childhood in Michigan to hustling on the streets of Boston and Harlem to prison where he finds allah and back to Harlem to preach for the Nation of Islam. Malcolm was eventually betrayed by the Nation of Islam, and left, … Continue reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X
A Graphic Guide Donald Woods & Mike Bostock 1986 160p 5.5 x 8 An illustrated introduction and over-view of south african apartheid. From its roots in european settler culture, to the openly racist policies of the late 1800s, fascist influences in the 1920s-1930s and the eventual rise to power … Continue reading Apartheid
A Pictorial History of the Southern Tenant Farmer’s Union H.L. Mitchell 1987 96p 8 x 11 Founded near Tyronza, Arkansas, in 1934 by 11 white and seven black workers, within five years the STFU was organizing all across the South and counting its members in the tens of thousands. Reviving old IWW traditions of workers’ … Continue reading Roll the Union On
Maya Angelou 1969 304p MMPB Born in St. Louis and sent with her brother and no adults on a train when only a few years old to live with her grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas, this is the first – and best – of Aneglou’s memoirs, spanning ages 3-17. Through … Continue reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
An Autobiography Assata Shakur 1987 303p 6.5 x 9.5 Black radical, former panther, BLA member and all-around badass, this is Assata’s own story up until the late 1980s. From the afterward: “Through her eyes we have the chance to see so many social tensions at play. The obvious and … Continue reading Assata