February is Black History Month, a time to learn about and celebrate the rich history and achievements of the Black community in America. Over the years, many wonderful books about the movements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and many other Black leaders and pioneers have been published. However, there’s always something new to learn and fresh stories are being published each week. Here are some of the best new books to read during Black History Month, and all throughout the year.
For Kids
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones
A Computer Called Katherine by Suzanne Slade
Ablaze With Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas by Jeanne Walker Harvey
Be A King by Carole Boston Weatherford
Bedtime Inspirational Stories: 50 Amazing Black People Who Changed the World by L.A. Amber
Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker
Flying High: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles by Michelle Meadows
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston by Alicia D. Williams
Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
Nina: A Story of Nina Simone by Traci N. Todd
Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan
Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book by Keila V. Dawson
Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Randsome
Playing to Win: How Althea Gibson Broke Barriers and Changed Tennis Forever by Karen Deans
Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge by Ray Anthony Shepard
Saving American Beach: The Biography of African American Environmentalist MaVynne Betsch by Heidi Tyline King
She Persisted: Harriet Tubman by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Shirley Chrisholm Dared: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress by Alicia Williams
Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
Swing Sisters by Karen Deans
The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall’s Life, Leadership, and Legacy by Kekla Magoon
The Story of Martin Luther King Jr. by Johnny Ray Moore
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
This is Your Time by Ruby Bridges
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford
We are the Supremes by Zoe Tucker
What is the Civil Rights Movement by Sherri L. Smith
When the Beat Was Born: DJ Cool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop by Laban Carrick Hill
When the Schools Shut Down: A Young Girl’s Story of Virginia’s “Lost Generation” and the Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka Decision by Yolanda Gladden
Who is the Man in the Air? Michael Jordan by Gabe Soria
Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History by Schele Williams
For Middle and High School
Baseball’s Leading Lady: Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro Leagues by Andrea Williams
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
Separate No More: The Long Road to Brown v. Board of Education by Lawrence Goldstone
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
That They Lived: African Americans Who Changed the World by Rochelle Riley
The Awakening of Malcom X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz
The History of Civil Rights Movements in America by Maddie Spalding
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Brandy Colbert
The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop by Carole Boston Weatherford
Timelines from Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies by DK, Mireille Harper
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford
VIP: Lewis Latimer: Engineering Wizard by Denise Lewis Patrick
VIP: Dr. Mae Jemison: Brave Rocketeer by Heather Alexander
For Adults
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
A Shot in the Moonlight: How a Freed Slave and a Confederate Soldier Fought for Justice in the Jim Crow South by Ben Montgomery
Black Fortunes by Shomari Wills
Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Poetry by Camille T. Dungy
Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever by Kareem Rosser
Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way by Caseen Gaines
I Came as a Shadow: An Autobiography by John Thompson
Invisible Men: The Trailblazing Black Artists of Comic Books by Ken Quattro
Just As I Am: A Memoir by Cicely Tyson
March Trilogy by John Lewis
Monumental: Oscar Dunn and His Radical Fight in Reconstruction Louisiana by Brian K. Mitchell
Overnight Code: The Life of Raye Montague, the Woman Who Revolutionized Naval Engineering by Paige Bowers
Power to the People by Bobby Seale
Salvation by Bell Hooks
Soul On Ice by Eldridge Cleaver
The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcom X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika Tubbs
Waiting Til the Midnight Hour by Peniel E. Joseph
Young Crusaders: The Untold Story of the Children and Teenagers Who Galvanized the Civil Rights Movement by V.P. Franklin
Hi Katie!
Thanks for giving my book INVISIBLE MEN: The Trailblazing Black Artists of Comic Books, a shout-out!
I’m a native Detroiter who still lives and writes out of my home near Ann Arbor and it’s always a treat to see a mention of my work by a fellow Michigander.
Take care!
— Ken Quattro