Celebrate Black History Month with Brand New Books for Every Age

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

Check out more of our Inclusion + Diversity content related to Black History Month here.

1 COMMENT

  1. 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

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