Black History 2008 - Adult Non-Fiction

	Celebrate Black History Month with these recommended titles by, for and about African Americans. All of these library materials are owned by the Metropolitan Library System. Log on to CyberMars with your library card to reserve any titles that interest you, or ask a librarian for assistance.
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	An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene’s Journey from Prejudice to Privilege Heidi Ardizzone (Norton, c2007) Shelf Number: 020.92G7991a/Biography In a biography/case study of racial identity and a major rare book collection, Ardizzone showcases a fascinating biracial woman who became the longtime director of the J.P. Morgan Library.
	Les Brownlee: The Autobiography of a Pioneering African-American Journalist Les Brownlee (Marion Street Press, c2007) Shelf Number: 070.92B8855l/Biography Brownlee offers a personal and inspiring look at a long and distinguished career, recalling the achievements as well as the disappointments of working in the media and its coverage of race issues.
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	Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits Deborah Willis (Smithsonian Book/HarperCollins,c2007) Shelf Number: 973.0496/W7343l This book traces 150 years of U.S. history through the lives of eminent leaders, in a volume of detailed portraits featuring such figures as Henry Highland Garnet, Paul Robeson and Langston Hughes.
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	My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir Clarence Thomas (HarperCollins, c2007) Shelf Number: 347.73/T4552th/BIOGRAPHY Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas’s autobiography crediting his grandfather, who helped raised him, with his success. Thomas tells his controversial story from his impoverished childhood in Georgia to his contested Supreme Court appointment and beyond.
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	On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Simon & Schuster, c2007) Shelf Number: 796.323092/AB136o/BIOGRAPHY Earning rave reviews for this newest book, the basketball giant delivers a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance and its impact on his life and the lives of others. Dividing the book into four sections reflecting his passions (Harlem, basketball, jazz, and writing), he examines the flowering of black culture that took place in New York City after World War I. Abdul-Jabbar writes, "Perhaps the greatest lesson of the Harlem Renaissance is how so many people's efforts . . . were done on behalf of others . . . improving the lot of all African-Americans . . . helping America become a more just society for everyone. They weren't trying to get rich; they were trying to make a difference."
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	One Drop: My Father’s Hidden Life - a Story of Race and Family Secrets Bliss Broyard (Little, Brown,c2007) Shelf Number: 813/B8858Zo/BIOGRAPHY The daughter of the late literary critic Anatole Broyard first learned that her father was black a few weeks before his death. This book outlines her exploration of her father’s past, which delves into Creole history, slavery in the United States, and Anatole’s quiet “passing” in an era where “one drop” of black blood could determine almost everything. His daughter asks all the questions a reader would ask: Why did he deny his children an extended family? Why was this an “open secret” among friends and coworkers but a complete secret to others? Why does the definition of race still hold such power? While the author is never able to adequately answer these questions, she presents a fascinating narrative.
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