The mission of #readingblack is to encourage everyone to read quality books written by Black people and to purchase those books from independent booksellers. We strive to develop strategies that will make it easier for book buyers to support our mission. Join the #readingblack Movement.
Several of the bookstores below have put forth excellent reading guides, like the Consciousness Reading Book Guide from Sister's Uptown and the Dear White People list from Lit. Bar, two bookstores based in New York City; the Anti-Racist Reading Recs from Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, D.C.; and The Revolution Reading List from Elizabeth's Bookshop and Writing Centre in Akron, Ohio. Additionally, if you're looking for a new novel, nonfiction book, or memoir to read, consider spending your money at one of the bookstores below.
While by no means a comprehensive list, the bookstores noted all offer online delivery, so you can support them from wherever you are. For a more complete list of Black-owned bookstores, including ones without online operations, the African American Literature Book Club is a good resource.
Located in the R.B. Annis West Reading Room at Central Library, the Center for Black Literature & Culture is home to a 10,000+ item collection of books, CDs, magazines, movies and research tools, all of which showcase black history and culture. This space is for ALL who are interested in exploring the rich heritage that has influenced nations across the globe. Visit us to browse our collections, join us for one of our signature programs, or explore our digital collections and website online. Tours are available by request.
A collaboration with a teacher from TUSD on how to best serve the African-American students by encouraging them to read more led to the idea of making a reading list of books by and featuring people like them. The reading lists are of books with characters who are African-American or are written by African-American authors and then divided by school grade levels.
The National African American Read-In (AARI) is a groundbreaking effort to encourage communities to read together, centering African American books and authors. It was established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. This initiative has reached more than 6 million participants around the world.
During the month of February, schools, churches, libraries, bookstores, community and professional organizations, and interested citizens are urged to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month by hosting an African American Read-In. Hosting an event can be as simple as bringing together friends to share a book or as elaborate as arranging public readings and media presentations that feature professional African American writers.
A special shout-out to my friends at Questia, the online research tool for students. Questia compiled this list based on the most-read African-American authors in their library (a list of most influential African-American authors might also include fellow Omahan, Malcolm X, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Eldridge Cleaver, Angela Davis, and President Barack Obama).
We've interviewed several authors on our School Me podcast. Donna Barba Higuera discusses El Cucuy is Scared, Too! and why she is so passionate about writing books that feature multiracial children, families, and identities. Wendy Shang, author of The Secret Battle of Evan Pao talks about why representation matters. Andrea Davis Pinkney, author of Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Go Tell It, discusses the power of storytelling. And Duncan Tonatiuh, author of A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters, makes the case for the freedom to read.
Because many people asked me for reading recommendations, I decided to put together a short(ish) list of Nineteenth-Century African American Literature that readers of Iola Leroy might enjoy. I've included the list of selected writing of Harper's that we shared in the 2020 Virtual Dickens Universe, a list of nineteenth century mixed-race heroine fiction, and some other African American literature recommendations, including a handful of short stories that have only very recently been made available to contemporary readers! The list includes links to either online access or recommended print editions.
I share this with the hopes that your reading in early African American literature won't end with Iola Leroy. For lovers of historical fiction, I highly recommend Toni Morrison's Beloved and A Mercy. And I urge you also to seek out living African American writers for your own reading choices and for what you recommend to the young people in your lives. (African American children's literature is also a wide and rich field!) Ask your local public librarians and independent booksellers for more recommendations!
NoveList Plus: Where readers find great books! NoveList is the premiere database of reading recommendations for both fiction and nonfiction. NoveList's expert recommendations mean that you'll always get high quality results to help find just the right books.
Tumblebook Library TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of e-books for children. There are over 250 animated, talking picture books. The site also features Spanish and French books, read-along chapter books, non-fiction books, and exciting games and puzzles.
In addition to the required textbook, students must read children's books to complete assignments for this course. These books can often be checked out from local public libraries. View Book Requirements
Metrix Learning is an online learning management system that helps jobseekers upgrade their skills and study for certification exams to help secure employment.Course content covers academic, workplace and personal skills for industries like Business, Construction, Healthcare, Hospitality, Information Technology, Manufacturing, Human Services and more. Search for courses, add them to your "Plan", and click "Launch" when ready to take a course. Select "Career" and "Pathways" to rate your skills and readiness for a particular career. Metrix will help you identify skills gaps and courses needed to fill those gaps.AccessTo access Metrix Learning, click "Visit This Resource" below, "Request a Login", and "Sign up Now". You must live in New York State to access Metrix through Brooklyn Public Library. You will receive a Welcome email from Metrix Learning containing your username and password. Access will last for six months. If you wish to continue learning after six months, please email [email protected] to request an extension.10.2022 The Medcom license for medical classes is no longer available. We're sorry for the inconvenience.
Find good books for kids, whether fiction or nonfiction. This online resource includes reading recommendations from librarians. Search for books by reading level, genre, content, time period, and more.
Find good books and audiobooks for adults, whether fiction or nonfiction. This online resource includes reading recommendations from librarians. Search for books by genre, content, time period, and more.
Search from a selection of read-a-long and animated talking picture books, eBooks, graphic novels, non-fiction, and educational videos, puzzles, and games. Titles include accelerated reading, Lexile, and grade reading levels. Create your own playlists of favorite titles.
E-books and electronic copies of print materials held by the Library of Congress are linked from bibliographic records in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. The main providers of this online content are described and linked below.
Reading books by Black women authors strengthens your knowledge about Black lives, history, and culture. We put together a list of 10 must-read books written by Black women that will educate and inspire you.
The African American Women Writers of the 19th Century Guide originated from the Digital Schomburg African American Women Writers of the 19th Century site that included fully accessible published works, writer biographies, and citations for these works. In this guide, researchers will find original content from the site; direct links to plain text digital books for all and full view for many; related Schomburg collections; online resources; and much more. In addition to a full alphabetical list, access to these works in digital form have been listed by genre:
A SEARCH TOOL:
We offer a first-of-its-kind online, searchable database of our collection that makes it easier for everyone to locate and explore children's picture books featuring BIPOC characters.
Americans are spreading their book consumption across several formats. The share of adults who have read print books in the past 12 months still outpaces the share using other forms, but 30% now say they have read an e-book in that time frame.
Overall, 75% of U.S. adults say they have read a book in the past 12 months in any format, whether completely or part way through, a figure that has remained largely unchanged since 2011, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted from Jan. 25 to Feb. 8, 2021. Print books remain the most popular format for reading, with 65% of adults saying that they have read a print book in the past year.
While shares of print book readers and audiobook listeners remain mostly unchanged from a Center survey conducted in 2019, there has been an uptick in the share of Americans who report reading e-books, from 25% to 30%.
Pew Research Center has studied how Americans read books for years. For this analysis, we surveyed 1,502 U.S. adults from Jan. 25 to Feb. 8, 2021, by cellphone and landline phone. The survey was conducted by interviewers under the direction of Abt Associates and is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, education and other categories. Here are the questions, responses and methodology used for this analysis.
Despite growth in certain digital formats, it remains the case that relatively few Americans only consume digital books (which include audiobooks and e-books) to the exclusion of print. Some 33% of Americans read in these digital formats and also read print books, while 32% say they read only print books. Just 9% of Americans say they only read books in digital formats and have not read any print books in the past 12 months.
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