African-American Interest: Adult and Children's Titles 2008
Compiled by Diane Patrick -- Publishers Weekly, 12/10/2007
The following is a list of African-American interest adult books, fiction and nonfiction, publishing between September 2007 and March 2008. Click here to see the Children's titles.
ACTA PUBLICATIONS
In Their Footsteps: Inspirational Reflections on Black History for Every Day of the Year (Sept., paper $14.95) by Daryl Grigsby celebrates every day of the year with the story of an important figure from black history.
AMISTAD
Alek: From Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel (Sept., $24.95) by Alek Wek chronicles her life from Sudan to young London model to New York supermodel.
Daughters of Men: Portraits of African-American Women and Their Fathers (Nov., $27.95) by Rachel Vassel uses photos and essays to showcase the importance of the black father’s impact on his daughter’s accomplishments.
The Air Between Us: A Novel (Jan, $23.95) by Deborah Johnson. A suspicious death distracts a small Mississippi town as it explores integration.
Mr. and Mrs. Prince: How an Extraordinary Eighteenth-Century Family Moved Out of Slavery and Into Legend (Feb., $24.95) by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina looks at the history of a pre-Civil War black family.
From Harvey River: A Memoir of My Mother and Her Island (Mar., $24.95) by Lorna Goodison chronicles the story of her family and their trials and tribulations in Jamaica.
Ida: A Sword Among Lions (Mar., $35) by Paula J. Giddings recounts the life of Ida B. Wells, a crusader embroiled in the struggle against lynching.
ATRIA
That Mean Old Yesterday: A Memoir (Sept., $24) by Stacey Patton uses her childhood experiences to examine the link between abusive childrearing, Jim Crow racial terrorism and slavery.
Other People’s Skin: Healing the Skin/Hair Thang Between Black Women: Four Novellas (Oct., $14) edited by Tracy Price-Thompson and TaRessa Stovall considers the divisive intraracial results of skin and hair variations.
Young, Rich and Dangerous: My Life in Music (Oct., $24.95) by Jermaine Dupri delves into the personal and career journey of the hip hop executive.
Them: A Novel (Nov., $25) by Nathan McCall looks at the racial aspect of gentrification and its reverberations.
'85 (Feb., paper $14.95) by Danny Simmons, illus. by Floyd Hughes. A graphic novel set in gritty underworld 1985 New York City, when street culture and the fine arts scene came together.
AVON A
No Girl Needs a Husband Seven Days a Week (Dec., paper $13.95) by Nina Foxx. Three best friends have three different perspectives on men.
AVON
Deadly Sexy (Nov., paper $6.99) by Beverly Jenkins. A security head does a favor for a friend by looking into the murder of a pro football team’s custodian.
BASIC/CIVITAS
Introducing Bert Williams: Burnt-Cork, Broadway, and the Story of America’s First Black Star (Jan., $26) by Camille F. Forbes uses the life of a black performer to look at the issues surrounding race and artistic expression in American culture. Author tour.
Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence (Mar., paper, $16.95) by Keli Goff shows how changing attitudes of young black Americans will alter America’s political landscape. Author publicity. Author tour. 20-city radio satellite tour.
Racial Paranoia: The Unintended Consequences of Political Correctness (Mar., $26) by John L. Jackson, Jr. explains how racial paranoia is cultivated, transferred and exaggerated, how it undermines the goal of racial equality, and what can be done to fight it.
DALMATIAN PRESS
Voices: Reflections on an American Icon Through Words and Song (Dec., $24.99). A book/CD set celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King through quotations, stories and remembrances of his supporters.
DUTTON
Get Real, Get Rich: Conquer the 7 Lies Blocking You from Success (Jan., $24.95) by Farrah Gray challenges misconceptions about success and offers a road map to a richer life. Author publicity.
FABER & FABER
Somebody Scream! Rap Music’s Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power (Mar., $24) by Marcus Reeves scrutinizes hip-hop’s past to predict its future.
FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX
Coltrane: The Story of a Sound (Sept., $24.95) by Ben Ratliff explores the sources of power in Coltrane’s music.
Beethoven Was One-Sixteenth Black: And Other Stories (Dec., $20) by Nadine Gordimer features a new collection of stories that cross the frontiers of politics, memory, sexuality and love.
The Race Card: How Bluffing about Bias Makes Race Relations Worse (Feb., $25) by Richard Thompson Ford uses court cases and anecdotes to help understand the validity of complaints of prejudice.
FIRESIDE
How to Duck a Suckah: A Guide to Living a Drama-Free Life (Jan., paper $15) by Big Boom provides no-nonsense relationship advice for women who love no-good men. Author tour.
GOTHAM
Inside the Helmet: My Life as a Sunday Afternoon Warrior (Sept., $26) by Michael Strahan. The football star takes a hard look at America’s most popular sport and the high price of gridiron glory.
Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers (Jan., paper $20) by Nancy Amanda Redd. A medically accurate guide to all the questions that keep teen girls up at night. Author publicity.
Let Them In: The Case for Open Borders (Jan., $22.50) by Jason L. Riley argues that immigration improves the lives of Americans and is important for the future of the country.
GRAND CENTRAL
The Vixen Diaries (Sept., $24.99) by Karrine Steffans takes yet another gossipy, close-up look at the Hollywood life of fast money, drugs and sex.
Grace After Midnight: A Memoir (Nov., $22) by Felicia “Snoop” Pearson. The actor from HBO’s The Wire reveals her hard-knock life story that parallels the life of her TV character.
True to the Game II (Nov., $14.99) by Teri Woods. A tale of passion, power and revenge that began in True to the Game.
Passin’: A Novel (Feb., $13.99) by Karen E. Quinones Miller covers the topic of passing for one race over another.
Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide to Hip-Hop and R&B (Feb., $16) by Cameron Lazerine and Devin Lazerine. The creators of the popular magazine take an edgy, comprehensive look at the hip-hop world.
Sexcapades (Mar., $19.99) by Honey B (aka Mary B. Morrison). A tale of naughty misalliances in the workplace.
The Things We Do for Love: A Novel (Mar., $14.99) by Xavier Knight. A gospel singer who once hit the big time in pop music tries to lead a God-worthy life, but the reality of his sins is almost too much to bear.
HILL & WANG
King: Pilgrimage to the Mountaintop (Jan., $25) by Harvard Sitkoff weaves both high and low points to depict King’s lifelong struggle through disappointment and epiphany.
Sarah Johnson’s Mount Vernon: The Forgotten History of an American Shrine (Feb., $25) by Scott E. Casper uses the life of the former slave to provide an intimate picture of Mount Vernon’s operation during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Native Guard: Poems (Nov., $22) by Natasha Trethewey. A new gift edition, with CD, of the 2007 Pulitzer winner for poetry.
Fanon: A Novel (Feb., $24) by John Edgar Wideman weaves together fiction, biography and memoir to evoke the life and message of Frantz Fanon.
JUDSON PRESS
Playbook for Christian Manhood: 12 Key Plays for Black Teen Boys (Mar., paper $14) by James C. Perkins offers a game plan for black male growth from young boys to men of integrity and character.
LITTLE, BROWN
One Drop: My Father’s Hidden Life: A Story of Race and Family Secrets (Sept., $24.99) by Bliss Broyard. Anatole Broyard’s racial secret inspires his daughter’s journey to find the truth.
Blonde Faith (Oct., $25.99) by Walter Mosley. Mouse is wanted for murder in the last installment of the Easy Rawlins novels.
NATION BOOKS
I See Black People: The Rise and Fall of African-American Owned Television and Radio (Mar., paper $14.95) by Kristal Brent Zook explores the politics of black TV and radio ownership from the 1970s to the present.
The Professor and the Pupil: The Politics of W.E.B. DuBois and Paul Robeson (Dec., paper $15.99) by Murali Balaji chronicles the 40-year friendship between the two scholars.
NORTHWESTERN UNIV. PRESS
Harold! Photographs from the Harold Washington Years (Oct., paper, $19.95) photos by Antonio Dickey and Mark PoKempner, text by Salim Muwakkil captures moments from the life and times of Chicago’s first black mayor.
W.W. NORTON
Someone Knows My Name (Nov., $24.95) by Lawrence Hill follows an 18th century woman in her quest to secure her freedom and that of her people.
PENN STATE UNIV. PRESS
Sentenced to Science: One Black Man’s Story of Imprisonment in America (Oct., $24.95) by Allen M. Hornblum reveals, through a first-hand account, the horror endured by imprisoned medical test subjects.
50 x 50 (Oct., $35) by 50 Cent with Noah Callahan-Bever traces the rapper’s life from hardcore hustling to music industry success.
Divine Secrets (Oct., paper $9.95) by Jacquelin Thomas follows a transplanted Hollywood teen’s adjustment to the simple life in rural Georgia.
The Pastor’s Wife (Nov., paper $14) by ReShonda Tate Billingsley introduces a pastor whose three aunts try to find him a wife.
Diamond (Mar., paper $9.95) by Victoria Christopher Murray. Four high school sophomores navigate the worlds of gospel singing and boyfriends.
POCKET/G UNIT
Heaven’s Fury (Nov., paper $13) by Meta Smith and 50 Cent. Heaven meets a manipulative woman and finds herself in the center of a bloody drug war.
Diamond District (Mar., paper $13) by Derrick Pledger and 50 Cent. A college grad returns home for one last summer but finds himself part of a menacing money-making scheme.
POCKET/KAREN HUNTER
Why Black Men Love White Women (Oct., $24) by Rajen Persaud uses history and a balanced perspective to analyzes a topic often considered taboo.
Faith Under Fire: Betrayed by a Thing Called Love (Jan., $24) by LaJoyce Brookshire shares her true story of marrying a man who knew he had AIDS but kept his secret from her until his body betrayed him.
RIVERHEAD
The Bond: Three Young Men Learn to Forgive and Reconnect with Their Fathers (Oct., $24.95) by Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt shares their painful pasts and explore the hurts, dashed hopes and deferred drams.
Song Yet Sung (Feb., $25.95) by James McBride. A novel set in Maryland’s eastern shore of the 1850s, where abolitionists faced off against slave traders in a dangerous game.
SIMON & SCHUSTER
Basic Brown: My Life and Our Times (Feb., $26) by Willie L. Brown Jr. A compendium of advice, counsel and secrets from one of America’s influential black politicians.
ST. MARTIN’S
Out of the Frying Pan: A Chef’s Memoir of Hot Kitchens, Single Motherhood, and the Family Meal (Oct., $23.95) by Gillian Clark describes raising two daughters on her own while starting out at the bottom of a tough profession.
Conception (Feb., $21.95) by Kalisha Buckhanon. Shivana becomes pregnant by the married man whose children she babysits after school.
Heart Smart for Black Women and Latinas: a 5-Week Program for Living a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle (Feb., $24.95) by Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D. and Terri Ann Parnell presents a simple program based on the latest cardiological findings.
The Last Leaf of Harlem: The Uncollected Works of Dorothy West (Feb., $25.95) edited by Lionel C. Bascom gathers for the first time West’s previously uncollected writing, including articles and syndicated fiction.
Stupid Black Men: Entitlement Whiners, Race hustlers, False Accusers, and Hip-Hop Hypocrites (Feb., $24.95) by Larry Elder skewers politicians, actors, sports figures, educators, reporters and religious figures for their smugness and hypocrisy.
ST. MARTIN’S GRIFFIN
Every Man for Herself (Sept., paper $13.95) by Maryann Reid. Nina leaves her unfaithful
pastor husband and rural home for a new life in New York City.
Still Hood (Oct., paper $14.95) by K’wan. Dena is determined to make it out of the means streets of Brooklyn by any means necessary, including manipulating men to get what she wants.
A Girl’s Gotta Eat (Nov., paper $14.95) by Michelle Valentine. Sex siren Remmi is determined to make it in Hollywood, using any and everyone to turn her dreams into reality.
Lady First (Nov., paper $14.95) by Relentless Aaron. While trying to stay off the streets the legitimate way, Spencer is offered a job as a very personal assistant by a well-off woman.
Seduction: A Black Door Novel (Dec., paper $14.95) by Velvet. A sex-crazed former escort searching for Ms. Right has trouble focusing on his new role as club manager.
Her Little Black Book (Jan., paper $13.95) by Brenda Jackson. Newlywed Sonya passes on her legendary little black book on to her cousin, who finds it more a curse than a blessing.
Denim Mania: 25 Stylish Ways to Transform Your Jeans (Feb., paper $19.95) by Carmen Weber and Carmia Marshall offers easy patterns and instructions for hot designs reflecting worldwide cultural influences.
Nappily Faithful (Feb., paper $13.95) by Trisha R. Thomas. To escape emotional baggage, Venus and Jake move from L.A. to Atlanta but their problems follow them.
Not Even If You Begged (Feb., $13.95) by Francis Ray. An embittered divorcee can’t open her heart, until her friend’s son becomes interested in her.
The Darkness: A Vampire Huntress Legend (Feb., paper $14.95) by L.A. Banks. Forty thousand demons have been eradicated, including Lilith’s spawn–or has it?
Reasonable Doubt (Mar., paper $14.95) by Mark Anthony. Katrina stands by her ruthless boyfriend, until he shoots a cop and sends them both on the run for from the feds.
Whatever Gets You Through the Night (Mar., paper $13.95) by Teri Denine. A newlywed husband is lured to the dark side after he loses his job and his busy executive wife becomes the sole breadwinner.
TOUCHSTONE
Gotta Keep on Tryin’: A Novel (Jan., $24) by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant. Characters from their previous book must battle demons from the past in order to preserve their future. 8-city author tour.
Desperate Hoodwives: An Urban Tale (Jan., paper $14) by Meesha Mink and De’nesha Diamond. Four young women desperately try to get out of the Atlanta housing projects. 8-city author tour.
Sistah For Sale: A Novel (Mar., paper $13) by Miasha. A beautiful young orphan is desperate to survive the danger and intrigue of the sex-trade industry. 5-city author tour.
TYNDALE
Small Town, Big Miracle (Oct., paper $13.99) by Bishop W. C. Martin chronicles how his small Texas church adopted 72 of the toughest kids from the foster care system.
UNIV. OF MICHIGAN PRESS
Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist (Jan., $35) by Nancy Goldstein looks at the life of the pioneering woman artist and the characters she created.
UNIV. OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS
Cooking the Gullah Way, Morning, Noon and Night (Oct., $22.50, paper $15.95) by Sallie Ann Robinson shares memories and recipes from life on Daufuskie Island.
Unspeakable: The Story of Junius Wilson (Nov., $27.50) by Susan Burch and Hannah Joyner remembers a deaf black man who spent 76 years in a segregated state mental hospital though never declared insane or guilty of any criminal charge.
Freedom for Themselves: North Carolina’s Black Soldiers in the Civil War Era (Feb., $40) by Richard M. Reid explores the stories of black soldiers from four North Carolina regiments.
UNIV. OF NOTRE DAME PRESS
Black Scholars on the Line: Race, Social Science and American Thought in the Twentieth Century (Sept., $85; paper $40) edited by Jonathan Scott Holloway and Ben Keppel showcases the brilliance of underappreciated black scholars who struggled to be heard across the color line.
UNIV. OF WISCONSIN PRESS
Òrìsà Devotion as World Religion: The Globalization of Yoruba Religious Culture (Mar., $85; paper $34.95) edited by Jacob K. Olupona and Terry Rey explores the emergence of Òrìsà devotion and its worldwide growth.
WATSON-GUPTILL
Cecil Hayes Art of Decorative Details (Nov., $29.95) by Cecil Hayes shares how to achieve the finished and polished look of a professional interior designer.
How to Draw Noir Comics: The Art ant technique of Visual Storytelling (Nov., paper $19.95) by Shawn Martinbrough illuminates the murky universe of gangsters, superheroes and other creatures of the underworld.
WILEY
The True Cost of Happiness: The Real Story Behind Managing Your Money (Sept., $24.95) by Stacey Tisdale and Paula Boyer Kennedy offers real-life examples and detailed solutions to challenging financial situations.
Creating Success from the Inside Out: Develop the Focus and Strategy to Uncover the Life You Want (Nov., $24.95) by Ephren W. Taylor explains how he and other young multimillionaire entrepreneurs think about success and achievement.
YALE UNIV. PRESS
Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist (Oct., $60) edited by Susan Earle looks at Douglas as a major voice in the history of 20th century art. Accompanies the national touring exhibit of Douglas’s work.
African-American Interest Children's Books 2008
The following is a list of African-American interest children's books, fiction and nonfiction, publishing between September 2007 and March 2008.
BOYDS MILLS/CALKINS CREEK
We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin (Oct., $17.95) by Larry Dane Brimner presents the civil rights activist's life through his own words and archival photos.
BOYDS MILLS/FRONT STREET
Child of Dandelions (Mar., $17.95) by Shenaaz Nanji recounts a girl's determination to escape with her family from the terror of Idi Amin's reign.
BOYDS MILLS/WORDSONG
Birmingham, 1963 (Sept., $17.95) by Carole Boston Weatherford delivers a poetic tribute to the victims of the racially motivated church bombing during the civil rights movement.
Miss Crandall's School for Young Ladies & Little Misses of Color (Sept., $17.95) by Elizabeth Alexander and Marilyn Nelson, illus. by Floyd Cooper recalls Prudence Crandall and her black students, who endured prejudice and hateful actions for the sake of their education.
MAREN GREEN
Colorful World (Dec., $17.99) lyrics by CeCe Winans, Keith Thomas and Alvin Love III, illus. by Melodee Strong shares an inspiring song celebrating differences and urging all children to be proud of themselves.
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