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Black Fokker Leader: Carl Degelow—The First World War's Last Airfighter Knight
by Peter KilduffThis biography of the WWI fighter pilot offers &“an intimate portrait of the last recipient of the &‘Blue Max&’&” (Barrett Tillman). One of the most noteworthy German fighter pilots of World War I was Leutnant der Reserve Carl Degelow, whose squadron of mostly black Fokker D.VII fighters posed a formidable threat to some of Britain&’s most celebrated air units on the Western Front. Black Fokker Leader, filled with new information and original photos, is based on the author&’s research of significant German archival material and documentation, as well as British, French, and Belgian sources, shedding new light on this legendary ace. The biography offers previously unpublished material about Degelow and his comrades: how he was almost court-martialed; how his career was saved by Josef Jacobs; how Degelow helped Willy Rosenstein escape from Nazi Germany; and much more. Also included are new insights into men like Field Marshal Erhard Milch, Degelow&’s wing commander in WWI; and V-2 rocket chief Gen. Hans Jeschonnek, a Degelow protégé in 1918.
Black Folk Could Fly: Selected Writings by Randall Kenan
by Randall KenanA personal, social, and intellectual self-portrait of the beloved and enormously influential late Randall Kenan, a master of both fiction and nonfiction. Virtuosic in his use of literary forms, nurtured and unbounded by his identities as a Black man, a gay man, an intellectual, and a Southerner, Randall Kenan was known for his groundbreaking fiction. Less visible were his extraordinary nonfiction essays, published as introductions to anthologies and in small journals, revealing countless facets of Kenan’s life and work. Flying under the radar, these writings were his most personal and autobiographical: memories of the three women who raised him—a grandmother, a schoolteacher great-aunt, and the great-aunt’s best friend; recollections of his boyhood fear of snakes and his rapturous discoveries in books; sensual evocations of the land, seasons, and crops—the labor of tobacco picking and hog killing—of the eastern North Carolina lowlands where he grew up; and the food (oh the deliriously delectable Southern foods!) that sustained him. Here too is his intellectual coming of age; his passionate appreciations of kindred spirits as far-flung as Eartha Kitt, Gordon Parks, Ingmar Bergman, and James Baldwin. This powerful collection is a testament to a great mind, a great soul, and a great writer from whom readers will always wish to have more to read.
Black Founder: The Hidden Power of Being an Outsider
by Stacy SpikesAn empowering, inspiring, instructive, and essential blueprint for success from the award-winning entrepreneur who USA Today named one of the 21 most influential Blacks in technology and is the co-founder and former CEO of the nation&’s first mobile theatrical subscription company, MoviePass, and founder of the Urbanworld Film Festival. Bracingly honest, as well as entertaining, this inspiring business memoir includes outrageous anecdotes featuring the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Eddie Murphy.From the award-winning entrepreneur USA Today named one of the 21 most influential Blacks in technology comes an empowering, bracingly honest, entertaining blueprint for success in life and work—including the true story of what really happened to MoviePass, the nation&’s groundbreaking first-ever theatrical subscription service—straight from the co-founder and former CEO himself… Stacy Spikes knows what&’s it like to be an outsider. He certainly knew he didn&’t fit the mold of a successful future tech entrepreneur. But he marshaled his resilience and ultimately set out to shatter that mold—along with the glass ceiling that came with it. Finding his footing in the tech world was an education in the complexities of being an outsider—but as Stacy came to see, rather than a hindrance, it afforded him a unique position of power. Beginning as a film studio gopher, Spikes quickly rose through the industry ranks, being named one of the Hollywood Reporter&’s 30 Under 30. Still, he was an outsider looking in. So he set out to make his own dreams a reality. Defying expectations, Spikes effectively disrupted the status quo and reinvented himself from junior executive to CEO Tech Founder. What ensued was an escalating adventure with bigger stages, bigger risks, and a roller-coaster ride of exhilarating ascent—unpredictable collapse—and a story book return. Now Spikes shares his challenges, pitfalls, and keys to personal and professional fulfillment. He shows how the seemingly impossible can be overcome by having faith in oneself and creating from a place of confidence. Taking readers inside the battles of the boardroom and beyond, Black Founder is a business memoir that will inspire every outsider who has a dream.
Black Genius and the American Experience
by Dick RussellThe findings from wide-ranging interviews and careful historical research, Black Genius explores the roots of black achievement in America. The results are surprising and inspiring. Interweaving past and present, beginning with this country's inception, Russell covers the importance of continuity and tradition in nurturing black artists, scientists, and leaders. Here are memorable portraits of Wynton Marsalis, Ralph Ellison, Louis Armstrong, Toni Morrison, Duke Ellington, James Baldwin, Paul Robeson, Muhammad Ali, Lois Mailou-Jones, and other black notables. Through their eyes, we see how they were inspired, fostered, and encouraged by their mentors, how the creative tradition was passed from one generation to the next. This great theme of interconnectedness is played out, for example, in Wynton Marsalis's links to not only Ellington and Armstrong, but also, through the venerable author Albert Murray, to Ellison and the artist Romare Bearden. In addition to these well-known figures, Russell also rediscovers less familiar ones: writers, activists, scientists, and artists whose reputations may be underrecognized.
Black Genius: Essays on an American Legacy
by Tre JohnsonA powerful read redefining the meaning of genius while illuminating the ways in which Black Americans have found various ways to thrive despite insurmountable obstacles.Black genius sits at the heart of the American story. In his probing essay collection, Black Genius, cultural critic Tre Johnson examines how Black American culture has, against all odds, been the lifeblood of American ingenuity. At times using his own personal and professional stories, Johnson surveys Black cities, communities, and schools with an ever-watchful eye of what transpires around Black mobility. With a passion for complex storytelling and pulling from both pop culture and American history, Johnson weaves past and present making his case for the genius of innovation. As he examined his findings, Johnson couldn&’t help but wonder about the brilliance of the every day. Specifically, the creativity of the 90&’s graffiti-style airbrush tee, his aunties packed weekend bus trips to Atlantic city, and the razor-tongued, socially-sharp, profanity-laced monologues of comedian Dick Gregory. Again and again, he asks us to ponder—are these not obvious examples of genius? Chatty yet profound, Black Genius subverts expectations from the very first page with a blend of reportage, historical data, and pop culture as Johnson dives into his own family history seeking big answers to complex questions. Johnson&’s signature wit and curiosity turns history into an amusing sequence of events.
Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard
by Echo Brown"Just brilliant."—Kirkus ReviewsHeavily autobiographical and infused with magical realism, Black Girl Unlimited fearlessly explores the intersections of poverty, sexual violence, depression, racism, and sexism—all through the arc of a transcendent coming-of-age story for fans of Renee Watson's Piecing Me Together and Ibi Zoboi's American Street.Echo Brown is a wizard from the East Side, where apartments are small and parents suffer addictions to the white rocks. Yet there is magic . . . everywhere. New portals begin to open when Echo transfers to the rich school on the West Side, and an insightful teacher becomes a pivotal mentor. Each day, Echo travels between two worlds, leaving her brothers, her friends, and a piece of herself behind on the East Side. There are dangers to leaving behind the place that made you. Echo soon realizes there is pain flowing through everyone around her, and a black veil of depression threatens to undo everything she’s worked for. Christy Ottaviano Books
Black Girl White Skin: A Life in Stories
by Natalie DevoraThis is a memoir of a woman whose life touches upon intersections of identity in so many ways. Her story is also a testament to the power of silences and naming, claiming Truth despite uncomfortable truths, and the healing grace found through story. There is so much to love about this book, and so much to discuss. Readers will be grateful for having spent time with this book.
Black Glasses Like Clark Kent: A GI's Secret from Postwar Japan
by Terese SvobodaAfter her Uncle's suicide, Terese Svoboda investigates his stunning claim that MPs may have executed their own men during the occupation of Japan after World War II[Our captain] commended us for being good soldiers and doing our job well and having a minimum of problems. Then he dropped a bomb. He said the prison was getting overcrowded, terribly overcrowded.As a child Terese Svoboda thought of her uncle as Superman, with "Black Clark Kent glasses, grapefruit-sized biceps." At eighty, he could still boast a washboard stomach, but in March 2004, he became seriously depressed. Svoboda investigates his terrifying story of what happened during his time as an MP, interviewing dozens of elderly ex-GIs and visiting Japan to try to discover the truth.In Black Glasses Like Clark Kent, winner of the Graywolf Nonfiction Prize, Svoboda offers a striking and carefully wrought personal account of an often painful search for information. She intersperses excerpts of her uncle's recordings and letters to his wife with her own research, and shows how the vagaries of military justice can allow the worst to happen and then be buried by time and protocol
Black Gold of the Sun: Searching for Home in England and Africa
by Ekow Eshun'Where are you from?' 'No, where are you really from?' This underlying question drives Ekow Eshun to travel through Ghana in search of his roots, and leads him on an exploration of history and belonging, from slavery in Africa and the West to the present day and what it means to be black. In search of answers, Ekow unearths yet more questions, some shocking contradictions and some long-forgotten truths about his family past.
Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves (Race and Ethnicity in the American West)
by Art T. BurtonIn The Story of Oklahoma, Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves appears as the &“most feared U.S. marshal in the Indian country.&” That Reeves was also an African American who had spent his early life enslaved in Arkansas and Texas made his accomplishments all the more remarkable. Black Gun, Silver Star sifts through fact and legend to discover the truth about one of the most outstanding peace officers in late nineteenth-century America—and perhaps the greatest lawman of the Wild West era. Bucking the odds (&“I&’m sorry, we didn&’t keep Black people&’s history,&” a clerk at one of Oklahoma&’s local historical societies answered one query), Art T. Burton traces Reeves from his days of slavery to his Civil War soldiering to his career as a deputy U.S. marshal out of Fort Smith, Arkansas, when he worked under &“Hanging Judge&” Isaac C. Parker. Fluent in Creek and other regional Native languages, physically powerful, skilled with firearms, and a master of disguise, Reeves was exceptionally adept at apprehending fugitives and outlaws and his exploits were legendary in Oklahoma and Arkansas. In this new edition Burton traces Reeves&’s presence in the national media of his day as well as his growing modern presence in popular media such as television, movies, comics, and video games.
Black Hair Can: The Roots of Our Roots
by Sylvia RodriguezFrom the kings and queens of Africa to the contemporary United States, a celebration of African American hair and its expressiveness, relation to identity, and why this history matters.A boldly illustrated nonfiction picture book about the historical roots of Black hair by a Black and Latine debut author-illustrator, perfect for 4-8-year-olds.Black hair is the crown for the African diaspora worldwide and a strong symbol of identity and beauty in a variety of communities. It's a source of pride and expression, and from the times of kings and queens has demonstrated a person's life's journey. Yet as enslaved people, Black people had their hair taken from them as a way to remove their humanity. As African Americans struggled through history, their hair became a major source of resiliency and a way to take back their power.Written and illustrated by Sylvia Rodriguez, a Black and Latine debut author, Black Hair Can embraces the expansive history of Black hair and why people should proudly show off their styles—from sculpting and shaping to cornrows, Fulani braids, Afros, and more.Back matter includes a hair pattern chart showing different hair types, along with different kinds of braids and twists. There are also great "how-to" hairstyles for children to try out.
Black Hawk: An Autobiography
by Black Hawk Donald JacksonThis important work is the autobiography of Black Hawk aka Black Sparrow Hawk aka Makataimeshekiakiak. Blackhawk was both a leader and warrior of the Sauk tribe of Native Americans in the United States. He served as a war chief for the Sauk indians and was known as Chief Black Hawk to the English. This is an important read for those interested in Native American history especially since it is written by this important figure in Native American history about his life and beliefs as well as an intimate firsthand account of the Black Hawk War.
Black Heroes: 51 Inspiring People from Ancient Africa to Modern-Day U.S.A. (People and Events in History)
by Arlisha NorwoodMeet extraordinary black heroes throughout history—biographies for kids ages 8 to 12You're invited to meet ancient Egyptian rulers, brilliant scientists, legendary musicians, and civil rights activists—all in the same book! Black Heroes introduces you to 51 black leaders and role models from both history and modern times. This black history book for kids features inspirational biographies of trailblazers from the United States, Egypt, Britain, and more.Discover where in the world they lived, and what their lives were like growing up. Learn about the obstacles they faced on the way to making groundbreaking accomplishments. You'll find out how these inspirational figures created lasting change—and paved the way for future generations.Black Heroes: A Black History Book for Kids features:Fascinating biographies—Read about famous icons like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Harriet Tubman, as well as lesser-known pioneers like aviator Bessie Coleman and astronomer Benjamin Banneker.Ways to learn more—Every biography includes an idea for a new way to explore the person and their work, like a book to read, website to visit, or video to watch.Colorful portraits—Bring the historical heroes to life in your imagination with the help of full-color illustrations.Black Heroes goes beyond other black history biographies for kids to highlight people from around the world and across time.Who will your new hero be?
Black History Is Your History
by Taylor CassidyFrom TikTok star and creator of Fast Black History Taylor Cassidy comes a witty, lightly illustrated nonfiction debut that blends history and memoir in a joyful celebration of Black American historical figures.Meet Taylor Cassidy, Black history enthusiast and creator of the viral TikTok series Fast Black History. In her debut book, Taylor takes readers on a journey through the Black history she wishes she was taught in school. With sparkling wit and humor—and lots of fun pop culture references—she paints a vibrant picture of twelve figures from Black history whose groundbreaking contributions shaped America as we know it today. Introducing icons from activists to literary giants, movie stars to Olympic gold medalists, fashion designers to astronauts, and more, this one-of-a-kind collection makes Black history relatable, relevant, and utterly irresistible. Using Black history as inspiration, Taylor weaves together research and personal anecdotes that illuminate each trailblazer&’s impact on her own life—as well as sharing plenty of triumphant, funny, and embarrassing moments from her past. From navigating friend breakups and unrequited crushes to setting boundaries and fighting self-doubt, Taylor&’s been there…and she&’s learned some valuable life lessons along the way. This book is a joyful celebration of Black historymakers, and you&’re invited to the party. Come on in and let these twelve true stories inspire you to make history of your own!
Black Hole Chasers: The Amazing True Story of an Astronomical Breakthrough
by Anna Crowley ReddingIn Black Hole Chasers, award-winning investigative journalist Anna Crowley Redding presents the riveting true story of one of the most inspiring scientific breakthroughs of our lifetime—the Event Horizon Telescope team's reveal of the first image of a super massive black hole.In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope Team unveiled the first ever image of a super massive black hole.This inspiring scientific breakthrough took years of hard work, innovative thinking, and a level of global cooperation never seen before. The challenge was immense. The goal was impossible. They would need a telescope as big as the earth itself. The technology simply didn’t exist. And yet, a multi-national team of scientists was able to show the world an image of something previously unseeable.Based off extensive research and hours interviews with many of the team's ground-breaking scientist, physicists, and mathematicians, Black Hole Chasers is a story of unique technological innovation and scientific breakthroughs, but more importantly, it's a story of human curiosity and triumph.
Black Holes and Baby Universes
by Stephen HawkingThese thirteen essays and an extended BBC interview range from the autobiographical to the purely scientific. Hawking discusses imaginary time, black holes, and the Grand Unified Theory.
Black Hoops: The History of African Americans in Basketball
by Fredrick L. MckissackThis exciting, well-researched book explores the evolution of basketball with a focus on the black athletes and history-making teams that have shaped the game every step of the way -- from its humble beginnings in 1891 to the superstar sport it is today.
Black Ice
by Lorene CaryIn 1972 Lorene Cary, a bright, ambitious black teenager from Philadelphia, was transplanted into the formerly all-white, all-male environs of the elite St. Paul's School in New Hampshire, where she became a scholarship student in a "boot camp" for future American leaders. Like any good student, she was determined to succeed. But Cary was also determined to succeed without selling out. This wonderfully frank and perceptive memoir describes the perils and ambiguities of that double role, in which failing calculus and winning a student election could both be interpreted as betrayals of one's skin. Black Ice is also a universally recognizable document of a woman's adolescence; it is, as Houston Baker says, "a journey into selfhood that resonates with sober reflection, intelligent passion, and joyous love."
Black Indian (Made in Michigan Writers Series)
by Shonda BuchananBlack Indian, searing and raw, is Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple meets Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony—only, this isn’t fiction. Beautifully rendered and rippling with family dysfunction, secrets, deaths, alcoholism, and old resentments, Shonda Buchanan’s memoir is an inspiring story that explores her family’s legacy of being African Americans with American Indian roots and how they dealt with not just society’s ostracization but the consequences of this dual inheritance. Buchanan was raised as a Black woman, who grew up hearing cherished stories of her multi-racial heritage, while simultaneously suffering from everything she (and the rest of her family) didn’t know. Tracing the arduous migration of Mixed Bloods, or Free People of Color, from the Southeast to the Midwest, Buchanan tells the story of her Michigan tribe—a comedic yet manically depressed family of fierce women, who were everything from caretakers and cornbread makers to poets and witches, and men who were either ignored, protected, imprisoned, or maimed—and how their lives collided over love, failure, fights, and prayer despite a stacked deck of challenges, including addiction and abuse. Ultimately, Buchanan’s nomadic people endured a collective identity crisis after years of constantly straddling two, then three, races. The physical, spiritual, and emotional displacement of American Indians who met and married Mixed or Black slaves and indentured servants at America’s early crossroads is where this powerful journey begins. Black Indian doesn’t have answers, nor does it aim to represent every American’s multi-ethnic experience. Instead, it digs as far down into this one family’s history as it can go—sometimes, with a bit of discomfort. But every family has its own truth, and Buchanan’s search for hers will resonate with anyone who has wondered "maybe there’s more than what I’m being told."
Black Intellectuals and Black Society
by Martin L. KilsonThis book presents the trailblazing political scientist Martin L. Kilson’s essays on leading Black intellectuals of the twentieth century. Kilson examines the ideas and careers of several key thinkers, placing their intellectual odysseys in the context of the dynamics that shaped the Black intelligentsia more broadly. He argues that the trajectory of twentieth-century Black intellectuals was determined by the interplay between formal ideas and Black egalitarian struggle.Beginning with the tension between W. E. B. Du Bois’s civil rights activism and Booker T. Washington’s accommodationism, Kilson explores the formation and evolution of Black intellectuals and activists across generations. Chapters consider Horace Mann Bond’s career in higher education, political scientist John Aubrey Davis’s transition from civil rights activist to federal policy technocrat, Ralph Bunche’s writings on European colonial rule in Africa, Harold Cruse’s classic polemic The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual, E. Franklin Frazier’s analysis of the Black bourgeoisie, Adelaide M. Cromwell’s studies of the challenges facing elite Black women, and Ishmael Reed and Cornel West’s advocacy as public intellectuals amid a conservative turn. Offering timely and engaging insights into the lives and work of pivotal Black intellectuals and activists, this book sheds new light on the abiding questions and debates in Black political thought.
Black Intellectuals: Race and Responsibility in American Life
by William M. Banks"In the volumes of literature on black history and thought too few books have focused on the black thinkers who have helped shape the course of American culture. Now, this landmark work reveals the complex and vital role of African American intellectuals in the United States." "It is a rich history, beginning with the arrival of Africans as slaves, when medicine men and conjurers held ancient, powerful wisdom. Author William Banks discusses with absorbing insight prominent figures ranging from such black pioneers as Alexander Crummell, Frederick Douglass, and Anna Cooper, to intellectuals of the modern age such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Alain Locke, E. Franklin Frazier, and Toni Morrison. These and hundreds of other black scholars and artists - many of them interviewed for this volume - people an enlightened and imaginative landscape, fascinating in both its range and its diversity." "Full in historical scope and cultural vision, Black Intellectuals also illuminates facets of American history such as African tribal traditions; American slavery; and black schools, churches, politics, and popular culture. It is a comprehensive and readable history of African American intellectuals."--BOOK JACKET. Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Black Internet Effect (Pocket Change Collective)
by Shavone Charles"This frank, spirited guide spotlights a thoughtful leader who embraces social responsibility." — KirkusWith witty humor and a strong sense of self, musician, model, and technology executive Shavone Charles recounts her journey through Google, Twitter, and more – and outlines her mission to make space for herself and other young women of color both online and IRL.Pocket Change Collective was born out of a need for space. Space to think. Space to connect. Space to be yourself. And this is your invitation to join us. This is a series of small books with big ideas from today's leading activists and artists. "The right balance of curiosity and good old nerve has always pushed me toward good directions in my life. During the darkest, most discouraging times, I can lean on those two parts of me." In this installment of the Pocket Change Collective, musician and technology phenom Shavone Charles explores how curiosity and nerve led her from a small college in Merced, California, to some of the most influential spaces in the tech world: from Google to Twitter to eventually landing a spot on the coveted Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Grateful for being the first in many spaces, but passionate about being neither the last nor the only, Charles tells her story in the hopes of guiding others and shaping a future where people, particularly women of color, feel empowered to make space for themselves and challenge society&’s status quos.
Black Inventors: 15 Inventions that Changed the World (Biographies for Kids)
by Kathy TrustyDiscover 15 inventors and inventions that changed the world in this guide for kids ages 8 to 12Throughout history, Black inventors have achieved some of the world's greatest advancements in science, technology, engineering, and math. This book highlights 15 men and women who made a big impact with their inventions—from Marie Van Brittan Brown, who created the first home security system, to Mark Dean, who invented the personal computer. Learn all about each inventor's creative process, their invention, and the way it's benefited our world.The "first Black man of science"—Explore how Benjamin Banneker used his knowledge of math and science to build the first wooden clock, create an almanac, and help design the city that became Washington, D.C.An innovator in Black hair care—Learn how Lyda Newman became an inventor at the early age of 14, when she engineered an improved hairbrush design that made it easier and more affordable to properly care for Black hair.A web technology expert—Find out how Lisa Gelobter developed internet technology inventions that people rely on every day, including web animation, GIFs, and online videos.Take a journey through the stories of Black inventors and their inventions, with this guide designed just for kids.
Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother's Time, My Mother's Time, and Mine
by Emily Bernard"I am black--and brown, too," writes Emily Bernard. "Brown is the body I was born into. Black is the body of the stories I tell." <p><p> And the storytelling, and the mystery of Bernard's storytelling, of getting to the truth, begins with a stabbing in a New England college town. Bernard writes how, when she was a graduate student at Yale, she walked into a coffee shop and, along with six other people, was randomly attacked by a stranger with a knife ("I remember making the decision not to let the oddness of this stranger bother me"). "I was not stabbed because I was black," she writes (the attacker was white), "but I have always viewed the violence I survived as a metaphor for the violent encounter that has generally characterized American race relations. There was no connection between us, yet we were suddenly and irreparably bound by a knife, an attachment that cost us both: him, his freedom; me, my wholeness." <p> Bernard explores how that bizarre act of violence set her free and unleashed the storyteller in her ("The equation of writing and regeneration is fundamental to black American experience"). <p> She writes in Black Is the Body how each of the essays goes beyond a narrative of black innocence and white guilt, how each is anchored in a mystery, and how each sets out to discover a new way of telling the truth as the author has lived it. "Blackness is an art, not a science. It is a paradox: intangible and visceral; a situation and a story. It is the thread that connects these essays, but its significance as an experience emerges randomly, unpredictably . . . Race is the story of my life, and therefore black is the body of this book." <p> And what most interests Bernard is looking at "blackness at its borders, where it meets whiteness in fear and hope, in anguish and love."