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“When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.” - Maya Angelou
To celebrate Black History Month 2025, The New York Society Library is excited to present a selection of titles that have landed on our shelves since last year's list. These books explore the depth and breadth of the immeasurable contributions made by Black people and authors to the history and culture of the United States. The books below cover literature, art, politics, activism and protest, and the performing arts, in addition to internationally acclaimed authors. We want to share in-depth reviews and praises for titles that we are especially excited for that have arrived in the library, and a few titles that are making their way through cataloging. Be sure to click subject links in our catalog records to explore other relevant books and talk with a librarian at circulation or reference for more information about the library's collection. Check out the NYSL Staff Book Recommendations for Black History Month 2024.
For a more complete account of our recent acquisitions this past year, check out New Books, a list published at the beginning of every month and available on the website or at the Circulation Desk. Check out our Recommended Books if you're stumped or interested in what our staff members have been reading. If there is something you're looking forward to reading, but don't find in our catalog, simply request it from the Acquisitions Department by filling out a request slip at the Circulation Desk or log in to your account and use the Suggest a Purchase form.
Check out this bibliography of books in our stacks related to the Library's 2021-2022 exhibition, Black Literature Matters.
Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies I edited by Dalila Scrugg 
"A defining Black woman artist of the twentieth century, Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012) has not received the mainstream art-world attention afforded many of her peers. The Brooklyn Museum, in partnership with the National Gallery of Art, closes this gap with Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies, an exhibition of over 200 works that gives this revolutionary artist and radical activist her due. A deft sculptor and printmaker, devout feminist, and lifelong social justice advocate, Catlett was uniquely committed to both her creative process and political convictions. Growing up during the Great Depression, she witnessed class inequality, racial violence, and U.S. imperialism firsthand, all while pursuing an artistic education grounded in the tenets of modernism. Catlett would protest injustices for nearly a century, via both soaring artworks and on-the-ground activism." - The Brooklyn Museum
Catlett’s activism and artistic expression were deeply connected, and she protested the injustices of her time throughout her life. Her work in printmaking and sculpture draws on organic abstraction, the modernism of the United States and Mexico, and African art to center the experiences of Black and Mexican women. Catlett attended Howard University, studied with the painter Grant Wood, joined the Harlem artistic community, and worked with a leftist graphics workshop in Mexico, where she lived in exile after the US accused her of communism and barred her re-entry into her home country. The book’s essays address a range of topics, including Catlett’s early development as an artist-activist, the impact of political exile on her work, her pedagogical legacy, her achievement as a social realist printmaker, her work with the arts community of Chicago’s South Side, and the diverse influences that shaped her practice.
Born Black: A Personal Report on the Decade of Black Revolt, 1960-1970 I photographs and text by Gordon Parks
"I came to each story with a strong sense of involvement, finding it difficult to screen out my own memories of a scarred past. But I tried for truth, the kind that comes through looking and listening, through the careful sifting of day-to-day emotions that white America whips up in black people. My own background has enabled me, I hope, to better share the experiences of some other black people. I do not presume to speak for them. I have just offered a glimpse, however fleeting, of their world through black eyes." - Gordon Parks, 1970
Originally published in 1971, The New York Society Library is excited to acquire Gordon Parks' Born Black. This was Park's first book to unite his writing and his photography. A groundbreaking composer, author, poet, and filmmaker, who became a legend in U.S. documentary in photojournalism. This expanded edition of Born Black illuminates Parks' vision for the book and offers deeper insight into the series within it. The original publication featured nine articles commissioned by Life magazine from 1963 to 1970 supplemented with later commentary by Parks and presented as his personal account of these historical moments. Born Black includes the original text and images, as well as additional photographs from each series, facsimiles from the 1971 book, manuscripts and correspondence, reproductions of related Life articles, and new scholarly essays.
Charles White: A Retrospective I edited by Sarah Kelly Oehler and Esther Adler
A revelatory reassessment of one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century. Tracing White’s career from his emergence in Chicago to his mature practice as an artist, activist, and educator in New York and Los Angeles, leading experts provide insights into White’s creative process, his work as a photographer, his political activism and interest in history, the relationship between his art and his teaching, and the importance of feminism in his work. A preface by Kerry James Marshall addresses White’s significance as a mentor to an entire generation of practitioners and underlines the importance of this largely overlooked artist.
"Charles White: A Retrospective is a tour de force catalogue of a tour de force traveling exhibition. Organized and illustrated to witness White’s extraordinary and prolific figurative oeuvre, the volume comprises in-depth essays, written by celebrated authors close to White’s work, that offer a fresh perspective on White's practice of revealing beauty in the ordinary and theater in the everyday life of African Americans." - Margaret Rose Vendryes
There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension I Hanif Abdurraqib - Longlisted for the National Book Award
A Best Book of the Year: The New York Times Book Review, Time, The Washington Post, NPR, The Boston Globe, The New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Book Riot
"A powerful reflection on basketball, life, and home, from the author of the National Book Award Finalist A Little Devil in America." - The Guardian
Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, in the 1990s, Hanif Abdurraqib witnessed a golden era of basketball, one in which legends like LeBron James were forged and countless others weren't. His lifelong love of the game leads Abdurraqib into a lyrical, historical, and emotionally rich exploration of what it means to make it, who we think deserves success, the tension between excellence and expectation, and the very notion of role models, all of which he expertly weaves together with intimate, personal storytelling. "Here is where I would like to tell you about the form on my father's jump shot," Abdurraqib writes. "The truth, though, is that I saw my father shoot a basketball only one time."
The Chronicles of DOOM: Unraveling Rap's Masked Iconoclast I S.H. Fernando Jr. - Staff Favorite
"Trying to focus on the tale of the eccentric, enigmatic and anonymous rapper-producer Dumile Daniel Thompson—a.k.a. DOOM—must have been akin to pinning down mercury . . . Fernando goes a long way in presenting the man behind the mask (who died in 2020) without revealing all of his spaced-out secrets that made him special." - A. D. Amorosi, Variety
Your favorite rapper's favorite rapper. Consider the greatest rapper and producer of all time, The Chronicles of DOOM: Unraveling Rap's Masked Iconoclast is sweeping and definitive. S.H. Fernando Jr. recounts the rise, fall, redemption, and untimely demise of MF DOOM. Broken down into five sections: The Man, The Myth, The Mask, The Music, and The Legend, journalist S. H. Fernando, or SKIZ, chronicles the life of Daniel Dumile Jr., beginning in the house he grew up in in Long Beach, NY, into the hip-hop group KMD, onto the stage of his first masked show, through the countless collabs, and across the many different cities Daniel called home. Centering the music, SKIZ deftly lays out the history of east-coast rap against DOOM's life story and dissects the personas, projects, tracks, and lyrics that led to his immortality.
The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America I Sarah Lewis -Chicago Tribune, 10 Best Books of 2024, A Hyperallergic Best Book of the Year - In Cataloging
"Sarah Lewis grows The Unseen Truth from her superb Vision and Justice project into a work of stunning originality... Each chapter exposes the ‘racial detailing’ that has constructed a repressive racial regime that, once seen, can be undone.” - Nell Irvin Painter, author of the New York Times bestseller The History of White People
"A fresh, authoritative historical inquiry." - Kirkus Reviews
An art and cultural historian spotlights racial propaganda fueled by willed blindness. Drawing on abundant scholarship, Lewis investigates images that contributed to Americans’ conception of race from the Civil War through the Jim Crow era. She focuses particularly on the connection made between whiteness and the Caucasus, a region that waged a war against Russian incursion from 1817 to 1864.
Twice as Hard: The Stories of Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians, from the Civil War to the 21st Century I Jasmine Brown
"Inspiring stories of nine Black women physicians whose barrier-breaking achievements changed the course of American history. At its best, this deeply researched, profoundly felt book effectively weaves personal and historical memory into a well-argued critique of American medical education. This is a promising debut from a young author. A readable, highly relevant history of Black women physicians in the U.S." - Kirkus Reviews
Black women physicians' stories have gone untold for far too long, leaving gaping holes in American medical history, in women's history, and in black history. It's time to set the record straight. No real account of black women physicians in the US exists, and what little mention is made of these women in existing histories is often insubstantial or altogether incorrect. In this work of extensive research, Jasmine Brown offers a rich new perspective, penning the long-erased stories of nine pioneering black women physicians beginning in 1860, when a black woman first entered medical school.
No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston's Black Workers in the Civil War Era I Jacqueline Jones - Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History
In No Right to an Honest Living, historian Jacqueline Jones reveals how Boston was the United States writ small: a place where the soaring rhetoric of egalitarianism was easy, but justice in the workplace was elusive. Before, during, and after the Civil War, white abolitionists and Republicans refused to secure equal employment opportunity for Black Bostonians, condemning most of them to poverty. Still, Jones finds, some Black entrepreneurs ingeniously created their own jobs and forged their own career paths.
"Antebellum-era Boston was one of the central cities in the antislavery movement in the nineteenth century. While prominent northern white abolitionists spoke out about the injustices that African-descended, enslaved people went through in the south, they failed to address issues affecting Black communities closer to home, who faced housing and job discrimination. Jones breaks down the economic and social hostilities of the 1850s and beyond that posed challenges to Black workers in Boston. From the 1640s, when Boston became the first city in New England to legalize slavery, Jones expands on how the systems were built that exploited Black labor even after the abolishment of slavery in Massachusetts in the 1780s." - Booklist Online
My Black Country: A Journey through Country Music's Black Past, Present and Future I Alice Randall 
"A celebration of all things country music." - Ken Burns
"Randall beautifully weaves together history and her personal story in a narrative informed by a deep love of country music, her commitment to undoing an ugly legacy of whitewashing, and her determination to change the face of Nashville to create space for herself and other Black artists." - Booklist
Alice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author, reflects on her search for the first family of Black country music. What emerges in is "a delightful, inspirational story of persistence, resistance, and sheer love" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) of this most American of music genres and the radical joy in realizing the power of Black influence on American culture. Country music had brought Alice Randall, and her activist mother together and even gave Randall a singular distinction in American music history: she is the first Black woman to cowrite a number one country hit, Trisha Yearwood's "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)."
Cooperstown's Back Door: A History of Negro Leaguers in the Baseball Hall of Fame I Paul D. White - In Cataloging
Baseball may be America’s pastime, but its history is often as enigmatic as the country itself, as poignantly highlighted by Society of American Baseball Research member and writer White. He deftly portrays how key owners and commissioners colluded with intolerant writers in delaying the integration of baseball and the Hall of Fame, and in marginalizing the accomplishments of the talented players of the Negro Leagues. This book presents the full history of that fight: the exclusion of Black players for so many years, the many efforts to fix that, and the fights for Hall of Fame recognition of the Negro Leagues that are still ongoing.
Dreaming in Ensemble: How Black Artists Transformed American Opera I Lucy Caplan - In Cataloging
"An ambitious, demanding work on neglected Black artists." - Kirkus Review
A revelatory new account of Black innovation in American opera, showing how composers, performers, and critics redefined the genre both aesthetically and politically in the early twentieth century. Caplan begins with the 1893 premiere of an opera by composer Harry Lawrence Freeman and moves through the first half of the twentieth century, concluding with the 1955 Metropolitan Opera debut of contralto Marian Anderson. Throughout, Caplan emphasizes “the fundamentally generative and fundamentally collective nature of these artists’ work in opera.” The result is a significant contribution to the histories of American opera, the performing arts, and Black American culture. It will enlighten and inform opera fans and readers interested in Black artists and culture and inspire further inquiry and exploration.
Black Buffalo Woman: An Introduction to the Poetry & Poetics of Lucille Clifton I Kazim Ali - In Cataloging
Ali, a literature professor at the University of California–San Diego, offers a perceptive analysis of the major themes and literary techniques found in the oeuvre of National Book Award–winning poet Lucille Clifton (1936–2010).
Studying how Clifton probes the intersection of past and present, Ali discusses how her use of the first person in “atlantic is a sea of bones,” a poem about the Atlantic slave trade, highlights the ways in which the repercussions of American slavery continued to unfold in her own time.
This long-awaited and much-needed volume shines new light on one of America's most beloved, and profound, poets, Lucille Clifton. Black Buffalo Woman is a deep, comprehensive dive into Clifton's work through the eyes of celebrated poet and scholar, Kazim Ali. Ali’s keen close readings reveal the subtle complexities of Clifton’s poetry (he points out that “moses” emphasizes the contrast between the eponymous prophet and the forces arrayed against him by using iambic meter when describing the former and trochaic meter for the latter), making a strong case that her work has been unjustly overlooked. This winning study should help revive interest in the poet.
Mass for Shut-Ins I Mary-Alice Daniel - In Cataloging 
"Against humans creating hell on earth, Daniel draws on animistic, Islamic, and syncretic Christian traditions from her native Nigeria to unleash potent incantations, rituals and spells, electric as St. Elmo's fire. Buckle up." - Rae Armantrout, judge
Mass for Shut-Ins is the 117th volume of the Yale Series of Younger Poets, selected by award-winning poet Rae Armantrout. In Mass for Shut-Ins, African and Western mythic systems and modern rituals originate an ill-omened universe. Here, it is always night, grim night, under absurd moons. Venturing through dreamscapes, hellscapes, and lurid landscapes, poems map speculative fields of spiritual warfare.
Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right: A King Oliver Novel I Walter Mosely
"In the latest from 'mystery master' Walter Mosley, a family member's terminal illness leads P.I. Joe King Oliver to the investigation of his life: tracking down his long-lost father, and meanwhile, a new case pits King's professional responsibility against his own moral code." - The Washington Post
Joe King Oliver's beloved Grandma B has found a tumor, and at her age, treatment is high-risk. She's lived life fully and without regrets, and now has only a single, dying wish: to see her long-lost son. King has been estranged from his father, Chief Odin Oliver, since he was a young boy. He swore to never speak to the man again when he was taken away in handcuffs. A gripping investigation of love, lies, crimes, and rough justice told with verve, wit, and wisdom. Mosley’s astute and involving King Oliver series has tremendous appeal and true staying power.
The Silence of the Choir I Mohamed Mbougar Sarr - A New Yorker Best Book of the Year
A polyphonic tale of immigration and community by "the most promising Senegalese writer of his generation" (LeMonde) and winner of the 2021 Prix Goncour. Each character in this moving and important saga is forced to reflect on what it means to encounter people they know nothing about. They watch as a situation unfolds over which they have little control or insight. A story told through a growing symphony of voices that ends only when one final voice brings silence to the choir.
"Particularly well rendered are the harrowing details of sea crossings: 'Then came the storm. The waves picked up, towering things, and crashed furiously against the hull of the boat. It wasn’t a blind fury: they seemed to have singled us out for their anger. They saw us. The sea wanted to kill us.' This is a timely work, profoundly relevant to our understanding of population shifts not only in Africa and Europe but around the globe. Dramatic, compelling writing on the dimensions of cultural disruption and the possibilities of reintegration." - Kirkus Reviews
One of Us Knows: A Thriller I Alyssa Cole
From the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author of When No One Is Watching comes a riveting thriller about the new caretaker of a historic estate who finds herself trapped on an island with a murderer and the ghosts of her past. Cole's long-awaited second thriller, starts with a dramatis personae of all of the head mates who inhabit Kenetria "Ken" Nash, who has dissociative identity disorder. There's kind-hearted Solomon, organized caretaker Della, fan-fiction-obsessed Empress, four-year-old Keke, and more. There are enough twists and scares and unique elements to keep you reading. Ken can be hard to like sometimes, but she’s easy to root for. A spooky, gothic setting disrupted by a totally modern heroine.
Come and Get It I Kiley Reid
"A deft exploration of how microaggressions can lead to macro consequences, Reid's second outing will appeal to readers who enjoy slow-burn, character-driven novels. Reid has a ready and eager audience for her second novel, and the word is out." - Booklist Online
From the celebrated New York Times bestselling author of Such A Fun Age comes a fresh and provocative story about a residential assistant and her messy entanglement with a professor and three unruly students.
It's 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie Cousins, a senior resident assistant, wants to graduate, get a job, and buy a house. So when Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and writer, offers Millie an easy yet unusual opportunity, she jumps at the chance. But Millie's starry-eyed hustle becomes jeopardized by odd new friends, vengeful dorm pranks, and illicit intrigue. A fresh and intimate portrait of desire, consumption, and reckless abandon, Come and Get It is a tension-filled story about money, indiscretion, and bad behavior.
Great Expectations: A Novel I Vinson Cunningham - Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award/John Leonard Prize for Best First Book 
Meditating on politics and politicians, religion and preachers, fathers and family, Great Expectations is both an emotionally resonant coming-of-age story and a rich novel of ideas, marking the arrival of a major new writer.
"The debut novel from The New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer Prize finalist Vinson Cunningham. "A historic presidential campaign changes the trajectory of a young Black man's life in this "coming of age story that captures the soul of America." - The Washington Post
“Rarer is a debut that announces a talent like Cunningham’s.” -The New York Times
"One of the smartest and most involving political novels I've read in ages." - The Wall Street Journal
"Cunningham, a writer for The New Yorker and former staffer on Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign and in the White House, has written an electrifying first novel and bildungsroman of consummate artistry and sensitivity, honed vision and wit." - Kirkus Review
Colored Television I Danzy Senna - New York Times Notable Book of 2024, Washington Post Top 10 Ten Book of 2024
"A laugh-out-loud cultural comedy... This is the New Great American Novel, and Danzy Senna has set the standard." -LA Times
"Funny, foxy and fleet...The jokes are good, the punches land, the dialogue is tart." -Dwight Garner, The New York Times
The pitfalls and traps of artistic success are explored in the latest compelling novel by Senna, writer of 2017's New People. Novelist and creative writing professor Jane and her family have an itinerant lifestyle, moving from one temporary home to another, never feeling settled. They begin house-sitting for a year in a tony Los Angeles neighborhood, while Jane takes a sabbatical to work on the novel about mixed-race characters in history that she’s been writing for years. Jane is portrayed with humor and pathos, her wry, revealing observations throughout the novel make the story engaging. The Los Angeles and Hollywood settings are vividly described, and Senna's insights about identity, parenthood, and creativity are sure to captivate readers.
