2018 School Spending Survey Report
Juneteenth 2024 | A Reading List
In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared more than 3.5 million enslaved people living in Confederate states to be “forever free.” It wasn’t until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, TX, on June 19 two years later, however, that the enslaved first learned of their freedom. That date became known as Juneteenth, first celebrated in 1866, first declared a federal holiday in 2021. This book list is a Juneteenth commemoration in the form of fiction and nonfiction about its history and the long-standing implications of enslavement and the Jim Crow era.
In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared more than 3.5 million enslaved people living in Confederate states to be “forever free.” It wasn’t until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, TX, on June 19 two years later, however, that the enslaved first learned of their freedom. That date became known as Juneteenth, first celebrated in 1866, first declared a federal holiday in 2021. This book list is a Juneteenth commemoration in the form of fiction and nonfiction about its history and the long-standing implications of enslavement and the Jim Crow era. These titles, and those selected from previous years, are available as a downloadable spreadsheet.
Fiction
Falade, David Wright. Black Cloud Rising. Grove. Feb. 2022. 304p. ISBN 9780802159199. Historical
Harris, Nathan. The Sweetness of Water. Little, Brown. Jun. 2021. 368p. ISBN 9780316461276. African American & Black / Historical
Jones, Gayl. Palmares. Beacon. Sept. 2021. 504p. ISBN 9780807033494. African American & Black / Historical
Larsen, Nella. Beyond "Passing": The Further Writings of Nella Larsen. CSRC Storytelling. Sept. 2021. 212p. ISBN 9781955382144. Classics
Watson, Ruth P. A Right Worthy Woman. Atria. Jun. 2023. 304p. ISBN 9781668003022. African American & Black / Historical
Nonfiction
Commander, Michelle D. & Schomberg Center. Unsung: Unheralded Narratives of American Slavery & Abolition. Penguin Classics. Feb. 2021. 656p. ISBN 9780143136088. Literary Collections / American / African American & Black
Davis, Thulani. The Emancipation Circuit: Black Activism Forging a Culture of Freedom. Duke Univ. Jun. 2022. 464p. ISBN 9781478018193. Social Science / Cultural & Ethnic Studies / American / African American & Black Studies
Hunter, Marcus Anthony. Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation. Amistad. Feb. 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780063004726. History / African American & Black
Taylor, Nicole A. Watermelon and Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations. S. & S. May. 2022. 288p. ISBN 9781982176211. Cooking / Regional & Cultural / American
Williams, Kidada E. I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction. Bloomsbury. Jan. 2023. 384p. ISBN 9781635576634. History / African American & Black
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Wonderful wonderful book- so many heroes of the war still to be uncovered- thanks to Ms. Charles for bringing these heroes to light
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Loved this audio book! Love the backdrop of facts during WW II. I had no idea there was such a library in Paris. The book has spurred me to look more into the library and it's characters. I almost abandoned this book as it was slow to develop characters and I found the audiobook accents hard to follow sometimes. Hang with this book! Really liked the author's notes at the end giving more info about the library and the real librarians from WW II. Thank you for featuring these unsung heros!!!
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Loved this story. Thanks Janet for a captivating, unheard of before, this book tells this wonderful story. I am reading "Moonlight in Odessa". Loving it too. Another awesome read! Keep on writing such wonderful adventures of interesting women!! Sheila
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Loved this story. It was finished in a few days and I was sad it was over. I always thought what I would of done, living in occupied France. More important, what am I doing today with life events. Touched home for me because I lived in Montana and visited Paris. Disappointed though that I did not know about the American Library, now I need to go back.
undefined says
Hi, I am curious to know who wrote the letters betraying the library in the book The Paris Library?
Regards
Anne Brien
undefined says
Fantastic read, but who wrote the betrayal letters? Margaret Saint James?
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Thank you for a wonderful book. As a teacher at the International School of Paris in the 1990's, I loved the ALP. I could do research there that I used in my history classes.
Thank you, Janet Charles, for a great book.
undefined says
Hi,
Is Froid, MT the historical town of residence for Odile? If not, how did you come to choose that small town in Montana?
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