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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