Okay! It has been some weeks, but I have a #FridayBookRecs for Black History Month! History from a lot of different angles, mostly focusing on the US, but also some related to the African continent and the diaspora. #bookstodon #books
Here we go:
Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon
This book reminds you exactly how many problems we see today have direct roots in enslavement. Especially impactful if you are interested in policing and prison abolition. If you read this one and enjoy it, I would recommend following it up with Alexander's New Jim Crow and Benjamin's Race After Technology.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/efd39d34-c684-4099-ac1a-c16fb99069bb
Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
A memoir about growing up Black and poor, how that contributes to the early deaths of Black men, and how it impacts Black communities. Ward has other books that are all worth picking up.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/664a9473-4ec4-4f2b-a88a-c4828c97ee79
Black Software: The Internet & Racial Justice, from the Afronet to Black Lives Matter by Charlton D. McIlwain
The digital history of racial justice activism on the internet and how technology can enable or disable that work.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/9ac2c7fb-dd5c-488a-943b-0fa262060073
A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib
I recommend this one often. Abdurraqib is an amazing cultural critic (and also a poet!) and this book is my favorite of his. A look at the impact Black performance has had throughout history.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/7232d385-0237-402b-8316-491bf2ff3373
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
Kendall has been a strong voice in social media for years and I have learned so much from her. These essays on the failures of white feminism and the issues facing Black women in America is a must-read for feminists, especially American ones.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/8eb49a45-bdc4-41d9-8391-3293e31f1c32
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney
Rodney is an absolute giant of an author. Even though this book was published in the 70s, it still reflects the relationship that nations like the US and China have with the African continent: one of capitalist extraction and forced dependence. There's a lot to learn here.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6a64b434-792b-41b0-99e5-f15813f1cb47
