Book recommendations for Black History Month

For Black History Month, the Gatesville Public Library has exhibited a collection of several books for readers to commemorate Black writers and their contributions to literature.

The list includes everything from fiction to nonfiction, science, sports, history, politics, and more that are available for checkout at the library.

“This selection was put together by us looking at the different lists and seeing what other libraries were recommending and what our community seems to be attracted to (based on) the amount of checkouts it has gotten,” Library Director Shea Harp said. “All these books have been written by and are about people who are celebrated during Black History Month.”

While there are several books to choose from, the list below provides a glimpse of some of the library’s featured texts and their summaries:

“Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly

Before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of female African American mathematicians helped calculate flight paths that would later launch rockets and astronauts into space. Moving from World War II through the Cold War and civil rights era, “Hidden Figures” chronicles the true story of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden and their major contributions to NASA that helped win the Space Race. 

“The 1619 Project” by Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine

This award-winning book weaves together a collection of essays that explores America’s origin of slavery – beginning in August 1619 when a ship arrived in Jamestown bearing 20 to 30 enslaved people from Africa.  Featuring the work of various journalists, thinkers, and scholars of American history, “The 1619 Project” demonstrates how the legacy of slavery continues to shape contemporary American culture.   

“Ruth and the Green Book” by Calvin Alexander Ramsey  

In the 1950s, Ruth and her family embark on a road trip from Chicago to visit her grandmother in Alabama. When she discovers that Black travelers are not accepted in some of the small towns, her family relies on a guidebook to help them travel safely. “Ruth and the Green Book” is an illustrated children’s story that gives context to the historical significance of the real-life “Green Book” that helped guide African American travelers during the Jim Crow era.

“Freewater” by Amina Luqman-Dawson

A Newbury Medal winner, this work of middle-grade fiction follows the story of two enslaved siblings, Homer and Ada, who flee from a plantation to find freedom. After they escape, they discover the secret community of Freewater, a society created by formerly enslaved people and freeborn children. In Freewater, Homer finds friends and works to protect their new home from the encroaching dangers of the outside world.

“Enemies in Love” by Alexis Clark

“Enemies in Love” tells the nonfiction love story of a German POW and an African American army nurse. Elinor Powell and soldier Frederick Albert meet when Black army nurses were placed in regular contact with German soldiers who were detained by Allies. “Enemies in Love” portrays a narrative of race and forbidden love during one of the most violent conflicts in history. 

 “Beloved” by Toni Morrison

Considered one of the most celebrated American novelists, Morrison’s “Beloved” is a classic pick for Black History Month.

Set in rural Ohio several years after the Civil War, Sethe is haunted by her past and the ghost of her unnamed child whose tombstone is engraved with one word: Beloved. The tale follows Sethe’s endurance from the hardships of slavery to freedom.  

“Still We Rise” by Erika Council

Penned as “a love letter to the Southern biscuit,” this cookbook honors Black culinary culture with over 50 recipes that connect readers to Black heritage in the American South. The author, who is also the owner and chef of Bomb Biscuit Company in Atlanta, shares recipes inspired by her family, friends, and other Black cookbook authors, including corn milk biscuits, red curry basil biscuits, hominy honey butter, and cinnamon sugar and pecan biscuits.

“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker

Recently turned into a major motion picture, “The Color Purple” is an epistolary novel that explores the lives of African American women in early 20^th century Georgia. Composed of letters written by two sisters, Celie and Nettie, the story shares a rich and memorable portrayal of Black women through their experiences of pain, struggle, resilience, bravery, and sisterhood.