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"An epic biography of Malcolm X finally emerges, drawing on hundreds of hours of the author's interviews, rewriting much of the known narrative. Les Payne, the renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, embarked in 1990 on a nearly thirty-year-long quest to interview anyone he could find who had actually known Malcolm X-all living siblings of the Malcolm Little family, classmates, street friends, cellmates, Nation of Islam figures,...
2) King: a life
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English
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Black History Month - Adult
2023 Best Adult Fiction & Nonfiction (SCPL)
Best Non Fiction of 2023
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2023 Best Adult Fiction & Nonfiction (SCPL)
Best Non Fiction of 2023
More Lists...
Description
In this fast-paced and immersive adaptation of Jonathan Eig's groundbreaking New York Times bestseller readers will meet a Dr. King like no other: a committed radical whose demands for racial and economic justice remain as urgent today as they were in his lifetime, a minister wrestling with his human frailties and dark moods, a citizen hunted by his own government.
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This biography of Malcolm X draws on new research to trace his life from his troubled youth through his involvement in the Nation of Islam, his activism in the world of Black Nationalism, and his assassination. Years in the making, it is a definitive biography of the legendary black activist. Of the great figures in twentieth-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story,...
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Black History Month - Nonfiction
Black History Nonfiction
HPL Black History Month - Adult Nonfiction 2026
MLK
Black History Nonfiction
HPL Black History Month - Adult Nonfiction 2026
MLK
Description
"John Lewis, who at age twenty-five marched in Selma and was beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, is a visionary and a man of faith. Using intimate interviews with Lewis and his family and deep research into the history of the civil rights movement, Meacham writes of how the activist and leader was inspired by the Bible, his mother's unbreakable spirit, his sharecropper father's tireless ambition, and his teachers in nonviolence, Reverend James Lawson...
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"A firsthand exploration of the cost of boarding the bus of change to move America forward-written by one of the Civil Rights Movement's pioneers. At 18, Charles Person was the youngest of the original Freedom Riders, key figures in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement who left Washington, D.C. by bus in 1961, headed for New Orleans. This purposeful mix of black and white, male and female activists-including future Congressman John Lewis, Congress of Racial...
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We are living in the Civil Rights Movement of our day. But the challenges of the present call us to remember the past. Throughout American history, there has always been a small but resilient group of people who, motivated by their faith, resisted oppression and pushed for greater equality and liberty for all. From well-known figures like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman, to those time has nearly forgotten, all of these...
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The Black leader discusses his political philosophy and reveals details of his life, shedding light on the ideas that enabled him to gain the
"In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream...
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An account of the contentious relationship between the thirty-fifth president and Martin Luther King, Jr. throughout the tumultuous early years of the civil rights movement explores their influence on one another and the important decisions that were inspired by their rivalry.
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This moving memoir-in-verse tells about what it means to be an everyday activist and foot solider for racial justice, as Kathlyn recounts how she went from attending protests as a teenager to fighting as an adult for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday to become a national holiday.
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"Walter F. White led two lives: one as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance and the NAACP in the early twentieth century; the other as a white newspaperman who covered lynching crimes in the Deep South at the blazing height of racial violence. Born mixed race and with very fair skin and straight hair, White was able to "pass" for white. He leveraged this ambiguity as a reporter, bringing to light the darkest crimes in America and helping to plant the...
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Black History Month - Adult
Biographies for Black History Month
International Peace Month
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Biographies for Black History Month
International Peace Month
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Born into poverty in rural Alabama, Lewis would become second only to Martin Luther King, Jr. in his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. He was a Freedom Rider who helped to integrate bus stations in the South, a leader of the Nashville sit-in movement, the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, and the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he made into one of the major civil rights organizations....
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"Starting in the 1960s, John Lewis began his activism alongside civil rights legend and good friend Martin Luther King Jr. He participated in many now-historic events, including the 1963 March on Washington, the Freedom Rides, and the Selma to Montgomery marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. John continued his impactful career when he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1986. He went on to serve seventeen terms until his death in 2020....
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"As the civil rights movement blazed through America, more than 300,000 Black troops were drafted and sent to fight in the Vietnam War. These soldiers, often from disadvantaged backgrounds and subjected to the brutalities of racism back home, found themselves thrust onto the frontlines of a war many saw as unjust. On the homefront, Black antiwar activists faced another battle: Opposition to the Vietnam War, vilified by key allies in the media and...
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"Focusing on his presidential runs in 1984 and, especially, 1988,Phillip highlights how Jackson built an unlikely coalition that showed how Black political power could be consolidated. His experience working under Martin Luther King; his organizing the SLCC's Operation Breadbasket in Chicago and beyond; and his roots in the deep South combined into two ... impactful presidential campaigns. Appealing to the working people of urban enclaves like that...
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Using interviews and rare archival footage, this chronicles Lewis's 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health care reform, and immigration. Using present-day interviews with Lewis, now 80 years old, it explores his childhood experiences, his inspiring family, and his meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957. It also includes interviews with political leaders, colleagues, and...
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February 2026 | Black History Month (Kids)
Middle School 2025 Must Reads (teens)
Middle School Non-Fiction (teens)
Middle School 2025 Must Reads (teens)
Middle School Non-Fiction (teens)
Description
"Compiling the definitive speeches, sermons, and correspondence as well as some never-before-seen original material, this comprehensive narrative biography of American icon, Malcolm X, will be the definitive reference volume for young readers"-- Provided by publisher.
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English
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Black History Month
Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights in America
Martin Luther King Jr.
MLK Day
Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights in America
Martin Luther King Jr.
MLK Day
Description
Presents a controversial study of the civil rights movement after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., drawing upon congressional testimony, court cases, press releases, and other sources to document the battle over King's image and legacy.
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English
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"A poignant picture book biography on how John Lewis got his library card and helped change history. All John Lewis wanted was a library card, but in 1956, libraries were only for white people. That didn't seem fair to John, and so he spent a lifetime advocating for change and fighting against unfair laws until the laws changed. Finally, black people could eat at restaurants, see movies, vote in elections, and even get library cards. With an in-depth...









