Juneteenth: Books for Adults

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863, Juneteenth recognizes the date when enslaved African Americans in Texas finally learned the Civil War was over and they were free. Minnesota has observed Juneteenth since 1996, and it was designated as a federal holiday in 2021. Learn more in these recommended reads for adults!

Updated May 26, 2026
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Galveston's Juneteenth story : and still we rise
Boudreaux, Tommie D.
Paper Book
Galveston was the birthplace of Juneteenth. Issued in Galveston on June 19, 1865, General Orders, No. 3 announced to the people of Texas that all slaves were free. It is one of the Island's most important historical moments. Although Juneteenth has now become the basis for a...
Jubilee : recipes from two centuries of African American cooking
Tipton-Martin, Toni
Paper Book
"A celebration of African American cuisine right now, in all of its abundance and variety."-Tejal Rao, The New York Times JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER . IACP AWARD WINNER . IACP BOOK OF THE YEAR TONI TIPTON-MARTIN NAMED THE 2021 JULIA CHILD AWARD RECIPIENT AND...
On Juneteenth
Gordon-Reed, Annette
Paper Book
Weaving together American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed's On Juneteenth provides a historian's view of the country's long road to Juneteenth, recounting both its origins in Texas and the enormous hardships that African-Americans have...
Watermelon & red birds : a cookbook for Juneteenth and black celebrations
Taylor, Nicole A.
Paper Book
The very first cookbook to celebrate Juneteenth, from food writer and cookbook author Nicole A. Taylor--who draws on her decade of experiences observing the holiday. On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Major...
Juneteenth : a novel
Ellison, Ralph.
Paper Book
Shot on the Senate floor by a young Black man, a dying racist senator summons an elderly Black Baptist minister from Oklahoma to his side for a remarkable dialogue that reveals the deeply buried secrets of their shared past and the tragedy that reunites them.
Twelve years a slave : narrative of Solomon Northup, a citizen of New-York, kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and rescued in 1853
Northup, Solomon
Paper Book
12 years a slave - The Actual People of the True Story. Released during the 160th anniversary of the freeing of Solomon Northup in Marksvillle, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana.First published in 1853, this gripping first hand account of how it felt to be a slave in the deep south captures the suffering...
The Black church : this is our story, this is our song
Gates, Henry Louis, Jr.
Paper Book
The instant New York Times bestseller and companion book to the PBS series. "Absolutely brilliant . . . A necessary and moving work." --Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., author of Begin Again "Engaging. . . . In Gates's telling, the Black church shines bright...
Make good the promises : reclaiming Reconstruction and its legacies
Conwill, Kinshasha
Paper Book
The companion volume to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture exhibit, opening in September 2021 With a Foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Eric Foner and a preface by veteran museum director and historian Spencer Crew An...
The American daughters : a novel
Ruffin, Maurice Carlos
Paper Book
"An enthralling tale of a secret resistance movement run by Black women in pre-Civil War New Orleans."--Time "Stirring . . . In telling this important, neglected history with imagination-fueled research, The American Daughters offers an inspiring story of people...
Things past telling : a novel
Williams, Sheila
Paper Book
"This is a truly character-driven novel that explores how people define themselves, the creation of family and home, and the importance of memory and language. . . . Fans of historical epics won't be able to put this book down."--Historical Novel Society "Emotionally satisfying. . . . A...

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