Juneteenth for Adults

Juneteenth is an annual holiday that celebrates the emancipation of African Americans who were enslaved in the United States. It commemorates the arrival of Union troops to Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to announce the end of slavery – two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Here are some books by Black authors and artists that celebrate African American culture, resistance and achievement.

Updated May 12, 2024
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LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Happy Valley Library
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Four hundred souls : a community history of African America, 1619-2019
Kendi, Ibram X.
Paper Book
An epoch-defining history of African America co-curated by bestselling author of How To Be an Antiracist *THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* Four Hundred Souls is an epoch-defining history of African America, the first to appear in a generation...
How the word is passed : a reckoning with the history of slavery across America
Smith, Clint
Paper Book
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVOURITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR A NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NON-FICTION 'A beautifully readable reminder of how much of our urgent, collective history resounds in places all...
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
The astonishing memoir of a free man who was sold into slavery in Louisiana where he was kept for 12 years--a powerful, riveting condemnation of slavery, and a story soon to be introduced to a...
Stamped from the beginning : the definitive history of racist ideas in America
Kendi, Ibram X.
Paper Book
Stamped from the Beginningis a redefining history of anti-Black racist ideas that dramatically changes our understanding of the causes and extent of racist thinking itself. ** Winner of the US National Book Award** Its deeply...
Master slave husband wife : an epic journey from slavery to freedom
Woo, Ilyon
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller, the incredible true story of a couple that escaped slavery in the South and eventually made their way to the UK, Africa and beyond.
Beloved : a novel
Morrison, Toni.
Paper Book
Discover Toni Morrison's most iconic work in this Pulitzer-prize winning novel that exemplifies her powerful and important place in contemporary American literature. 'An American masterpiece' AS Byatt It is the mid-1800s and as slavery looks to be coming to an...
The underground railroad : a novel
Whitehead, Colson
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION 2017 WINNER OF THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD 2017 LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2017 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER 2016 AMAZON.COM #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR 2016 ...
Conjure women : a novel
Atakora, Afia
Paper Book
A Stylist Best Book of 2020 You're free to decide your future. But how do you escape the ghosts of the past? A stunning debut novel with echoes of Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing and Sara Collins' The Confessions of Frannie Langton The pale...
Homegoing
Gyasi, Yaa
Paper Book
A BBC Top 100 Novels that Shaped Our World Effia and Esi: two sisters with two very different destinies. One sold into slavery; one a slave trader's wife. The consequences of their fate reverberate through the generations that follow. Taking us from the Gold Coast of Africa to...

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