Juneteenth Book Suggestions for Adults

Juneteenth commemorates an effective end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday. Check out the books on this list to learn more about the history of Juneteenth and slavery in the United States.

Updated June 12, 2024
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
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The fire next time
Baldwin, James
Paper Book
'A seminal meditation on race by one of our greatest writers' Barack Obama 'We, the black and the white, deeply need each other here if we are really to become a nation' James Baldwin's impassioned plea to 'end the racial nightmare' in America was a bestseller...
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...
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...
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...
Let us descend : a novel
Ward, Jesmyn
Paper Book
* AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK *'A spectacular achievement' ANTHONY DOERR'Extravagantly beautiful' DAILY MAIL'One of the greatest writers of all time' JACQUELINE WOODSON'Extraordinary' GUARDIAN'The best book I've read in years' LOUISE...
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.
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...
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 ...
We were eight years in power : an American tragedy
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Paper Book
From 2008-2016, the leader of the free world was a black man. Obama's presidency was a watershed moment in American history. In those eight years, the political conversation around race, gender, class and wealth shifted drastically - inspiring hope but also attracting criticism and breeding...

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