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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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!

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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...
Juneteenth : a novel
Ellison, Ralph.
Audiobook
Juneteenth
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 basis for the Academy Award®-winning movie! "A moving, vital testament to one of slavery's 'many thousand gone' who retained his humanity in the bowels of degradation." -- Saturday Review Born a free man in New York State in 1808, Solomon Northup was kidnapped...
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...
Chasing the North Star : a novel
Morgan, Robert
Paper Book
In his latest historical novel, bestselling author Robert Morgan brings to full and vivid life the story of Jonah Williams, who, in 1850, on his eighteenth birthday, flees the South Carolina plantation on which he was born a slave. He takes with him only a few stolen coins, a knife, and the...
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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