Juneteenth Reading List

Celebrate Juneteenth with one of the following titles. Or, if you aren't familiar with it, use this as a jumping off point to learn more about this important date.

Updated May 12, 2025
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Portage District Library
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On Juneteenth
Gordon-Reed, Annette
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The essential, sweeping story of Juneteenth's integral importance to American history, as told by a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Texas native. Weaving together American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of...
They built me for freedom : the story of Juneteenth and Houston's Emancipation Park
Ellis, Tonya Duncan
Paper Book
A moving picture book about the history of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas--and the origins of Juneteenth. When people visit me, they are free--to run, play, gather, and rejoice. They built me to remember. On June 19, 1865, the 250,000 enslaved people of...
Four hundred souls : a community history of African America, 1619-2019
Kendi, Ibram X.
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A chorus of extraordinary voices tells the epic story of the four-hundred-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present--edited by Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, and Keisha N. Blain, author of Set the World on...
The Juneteenth cookbook : recipes and activities for kids and families to celebrate
Agostini, Alliah L.
Paper Book
Celebrate and explore Juneteenth with your kids through Black American food and cultural traditions.
How the word is passed : a reckoning with the history of slavery across America
Smith, Clint
Paper Book
This "important and timely" (Drew Faust, Harvard Magazine) #1 New York Times bestseller examines the legacy of slavery in America--and how both history and memory continue to shape our everyday lives. Beginning in his hometown of New Orleans, Clint...
Juneteenth
Garrett, Van G.
Paper Book
A lyrical picture book about our newest national holiday, Juneteenth follows the annual celebration in Galveston, Texas--birthplace of Juneteenth--through the eyes of a boy coming to understand his place in Black American history in a story from three Texan creators. A young...
A black women's history of the United States
Berry, Daina Ramey
Paper Book
The award-winning Revisioning American History series continues with this "groundbreaking new history of Black women in the United States" (Ibram X. Kendi)-the perfect companion to An Indigenous People's History of the United States and An African American and Latinx History of the...
Recipes for change : 12 dishes inspired by a year in Black history
Platt, Michael
Paper Book
Teen chef and food justice advocate Michael Platt's Recipes for Change "beautifully weaves together important Black history with delicious recipes" (Kwame Onwuachi, James Beard Award winner and Top Chef contestant)--featuring full-color illustrations by Alleanna Harris...
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 ...

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