Black History Month: Teen Nonfiction

Updated February 3, 2026
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Trouble maker for justice : the story of Bayard Rustin, the man behind the march on Washington
Houtman, Jacqueline
Paper Book
Chosen a Best Children's Book of the Year by the Bank Street Center! Voted a Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews! A biography for younger readers about one of the most influential activists of our time, who was an early advocate for African Americans...
Revolution in our time : the Black Panther Party's promise to the people
Magoon, Kekla
Paper Book
A National Book Award Finalist A Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor Book A Michael L. Printz Honor Book A Walter Dean Myers Honor Book With passion and precision, Kekla Magoon relays an essential account of the Black...
The burning : Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921
Beard, Hilary
Paper Book
One of the worst acts of racist violence in American history took place in 1921, when a White mob numbering in the thousands decimated the thriving Black community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Burning recreates Greenwood at the height of its prosperity, explores...
Paul Robeson : no one can silence me : adapted for young adults
Duberman, Martin B.
Paper Book
The inspiring life and legacy of vocal artist and civil rights icon Paul Robeson--one of the most important public figures in the twentieth century--adapted for young adults by the acclaimed Robeson biographer "As an artist I come to sing, but as a citizen, I will always speak...
The rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
Theoharis, Jeanne
Paper Book
"Jeanne's book not only inspired the documentary but has been a catalyst in changing our national understanding of Rosa Parks. Highly recommend!"-Soledad O'Brien, executive producer of the Peabody Award-winning documentary The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks "A must...
Race against time : the untold story of Scipio Jones and the battle to save twelve innocent men
Wallace, Sandra Neil
Paper Book
In this key civil rights and social justice book for young readers, Scipio Africanus Jones-a self-taught attorney who was born enslaved-leads a momentous series of court cases to save twelve Black men who'd been unjustly sentenced to death. In October 1919, a group of Black...
Stolen justice : the struggle for African American voting rights
Goldstone, Lawrence
Paper Book
A thrilling and incisive examination of the post-Reconstruction era struggle for and suppression of African American voting rights in the United States.Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction era raised a new question to those in power in the US: Should African Americans, so many of them...
John Lewis : civil rights champion and congressman
Morretta, Alison
Paper Book
The history of the United States is filled with African American leaders who heroically fought for equality through words and deeds. These men and women sacrificed their safety and, in some cases, their lives for the cause. One of the most courageous among them is John Lewis, who has been on the...
Changing the equation : 50+ US Black women in STEM
Bolden, Tonya
Paper Book
Changing the Equation is a celebratory and inspiring look at some of the most important Black women in STEM. Coretta Scott King Honor author Tonya Bolden explores Black women who have changed the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and...
Stamped : racism, antiracism, and you
Reynolds, Jason
Paper Book
Don't miss this "fresh and conversational" (TIME Magazine), "potent and provocative" (The San Francisco Chronicle), #1 New York Times bestselling exploration of racism--and antiracism--in America. ...
Lifting as we climb : black women's battle for the ballot box
Dionne, Evette
Paper Book
For African American women, the fight for the right to vote was only one battle. This Coretta Scott King Author Honor book tells the important, overlooked story of black women as a force in the suffrage movement--when fellow suffragists did not accept them as equal...
Accused! : the trials of the Scottsboro Boys : lies, prejudice, and the Fourteenth Amendment
Brimner, Larry Dane
Paper Book
This chilling and harrowing account tells the story of the Scottsboro Boys, nine African-American teenagers who, when riding the rails during the Great Depression, found their lives destroyed after two white women falsely accused them of rape. Award-winning author Larry Dane Brimner explains how...
A few red drops : the Chicago Race Riots of 1919
Hartfield, Claire
Paper Book
This mesmerizing narrative nonfiction draws on contemporary accounts as it traces the roots of an explosion that had been building for decades in race relations, politics, business, and clashes of culture. Coretta Scott King Award winner * Carter G. Woodson Book Award from the National...
Unpunished murder : the Colfax massacre and the Supreme Court
Goldstone, Lawrence
Paper Book
The riveting story of how the Supreme Court turned a blind eye on justice, stripped away the equal rights promised to all Americans, and ushered in the era of Jim Crow.On Easter Sunday of 1873, just eight years after the Civil War ended, a band of white supremacists marched into Grant Parish,...
March forward, girl : from young warrior to Little Rock Nine
Beals, Melba
Paper Book
"Beals' recollection of white oppression and her rise above it will haunt readers. A must-read for teens." --School Library Journal From the legendary civil rights activist and author of the million-copy-selling Warriors Don't Cry comes an ardent and profound childhood memoir of...
Pathfinders : the journeys of 16 extraordinary Black souls
Bolden, Tonya
Paper Book
Over the centuries, untold numbers of black men and women in America have achieved great things against the odds. Pathfinders is a collective biography of sixteen diverse American men and women of African descent who made their mark on American history in the 18th to 20th centuries. People who...
Loving vs. Virginia : a documentary novel of the landmark civil rights case
Powell, Patricia Hruby
Paper Book
From acclaimed author Patricia Hruby Powell comes the story of a landmark civil rights case, told in spare and gorgeous verse. In 1955, in Caroline County, Virginia, amidst segregation and prejudice, injustice and cruelty, two teenagers fell in love. Their life together broke the law, but their...
Brown v. Board of Education : a fight for simple justice
Rubin, Susan Goldman
Paper Book
An award-winning author chronicles the story behind the landmark Supreme Court decision in this fascinating account for young readers. In 1954, one of the most significant Supreme Court decisions of the twentieth Century aimed to end school segregation in the United States. The...
In the shadow of Liberty : the hidden history of slavery, four presidents, and five black lives
Davis, Kenneth C.
Paper Book
Did you know that many of America's Founding Fathers--who fought for liberty and justice for all--were slave owners? Through the powerful stories of five enslaved people who were "owned" by four of our greatest presidents, this book helps set the record straight about the role...
The many faces of Josephine Baker : dancer, singer, activist, spy
Caravantes, Peggy
Ebook
A complete biographical look at the complex life of a world-famous entertainer   With determination and audacity, Josephine Baker turned her comic and musical abilities into becoming a worldwide icon of the Jazz Age. The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer,...
The Port Chicago 50 : disaster, mutiny, and the fight for civil rights
Sheinkin, Steve.
Paper Book
An astonishing World War II military story of civil rights from New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Honor recipient Steve Sheinkin. A National Book Award Finalist A YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist A School Library Journal...
Courage has no color : the true story of the Triple Nickles : America's first Black paratroopers
Stone, Tanya Lee.
Paper Book
They became America's first black paratroopers. Why was their story never told? Sibert Medalist Tanya Lee Stone reveals the history of the Triple Nickles during World War II. World War II is raging, and thousands of American soldiers are fighting overseas against the injustices...
Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, written by himself : a new critical edition
Douglass, Frederick
Ebook
I know why the caged bird sings
Angelou, Maya
Paper Book
Maya Angelou's debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide. Her life story is told in the documentary film And Still I Rise, as seen on PBS's American Masters. Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself....

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