New Nonfiction in Honor of Black History Month

African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song is part of the Library of America Anthology series and is edited by Kevin Young. African American Poetry is one of the great American art forms and encompasses many kinds of verse: formal, experimental, vernacular, lyric, etc. This anthology opens with moving words about the power of poetry as a means of self-assertion. Poets like Phillis Wheatley and George Moses Horton, along with activists like Frances Ellen Watkins Harper bring a passionate voice to the resistance of slavery. Fresh, young voices of the Harlem Renaissance like Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen stand alongside their lesser-known counterparts like Gwendolyn B. Bennett and Mae V. Cowdery. The rise of the Black Arts Movement is also represented here with scope and originality. Also included here are many long out-of-print and hard-to-find poems.

Newly elected Vice President Kamala Harris has a new memoir with The Truths We Hold: An American Journey. Covering her life from her upbringing in Oakland, California through her time as a United States Senator, this book seeks to point out the core truths that unite us all and how we can act upon them. Kamala Harris is the daughter of immigrants and civil rights activists who was raised in a community the deeply cared about social justice. Her experiences as she rose to notoriety in the political sphere would become her foundation as she grappled with an array of complex issues and brought a voice to those who had none. In this book, she endeavors to deal with the big challenges that we face together. She draws on her own experience as well as the work of those who have most inspired her to articulate a vision of shared struggle, shared purpose, and shared values as we face the challenges of our times.

Ben Okri writes the introduction for 20 Years of The Caine Prize for African Writing that has stories which cover the length and width of the African Diaspora. These twenty short stories showcase each author’s unique take on modern African life. This volume contains a jailer’s love poems ghost-written by a prisoner, love blossoming between two girls in spite of the horror of their community, street kids stick-fighting or stealing guavas from the rich, and a dystopian world where women must go naked until they marry. Whether it is a celebration, the marketplace, the bus stop, the ritual, the family, the funeral, or the bildungsroman, the short stories in this collection illuminate the everyday experience in such a way that the reader holds onto it long after the book is closed.

Grammy-winning rapper and bestselling author Lecrae delivers his newest with I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion But Found My Faith. In this poignant memoir, Lecrae faces the traumas of his past—sexual abuse, physical trauma, addiction, and depression—to emerge on the path to wholeness. He relates the simple transformational steps and practices he uses in his daily life for mental, emotional, and spiritual health. He looks at the personal and public influences that can hurt us—culture, politics, family, church, and personal failures. He also reminds us that letting go and forgiveness will allow a life of creativity and freedom that God means for us to have. He reminds us that “God is near, he hears, and he’s not done with you yet.”

Award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson has a new cookbook called The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food. Samuelsson’s desire to reclaim Black culinary traditions and energize a new generation of cooks has resulted in a book filled with delicious recipes with a spotlight on various chefs, artists, and activists who represent cultures all over the world. The introduction features an over view of the pantry of the African diaspora. Recipes include chilled corn and tomato soup, grilled short ribs with a piri-piri marinade, crab curry with yams and mustard greens, and saffron tapioca pudding. Samuelsson highlights the diverse flavors and influences in Black cooking today as well as those who are creating and innovating the culinary world.

Grammy-winning artist Alicia Keys lays her life bare in More Myself: A Journey. Since Alicia rose to fame, her public persona has contradicted a deep personal truth: she has spent years trying to please others without realizing or honoring her own worth. She started asking questions of herself after holding back for so long: Who am I really? How can I become brave enough to embrace the answer? Part autobiography, part narrative journey, Alicia’s true self is revealed not only through her discoveries, but through the observations of those closest to her. From her girlhood in Hell’s Kitchen and Harlem to the process of growth and self-discovery that almost everyone goes through, this is a complete look at the beautiful soul and talented spirit of Alicia Keys.