Collection: Shop Black

Jonell Joshua spent her childhood shuttling back and forth between Savannah and New Jersey - living in grandparents' homes during the times her mother, struggling with mental illness, needed support to raise her and her brothers. Together the family found a way to keep going even in the darkest of times.

How Do I Draw These Memories? is an illustrated memoir about nostalgia, faith, the preciousness of life, and unconditional love.

From Jonell's devastatingly brilliant pen as a writer and an artist, it plumbs the depths of what family can be - and how joy and hope can be found in the most ordinary and extraordinary moments.

Her life. Her rules. Finally.

Anuri Chinasa has had enough. And really, who can blame her? She was the unwilling star of her stepmother's social media empire before "momfluencers" were even a thing. For years, Ophelia documented every birthday, every skinned knee, every milestone and meltdown for millions of strangers to fawn over and pick apart.

Now, at twenty-five, Anuri is desperate to put her way-too-public past behind her and start living on her own terms. But it's not going so great. She can barely walk down the street without someone recognizing her, and the fraught relationship with her father has fallen apart. Then there's her PhD application (still unfinished) and her drinking problem (still going strong). When every detail of her childhood was so intensely scrutinized, how can she tell what she really wants?

Still, Ophelia is never far away and has made it clear she won't go down without a fight. With Noelle, Anuri's five-year-old half sister now being forced down the same path, Anuri discovers she has a new mission in life...

To take back control of the family narrative.

Through biting wit and heartfelt introspection, this darkly humorous story dives deep into the deceptive allure of a picture-perfect existence, the overexposure of children in social media and the excitement of self-discovery.

Fans of the book-loving Lola from the Lola Reads series can now join her little brother Leo on his very own day-to-day activities and adventures.

Leo loves to go to Baby Time with his mommy on Wednesdays. They sing songs. They play peekaboo. They wiggle and clap and kick their little legs. They zoooooom to the moon! And, Leo's favorite thing: playing with the animals. Then everyone shares a cuddle and a story.

The Baby Time activities featured in Leo Loves Baby Time will be familiar to children and parents and are presented in bright, vibrant colors that will draw the attention of the youngest readers.

From a Bancroft Prize winner, a harrowing portrait of Black workers and white hypocrisy in nineteenth-century Boston

Impassioned antislavery rhetoric made antebellum Boston famous as the nation's hub of radical abolitionism. In fact, however, the city was far from a beacon of equality.

In No Right to an Honest Living, historian Jacqueline Jones reveals how Boston was the United States writ small: a place where the soaring rhetoric of egalitarianism was easy, but justice in the workplace was elusive. Before, during, and after the Civil War, white abolitionists and Republicans refused to secure equal employment opportunity for Black Bostonians, condemning most of them to poverty. Still, Jones finds, some Black entrepreneurs ingeniously created their own jobs and forged their own career paths.

Highlighting the everyday struggles of ordinary Black workers, this book shows how injustice in the workplace prevented Boston--and the United States--from securing true equality for all.

The Life-Changing Magic of Chess isa beginner's guide to the strategy game for children, with secrets from Grandmaster Maurice Ashley.

Discover why the world's first Black Grandmaster Maurice Ashley thinks that chess is one of the best skills in life. Follow him on a journey from Jamaica to New York to the world stage where he has taught thousands of young people the life philosophies of the game.
Part biography, part skills and fully oozing with passion, this book offers:

• A child-friendly, joy-filled introduction to the game of chess
• Step-by-step illustrations of basic and advanced chess skills
• Tips and motivation from the first Black Grandmaster, Maurice Ashley

Learn about the chess board and pieces, sequences such as Scholar's Mate, and skills like castling. With fun-filled, engaging illustrations from Denis Angelov, and in the inspirational words of Maurice Ashley, this is the perfect book to inspire a child to find their life's passion.

Life-Changing Magic Series
The Life-Changing Magic of Skateboarding by Sky Brown and illustrator Shaw Davidson
The Life-Changing Magic of Chess by Maurice Ashley and illustrator Denis Angelov
The Life-Changing Magic of Baking by Joy Wilson
The Life-Changing Magic of Druming by Nandi Bushnell

Muhammad Ali was so terrified of flying on planes, he carried a parachute!

He never read a book--not even his own autobiography!

And he had an official taster to determine how salty his sweat was after each bout!

Wait! What?

Siblings Paige and Turner have collected some of the wackiest and most surprising facts about the legendary boxer and antiwar activist, from his childhood and the spark of his boxing career through his three heavyweight championships and beyond.

Narrated by the two spirited siblings and animated by Allison Steinfeld's upbeat illustrations, Wait! What? Muhammad Ali Was a Chicken? is an authoritative, accessible, and one-of-a-kind biography infused with Dan Gutman's signature zany sense of humor.

About This Book

In the series opener, Chloe and Chris learn about the importance of balance and how balance applies to the three branches of government. This is sure to be a fun ride as Chloe and Chris embark on an informative journey through Washington, DC!

About The Series

Join Chloe and Chris on a series of adventures to explore the unique foundation of the United States government. These stories nurture the curiosity of young readers and their families and equip them with the knowledge to grow into more conscious citizens.

Just imagine - a night encouraging a young mind and providing perspective. The flash fiction, HBCU Night, tells the story of a young ambitious girl named, Imani, who is curious about what an HBCU is. Follow along as Imani's mother and brother help her discover excellence at the greatest HBCU night of all time!

"If you are wondering how to begin confronting Anti-Black racism in your classroom, start with What Lane?"--School Library Journal: The Classroom Bookshelf

"STAY IN YOUR LANE." Stephen doesn't want to hear that--he wants to have no lane.

Anything his friends can do, Stephen should be able to do too, right? So when they dare each other to sneak into an abandoned building, he doesn't think it's his lane, but he goes. Here's the thing, though: Can he do everything his friends can? Lately, he's not so sure. As a mixed kid, he feels like he's living in two worlds with different rules--and he's been noticing that strangers treat him differently than his white friends . . .

So what'll he do? Hold on tight as Stephen swerves in and out of lanes to find out which are his--and who should be with him.

Torrey Maldonado, author of the highly acclaimed Tight, does a masterful job showing a young boy coming of age in a racially split world, trying to blaze a way to be his best self.

The poems of award-winning poet Yona Harvey's much anticipated You Don't Have to Go to Mars for Love follow an unnamed protagonist on her multidimensional, Afro-futuristic journey. Her story stretches the boundaries normally constraining a black, female body like hers. Half-superhero, half-secret-identity, she encounters side-slipping, speculative realities testing her in poems that appear like the panels of a comic book. Music directs readers through large and small emotional arcs, constantly retroubled by lyric experimentation. Harvey layers her poems with a chorus of women's voices. Her artful use of refrain emphasizes the protagonist's meaning making and doubling back: "Who am I to say? The eye is often mistaken. Or is it the mind? Always eager to interpret." Our hero is captured, escapes, scuba dives, goes interstellar, and she emerges on the other end of her journey renewed, invoking the gods: "taunt the sharks. & when the glaciers get to melting, / all God's River's we shall haunt."

To foil the context was to outrun the authority's imagination. And to refuse all explanations of why what we felt was not real.

To disarm the wolf every time at every gate. Unthread its learnedness and don the lonely pelt.

The poems of Alt-Nature move in desert dreams and riverbeds. Here, geography forms the basis of feeling and connection in the American Southwest. Being and becoming along meridians of environmental degradation, globalized/ing militarism, and incarceration, Saretta Morgan thinks through the languages that instantiate violence alongside those which prepare the body for love.

Inspired by the incredible true story of Josephine Baker's role in the French Resistance, this is a heart-wrenching, unforgettable tale of the strength of the human spirit in the darkest days of World War II.

In the City of Light, one woman will stand against darkness.

Paris, 1941. With Nazi occupation imminent, journalist Elodie Mitchell plans to return home to Chicago. But an unexpected invitation to a Josephine Baker show changes everything.

Mistaken for the star, Elodie is whisked backstage, where she uncovers an underground resistance movement hidden beneath the glitz and glamour.

Drawn into a whisper network of spies, Elodie accepts a perilous mission: to go undercover as Josephine's cousin and gather vital intelligence.

In a world on the edge of darkness, Elodie must summon unwavering courage to protect her beloved adopted city and its people - and getting caught is not an option.

A wartime epic about love, bravery and fighting against prejudice in all its forms, perfect for fans of Kate Quinn, Marie Benedict and Pam Jenoff.

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Readers adore Code Name Butterfly:

'A WWII story with a difference...' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'The setting and atmosphere is stellar!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I felt like I was in Paris! Susberry's vivid descriptions were phenomenal.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I've read many books with this setting, but none as wonderfully immersive as this one.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Could not recommend it more! Have never read a book so fast!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Draws the reader in from the first page and doesn't let go. Please pick it up! It won't disappoint.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'An interesting, well researched and well written book. An excellent read.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A complex story about more than just WWII in France or Josephine Baker.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'It's about family, racism, and courage. I loved it.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"This powerful trinity of Black authors invites us into the living room of their hearts, affirming who we are with earthy straight talk, textured diversity, and wise tenderness."--Ruth King

Real talk on living joyfully and coming home to ourselves--with reflective self-care practices to help us on our interconnected journeys of liberation

Join three friends, three Black women, all teachers in the Plum Village tradition founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, in intimate conversation, touching on the pain and beauty of their families of origin, relationships and loneliness, intimacy and sexuality, politics, popular culture, race, self-care and healing. No subject is out of bounds in this free-flowing, wide-ranging offering of mindful wisdom to nourish our sense of belonging and connection with ancestors.

Authors Valerie Brown, Marisela Gomez, MD, and Kaira Jewel Lingo share how the Dharma's timeless teachings support their work for social and racial equity and justice in their work and personal lives. The book offers insights in embodied mindfulness practice to support us in healing white supremacy, internalized racial oppression, and social and cultural conditioning, leading to a firm sense of belonging and abiding joy.

Songs from Under the River is a best-of collection, curated after six captivating years of national performances, features cherished verses carefully selected for Mojgani's third Write Bloody release.

This compilation is not limited to the well-known hits, it also houses hidden gems, personal favorite poems, and never-before-seen works, unveiling the artist's Nola spirit in its entirety.

Mojgani's words will hit deep within your heart, leaving you in awe of this strange world, a testament to the power of courageous desire.

A stunning collection of plays from Pulitzer Prize-winning
playwright Suzan-Lori Parks that captures the societal rupture of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 13, 2020, as theaters shut their doors and so many of us went into lockdown, Suzan-Lori Parks
picked up her pen and set out to write a play every day. What emerged
is a breathtaking chronicle of our collective experience throughout the
troubling days and nights that followed.

Plays for the Plague Year is
at once a personal story of one family's daily lives, as well as a
sweeping account of all we faced as a city, a nation, and a global
community.
Parks' groundbreaking new work is brimming with humanity, bears witness
to what we've experienced, and offers inspiration as we look ahead.