Books for Black History Month

By Coll Rowe | January 2 2025 | History

Join Penguin Random House Education in celebrating the contributions of Black authors and illustrators. In honor of Black History Month in February, we are highlighting essential fiction and nonfiction to be shared and discussed by students and teachers alike.

Black History – Middle School

Black History – High School

Explore additional books by Black creators that will educate, empower, and inspire students all year long:

HISTORY

FAMILY & CULTURE

FICTION

POETRY

SOCIAL JUSTICE

THE ARTS

FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION

PICTURE BOOKS

Gather Me
Gather Me
A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me
Glory Edim
9780525619796
An inspiring memoir of family, community, and resilience, and an ode to the power of books to help us understand ourselves, from the renowned founder of Well-Read Black Girl
$28.00 US
Oct 29, 2024
Hardcover
288 Pages
Ballantine Books
Civil Rights Queen
Civil Rights Queen
Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality
Tomiko Brown-Nagin
9780525436102
Here is the first major biography of one of our most influential judges—an activist lawyer who became the first Black woman appointed to the federal judiciary—that provides an eye-opening account of the twin struggles for gender equality and civil rights in the 20th Century.
$21.00 US
Mar 07, 2023
Paperback
528 Pages
Vintage
Breaking the Chains
Breaking the Chains
African American Slave Resistance
William Loren Katz
9781644212653
Centering Black voices and the narratives of enslaved people, this young adult history offers a thoroughly researched account with first-hand testimonies of how people in bondage were themselves a driving force behind their own emancipation. Features a new introduction by Robin D. G. Kelley, black & white illustrations and photographs, and updates throughout."A significant contribution to American history."–Kirkus Reviews“[Breaking the Chains] will force many readers to reexamine their assumptions about American history….Young adults will be fascinated and better informed for having experienced this book.” –School Library Journal, starred review
$16.95 US
Jan 30, 2024
Paperback
256 Pages
Triangle Square
American Wings
American Wings
Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky
Sherri L. Smith, Elizabeth Wein
9780593323984
From the acclaimed author of Flygirl and the bestselling author of Code Name Verity comes the thrilling and inspiring true story of the desegregation of the skies.
$19.99 US
Jan 16, 2024
Hardcover
384 Pages
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Timelines from Black History
Timelines from Black History
Leaders, Legends, Legacies
DK
9780744039092
Amazing visual timelines take readers through the people and the issues that have shaped Black history
$19.99 US
Jan 19, 2021
Hardcover
96 Pages
DK Children
Radiant
Radiant
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
9780593855782
A historical middle-grade novel in verse from multiple Coretta Scott King winner Vaunda Micheaux Nelson.
$18.99 US
Jan 07, 2025
Hardcover
320 Pages
Dutton Books for Young Readers
A Mighty Long Way (Adapted for Young Readers)
A Mighty Long Way (Adapted for Young Readers)
My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School
Carlotta Walls LaNier, Lisa Frazier Page
9780593486788
Follow the story of Carlotta Walls LaNier, who in 1957 at the age of fourteen was one of nine black students who integrated the all-white Little Rock Central High School and became known as the Little Rock Nine.
$9.99 US
Jan 16, 2024
Paperback
304 Pages
Yearling
Tags:

Related articles

Books for Native American Heritage Month
Books for Native American Heritage Month
October 3 2024 | English Language ArtsSocial StudiesHistory

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month this November, Penguin Random House Education is highlighting books that detail the history of Native Americans, and stories that explore Native American culture and experiences. Browse our collections here: Native American Creators Native American History & Culture

Read more

Books for Native American Heritage Month

English Language ArtsSocial StudiesHistory
Unearthing Organic Farming History While Reconnecting with My Punjabi/Cali Roots
Unearthing Organic Farming History While Reconnecting with My Punjabi/Cali Roots
October 3 2024 | English Language ArtsSocial StudiesHistory

A Q&A with Jaclyn Moyer In 2012, twenty-five-year-old Jackie Moyer—the daughter of a forbidden marriage between a white American father and a Punjabi American mother—leased 10 acres of land in Gold Hill, California, and embarked on a career in organic farming. With a fractured relationship to her heritage, Moyer saw an opportunity for repair when she learned

Read more

Unearthing Organic Farming History While Reconnecting with My Punjabi/Cali Roots

English Language ArtsSocial StudiesHistory