African Dance

A “meticulously researched and comprehensive” (Financial Times) history of the devastating war in the heart of Africa’s Congo At the heart of Africa is the Congo, a country the size of western Europe. It borders nine other nations, and since 1996 it has been racked by a brutal war in which...

In this illuminating biographical novel, Sherry Jones spans Josephine Baker's early years in servitude and poverty in America to her rise to fame as a showgirl in her famous banana skirt to her activism against discrimination, and her many loves and losses. From 1920s Paris to 1960s Washington to her final, triumphant performance, one of the most extraordinary lives of the 20th century comes to stunning life on the page. With intimate prose and comprehensive research, Sherry Jones brings Josephine Baker into focus for the first time in a joyous celebration of a life lived in technicolor.

Africa’s Child is the story of a mixed-race girl growing up in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania, East Africa. Raised in an orphanage with no knowledge of her origins or family, she endured abandonment, hardships, severe illnesses, and bullying. Her experiences as a child and teenager included physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, social stigma, and racial discrimination. Yet Nhambu tells her inspiring story with warmth and humor.

Winner of the African American Literary Award for Fiction, Essence® best-selling author Victoria Christopher Murray delivers a cautionary tale about debt and the dangers of an overly tempting offer. Married at 17, Adam and Evia Langston have worked their way up from rags to riches. But as they are enjoying all the trappings of their success, a financial downturn leaves them teetering on the brink of disaster. And that’s when Evia’s boss makes the Langstons a fivemillion dollar offer they can’t refuse.

JC Burke catapulted straight from film school to Hollywood darling, churning out “Black trauma” films that have made her a household name but at what price? When she abandons the set of her latest production to flee to her hometown Parable, Texas, JC is forced to reconsider the career that made her a superstar, as well as reexamine her deteriorating relationship with her producing partner, Hudson Pyke.

A ballerina at the height of her powers becomes consumed with finding her missing brother in this “striking debut” (Oprah Daily). “A compelling novel about the spiritual and bodily costs of the dogged pursuit of art.”—Raven Leilani, author of Luster LONGLISTED FOR THE CAROL SHIELDS...

Wise Black women have known for centuries that the blues have been a platform for truth-telling, an underground musical railroad to survival, and an essential form of resistance, healing, and learning. In her highly anticipated follow-up to the widely acclaimed Pushout, now a core text for teachers and principals on the criminalization of Black girls in schools, leading advocate Monique W. Morris invokes the spirit of the blues to articulate a radically healing and empowering pedagogy for Black and Brown girls.

Kimani reimagines the rise and fall of colonialism in Africa by telling the story of the birth of Kenya's railroad. Set in the shadow of Kenya's independence from Great Britain, Dance of the Jakaranda reimagines the rise and fall of colonialism and the special circumstances that brought black, brown, and white men together to lay the railroad that heralded the birth of the nation.

A “lyrical debut” (USA Today) about a Black woman who is finally given a chance to pursue her dream of becoming a renowned choreographer, only to find that it comes at a tremendous personal cost ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE FALL: People, Oprah Daily, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Woman’s...

Acclaimed author Sheila Williams tells the compelling story of a middle-aged woman who is looking for excitement and takes a chance at starting over. The adventures Juanita encounters in her new town, Paper Moon, test her hope and courage and give her a sense of self-confidence that she never had before.

For many communities in the developing world, rivers and gorges can be dangerous obstacles to clinics, schools, and markets. In a forgotten corner of Eastern Zambia, south of the Great East Road and 5 kilometers from the Mozambique border, two middle-aged Americans, armed with little more than bags of cement, “free children” and volunteers from eight surrounding villages, set out to build something amazing—a 350-foot-long bridge that dances. Drawn from the author’s journal written under a shady tree next to her tent in the witchcraft free zone and under the watchful eye and ...

African Dance with Passion is a vibrant introduction to African Dances from all over the continent. This book breaks down the various dance techniques, educates you about the cultures that created the dances, and explains the meanings behind them. You will learn the detailed choreography of 10 different dances and become familiar with the elements, such as the use of a live drummer, that make African dance authentic and unique. This book helps prepare your mind and body for the dancing and introduces foundational techniques. It provides a template for dances that can be taught in classes ...

From celebrated ballerina and New York Times bestselling author Misty Copeland, a heartfelt memoir about her friendship with trailblazer Raven Wilkinson which captures the importance of mentorship, shared history, and honoring the past to ensure a stronger future. Misty Copeland made history as...

What happens when the most precise artist of his generation chooses silence instead of collapse? At the height of global success—sold-out world tours, viral anthems, critical acclaim—Stromae vanished. Concerts were canceled. Interviews stopped. Rumors spread. In an industry built on visibility, he chose disappearance. This book is not a celebration of fame. It is an anatomy of survival. Stromae — Dancing With Silence is a deep, literary exploration of one of the most enigmatic figures in modern music. From his Belgian–Rwandan identity to the trauma of a father lost in genocide, from...

Finalist for the Locus Award Belletrist Book Club Pick From Philip K. Dick Award finalist Elwin Cotman, an irresistibly unnerving collection of stories that explore the anxieties of living while Black—a high-wire act of literary-fantastical hybrid fiction. A rural town finds itself under the...

The African is Harold Courlander’s critically-acclaimed novel of the slave trade as seen through the eyes of Hwesuhunu. An insightful journey through the volatile frontiers of American slavery, this unforgettable story is the riveting primary source for Alex Haley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Roots.

The past is a tricky place. For some, it's a place to be held on to desperately, for others, a place never to be revisited. For Micah Oramah, the pain of a profound loss has caused his faith to be shaken. Blinded by grief, he questions if serving God is actually worth it. Former gay makeup artist, Zainab Baruwa-Phillips is head over heels in love with God. The only cloud is her past which she is desperate to erase. However, she'll learn that her past is a strength God is looking to use for his glory. Almost everything in Shola's life seems to be falling apart. With a rain of emotions ...

Artwork, blogs, articles, and essays by Janie McGee

Michaela DePrince was known as girl no. 27 at the orphanage where she was abandoned at a young age and tormented as a "devil child" for a skin condition that makes her skin appear spotted. But it was at the orphanage that Michaela would find a picture of a beautiful ballerina en pointe that would help change the course of her life. At the age of four, Michaela was adopted by an American family who encouraged her love of dancing and enrolled her in classes.

“Smith’s thrilling cultural insights never overshadow the wholeness of her characters, who are so keenly observed that one feels witness to their lives.” —O, The Oprah Magazine “A sweeping meditation on art, race, and identity that may be [Smith’s] most ambitious work yet.”...