Discover new books on Goodreads

See if your friends have read any of Martha S. Jones's books

101 ratings | 7 reviews | avg rating:4.97

Martha’s Year In Books

Martha’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Martha’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Martha’s 2025 Year in Books

Martha S. Jones’s Followers (109)

Martha’s Bookshelves

to-read (2)
currently-reading (2)
read (117)
did-not-finish (0)

Martha’s Friends (10)

Ava Cairns

10,204 books | 1,475 friends

Raymond

1,379 books | 1,192 friends

Kelly

508 books | 168 friends

Jennifer J. Thompson Burns, PhD

1,223 books | 14 friends

Lydia

944 books | 73 friends

Erica

3,328 books | 212 friends

Elle

694 books | 9 friends

Erica James

0 books | 17 friends

More friends…

Martha S. Jones

Goodreads Author

Born

New York, New York, The United States

Website

http://marthasjones.com

Twitter

marthasjones_

Genre

Memoir, History, Nonfiction

Member Since

March 2015

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/marthasjones

edit data

I am a writer, historian, and legal scholar who also teaches at the Johns Hopkins University. I am also the prize-winning author of several books. My latest - THE TROUBLE OF COLOR: AN AMERICAN FAMILY MEMOIR - is a big departure for me, turning my historian's lens toward my own family and myself. I've gone deep into who, as Americans, we call family and how that has changed across generations. It's a story that runs from slavery and sexual violence and anti-miscegenation laws to Jim Crow and civil rights. Throughout, my questions are about how color and the line it is said to draw across our lives and our national landscape is a legal fact and an everyday fiction.My past books include Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, a ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Martha S. Jones questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Martha S. Jones’s books

Average rating: 4.08 · 2,401 ratings · 465 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times (Contributor), Caitlin Roper (Editor) 4.61 avg rating — 25,912 ratings — published 2019 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All 4.04 avg rating — 848 ratings — published 2020 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Drawing the Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Voting in America by Tommy Jenkins, Kati Lacker (Illustrations), Martha S. Jones (Goodreads Author) (Introduction) 3.76 avg rating — 527 ratings — published 2020 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir 3.97 avg rating — 287 ratings — published 2025 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America 4.01 avg rating — 218 ratings — published 2018 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	All Bound Up Together: The Woman Question in African American Public Culture, 1830-1900 4.04 avg rating — 50 ratings — published 2007 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Toward an Intellectual History of Black Women (The John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture) by Mia E. Bay (editor), Farah J. Griffin (Editor), Martha S. Jones (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 4.51 avg rating — 41 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Permanent Waves: Recasting Histories of U.S. Feminism by Nancy A. Hewitt (Editor), Marisela R. Chavez (Contributor), Dorothy Sue Cobble (Contributor) 3.93 avg rating — 45 ratings — published 2010 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Race and Nation in the Age of Emancipations by Whitney Stewart (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Julie Saville (Foreword), Ikuko Asaka (Contributor) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	What's in a name? 'Mixed,' 'biracial,' 'black' it was ok 2.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Martha S. Jones…

28 posts
Martha S. Jones's Blog

At the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy.

David Myers and the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy offered me a unique opportunity to reflect out loud on writing history in troubled time with an invitation to the “Historians and Society” series. I took the occasion to explore my own concerns and conflicts about being a historian of citizenship in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. I very grateful to my UCLA colleagues who listened w

Martha is Currently Reading

Martha Jones is currently reading

Three Guineas: The Virginia Woolf Library Authorized Edition

by Virginia Woolf

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dec 28, 2025 03:10PM

Martha Jones is currently reading

The Unexpected Diva

by Tiffany L. Warren (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dec 22, 2025 12:26PM

rss
Martha’s Recent Updates

Martha Jones is currently reading Three Guineas: The Virginia Woolf Library Authorized Edition by Virginia Woolf	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 28, 2025 03:10PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Martha Jones is currently reading The Unexpected Diva by Tiffany L. Warren (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 22, 2025 12:26PM · like
Martha Jones finished reading Melting the Blues by Tracy Chiles McGhee (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 15, 2025 07:00PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Melting the Blues by Tracy Chiles McGhee. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Melting the Blues by Tracy Chiles McGhee <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Martha Jones is currently reading Melting the Blues by Tracy Chiles McGhee (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 12, 2025 10:47AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Melting the Blues by Tracy Chiles McGhee. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Melting the Blues by Tracy Chiles McGhee <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Martha Jones rated a book it was amazing Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 05, 2025 09:25PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Baldwin by Nicholas Boggs. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Baldwin by Nicholas Boggs <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Martha Jones finished reading Colored Television by Danzy Senna	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 11, 2025 04:09PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Colored Television by Danzy Senna. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Colored Television by Danzy Senna <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Martha Jones is currently reading Colored Television by Danzy Senna	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 07, 2025 01:11PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Colored Television by Danzy Senna. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Colored Television by Danzy Senna <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Martha Jones wants to read Misbehaving at the Crossroads: Essays & Writings – A Personal and Historical Exploration of Black Women's Journeys Through Intersectionality by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 26, 2025 02:56AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Misbehaving at the Crossroads by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Misbehaving at the Crossroads by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Martha Jones rated a book really liked it Family & Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I love the momentum that builds to a crescendo in this novel! Leslie Streeter’s voice is clear and engaging - like a friend telling us a fascinating story!
Jun 24, 2025 05:01AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Family & Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Family & Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Martha Jones liked Erica’s status update Erica wants to read Necessary Fiction
Jun 24, 2025 05:00AM · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Martha's books…

Quotes by Martha S. Jones (?)

“correct”
― Martha S. Jones, Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All

0 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Ultimate Popsugar...: 34 - A book about a social justice issue	99	2412	Dec 28, 2021 01:15PM
Ultimate Popsugar...: Week 6: 2/2 - 2/8	68	170	Feb 14, 2024 09:23PM
Ultimate Popsugar...: Week 7: 2/8 - 2/15	119	140	Feb 22, 2024 07:23AM
Ultimate Popsugar...: Week 8: 2/16 - 2/22	114	130	Apr 06, 2024 04:39PM
Read Women: Best Black History Books of 2025	3	14	Dec 15, 2025 01:45PM
Read Women: Long reads, essays, podcasts and other recommended content	239	216	Aug 27, 2026 12:58AM

More…

Martha’s Friend Comments

No comments have been added yet.

Martha S. Jones’s Followers (109)

Martha S. Jones

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions

rssMartha’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf

See a Problem?

Preview — Melting the Blues by Tracy Chiles McGhee

See a Problem?

Preview — Melting the Blues by Tracy Chiles McGhee

See a Problem?

Preview — Baldwin by Nicholas Boggs

See a Problem?

Preview — Colored Television by Danzy Senna

See a Problem?

Preview — Colored Television by Danzy Senna

See a Problem?

Preview — Misbehaving at the Crossroads by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

See a Problem?

Preview — Family & Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter

See a Problem?

Preview — Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde

Topics Mentioning This Author

rss
Martha’s Recent Updates