Afro Book Club discussion

Please share with us interesting non fiction books you've read or have heard about

Books listed below:

My current read The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality

and

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America

Brutally honest account of a reign of terror in central Florida.
Well-researched and very accessible to read - talks not just to big players but also to the lesser known heroes. Focus on the Groveland incident but also seamlessly informs on the broader events in Florida and the United States.

A MUST read for all interested in American history.

If you like Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II and The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, this is another one to add to your tbr list.

All my friends that have read this book gave it a 5.

Here are my non-fiction suggestions:



When We Ruled: The Ancient and Medieval History of Black Civilisations by Robin Walker
The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution by C.L.R. James
Black England by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina

Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America by Eugene Robinson

“There was a time when there were agreed-upon 'black leaders,' when there was a clear 'black agenda,' when we could talk confidently about 'the state of black America'—but not anymore.” —from Disintegration

The African American population in the United States has always been seen as a single entity: a “Black America” with unified interests and needs. In his groundbreaking book, Disintegration, Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist Eugene Robinson argues that over decades of desegregation, affirmative action, and immigration, the concept of Black America has shattered. Instead of one black America, now there are four.

Intellectual Life and Legacy of Timbuktu by Robin Walker describes the historical written tradition from West Africa. This is a short but useful overview of West Africa's 'lost' libraries.

Has anyone in this group read George B.N. Ayittey?

If so which of his books did you read?

Beverly wrote: "Has anyone in this group read George B.N. Ayittey?

If so which of his books did you read?"

No I havent but have checked all his books - what would you recommend Beverly?

Donald wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Has anyone in this group read George B.N. Ayittey?

If so which of his books did you read?"

No I havent but have checked all his books - what would you recommend Bev..."

I have not read this author but was thinking of reading one of his books and wanted to know what others thought.

I was wondering if any of you have read any books about humanitarian services in Africa, for example, memoirs of a Peace Corps volunteer or maybe a nurse for Doctors Without Borders. If anybody could suggest any, that would be great!

Exchanging Our Country Marks: The Transformation of African Identities in the Colonial and Antebellum South by Michael A. Gomez



Glad to see this book is now out as an ebook.
Very informative.

Taylor wrote: "I was wondering if any of you have read any books about humanitarian services in Africa, for example, memoirs of a Peace Corps volunteer or maybe a nurse for Doctors Without Borders. If anybody cou..."

Taylor, are you joining the Peace Corp? Or Volunteering in Africa?
I found this link


and here is a link to Listopia with Peace Corps books
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/5...

Our January read also covers Peace Corps

Yes, I am in the process of applying to the Peace Corps.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson is the story the mass migration of African Americans during the twentieth century.

Are there particular topics of interest in terms of non fiction here?

Andrew wrote: "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson is the story the mass migration of African Americans during the twentieth c..."

Andrew - I think The Warmth of Other Suns is a MUST read! I thought the way the author laid out the format of the book and the storytelling was just brilliant. That she used the three different migration paths, used three different decades, and use three different people from three different economic status to provide a fully informed comprehensive reporting for the Great Migration.

Beverly wrote: "Andrew wrote: "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson is the story the mass migration of African Americans during ..."

Agreed. It's a must read. It's clear that the author gave all of herself to this book. Certainly one of the best books ever written.

Thanks suggestion on The warmth of other sons - will put it on this year's read list

Raylene wrote: "Are there particular topics of interest in terms of non fiction here?"

No specific themes, we suggest non fiction books written by authors of African descent to share information and views about books among members of the club

I'm finishing up "The Wealth Choice" by Dennis Kimbro. I almost didn't keep reading because it wasn't what I expected. But once I realized what he was doing, I found it captivating. This book discusses countless African American self-made millionaires and how they attained their wealth. He extrapolates similarities from their stories to create a guide to becoming wealthy. But the book isn't about having a lot of money. It's about the quality of life aspects that come along with being wealthy. In case it matters to anyone, it contains several biblical references.

Here is a link to download pdf of the following books

http://thehouseofsankofa.com/booklist...

Stolen Legacy by George G.M.James
They Came Before Columbus by Ivan Van Sertima
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney
Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Kushite Empire byDrucislla Houston

Mis- Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson

I just finished up 'THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA' for a course in African Literature in school. It is a rather sweet telling of her life in Kenya of the early 1900s, as a child, growing up against the backdrop of very early colonial Africa.

Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities by Craig Steven Wilder

This is a very impressive well-researched book. Wilder demonstrates American college's active participation in their contributions to a political, social, economic culture rooted in racism. The book covers the 1600s - 1830s period. Said he ended it there as this was when the psuedo-science of racial inferiority theories were developed at the universities and their separation for the their founding religious denominations resulting in the rise in prestige for the schools.

Slavery's Exiles: The Story of the American Maroons by Sylviane A. Diouf

Over more than two centuries men, women, and children escaped from slavery to make the Southern wilderness their home. They hid in the mountains of Virginia and the low swamps of South Carolina; they stayed in the neighborhood or paddled their way to secluded places; they buried themselves underground or built comfortable settlements. Known as maroons, they lived on their own or set up communities in swamps or other areas where they were not likely to be discovered.
Although well-known, feared, celebrated or demonized at the time, the maroons whose stories are the subject of this book have been forgotten, overlooked by academic research that has focused on the Caribbean and Latin America.

This is a marvelous research study that informs about a very important missing piece of American history, slave resistance, and self-determination. This book does not leave any stone unturned as I was informed about the development of marronage in the South, borderland maroons, hinterland maroons, their everyday lives and much more. I appreciated how Diouf explored American marronage on the communal and individual levels. This helped to understand how marronage fit into the American landscape and social/economic/political conditions of the times. The stories of the individuals showcased the theory but most importantly illustrated the skills, intelligence and self-motivation to define themselves by their own terms and not to live under the control of others. One of the most fascinating aspects of learning about the everyday lives of maroons for me was about their dwelling structures – the caves and underground structures so close to those who were hunting them yet invisible. Lastly, I was also provided answers as to why this is not a topic as known as “runaways” – little sensationalism in the maroons’ daily lives, their autonomous survival without white involvement had little mass appeal, and southerners really did not want this known outside of their region because of their difficulty in capturing and eliminating maroons.
A must read for anyone who is interested in American history, slavery, and resistance to being enslaved. I look forward to this book winning many awards.

Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

While not a fan of memoirs - that I enjoyed this book is a testament to the storytelling abilities of Ngugi wa Thiong'o.