Pride, Struggle & Triumph:

A Celebration of African-American Achievement

Art/Photography

The Art of John Biggers
Alvia J. Wardlaw. Abrams, 1995. [B 759.13 Wardlaw]
Reaches of the Heart: A Biography of Charles White
F. B. Barrett. Barricade, 1994. [B 760.092 White W]
Carolina Clay: The Life and Legend of the Slave Potter Dave
Leonard Todd. Norton, 2008. [B Dave T]
Voices in the Mirror: An Autobiography
Gordon Parks. Doubleday, 1990. [B Parks]

Business

A Gentleman of Color: The Life of James Forten
Julie Winch. OUP, 2002. [B Forten W]
Her Dream of Dreams: The Rise & Triumph of Madame C. J. Walker
Beverly Lowry. Knopf, 2003. [B Walker L]
In the Black: A History of African Americans on Wall Street
Gregory S. Bell. Wiley, 2002. [332.632 Bell]
The Road to Someplace Better: From the Segregated South to Harvard Business School & Beyond
Lillian Lincoln Lambert w/Rosemary Brutico. [B Lambert]

Civil Rights

Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary.
Jasmine Guy. Atria, 2005, 2004. [B Shakur G]
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Clayborne Carson (ed). Warner, 1998. [B King K]
Betty Shabazz: A Remarkable Story of Survival & Faith Before & After Malcolm X
Russell J. Rickford. Sourcebooks, 2003. [B Shabazz R]
Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero
Kate Clifford Larson. Ballantine, 2004. [B Tubman L]
Days of Grace
Arthur Ashe. Knopf, 1993. [B Ashe A]
Ella Baker: Freedom Bound
Joanne Grant. Wiley, 1998. [B Baker G]
Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights
Tananarive Due & Patricia Due. One World, 2003. [323.092 Due]
Freedom's Daughter's: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970.
Lynne Olson. Scribner, 2001. [323.092 Olson]
A Gentleman of Color: The Life of James Forten
Julie Winch. Oxford, 2002. [B Forten W]
Have No Fear: The Charles Evers Story
Charles Evers & Andrew Szanton. Wiley, 1997. [B Evers E]
His Promised Land: The Autobiography of John P. Parker, Former Slave and Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Stuart Seely Sprague (ed). Norton, 1996. [B Parker]
Jesse: The Life & Pilgrimage of Jesse Jackson
Marshall Frady. Random, 1996. [B Jackson F]
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention
Manning Marable. Viking, 2011. [B MalcolmX M]
Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr
Michael Vinson Williams. Univ. of AK, 2011. [B Evers W]
A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School
Carlotta Walls LaNier w/Lisa Frazier Page. OneWorld, 2009. [B Lanier]
Negro with a Hat: The Rise & Fall of Marcus Garvey
Colin Grant. Oxford, 2008. [B320.5 Garvey G]
Panther Baby: A Life of Rebellion & Reinvention
Jamal Joseph. Algonquin, 2012. [B Jopseh J]
Paul Cuffe: Black America & the African Return
Sheldon H. Harris. S&S, 1972. [B Cuffe H]
Rosa Parks: A Biography
Joyce A. Henson. Greenwood, 2011. [B Parks H]
Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol
Nell Irvin Painter. Norton, 1996. [B Truth P]
Soul on Fire
Eldridge Cleaver. Word, 1978. [B Cleaver]
To Tell the Truth Freely: The Life of Ida B. Wells
Mia Bay. Hill & Wang, 2009. [B Wells B]

Education

Up from History: The Life of Booker T. Washington
Robert J. Norrell. Belknap Press, 2009 [B Washington N]

Entertainment

Dance

Alvin Ailey: A Life in Dance
Jennifer Dunning. Addison-Wesley, 1996. [B Ailey D]
Geoffrey Holder: A Life in Theater, Dance & Art
Jennifer Dunning. Abrams, 2002. [700.92 Holder D]

Actors, Comedians, Film Directors

Becoming Something: The Story of Canada Lee
Mona Z. Smith. Faber & Faber, 2004. [B Lee S]
Danny Glover
Gloria Blakely. Chelsea House, 2001. [B Glover B]
Dorothy Dandridge
Donald Bogle. Amistad, 1997. [B Dandridge B]
The First Black Actors on the Great White Way
Susan Curtis. Univ. of MO, 1998. [B 792 Curtis]
Halle Berry
Corinne J. Naden. Chelsea House, 2002. [B Barry N]
James Earl Jones: Voices & Silences
James Earl Jones. Scribner, 1993. [792.028 Jones J]
Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon
Aram Goudsouzian. Univ. of NC, 2004. [B Poitier G]
Spike Lee: By Any Means Necessary
James Haskins. Walker, 1997. [B 791.43 Lee H]
Whoopi Goldberg
James Robert Parrish. Carol, 1997. [B Goldberg P]
Will Smith
Lisa M. Iannucci. ABC-CLIO, 2009. [B Smith I]

Singers

Aretha: From These Roots
Aretha Franklin & David Ritz. Villard, 1999. [B Franklin]
Between You and Me
Pearl Bailey. Doubleday, 1989. [B Bailey B]
Blues Legacies & Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith & Billie Holiday
Angela Y. Davis. Pantheon, 1998. [782.421643 Davis]
Call Her Miss Ross: The Unauthorized Biography of Diana Ross
J. Randy Taraborrelli. Carol, 1989. [B Ross T]
Chuck Berry: The Autobiography
Chuck Berry. Harmony, 1987. [B Berry B]
Decoded
Jay-Z. S&G, 2010. [781.649 Jayz]
Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell
Michael Gray. Chicago Review Press, 2009. [B McTell G]
I Feel Good: A Memoir of a Life of Soul .
James Brown. NAL, 2004. [B Brown]
In Black and White: The Life of Sammt Davis, Jr.
Wil Haygood. Knopf, 2003. [B Davis H]
Josephine: The Hungry Heart
Jean-Claude Baker & Chris Chase. Random, 1993. [792.8 Baker]
Marian Anderson: A Singer's Journey
Allan Keiler. Scribner, 2000. [B Anderson K]
Nat King Cole
Daniel Mark Epstein. FSG, 1999. [B Cole E]
Nina Simone
David Brun-Lambert. Aurum, 2009. [B Simone B]
Paul Robeson
Martin B. Duberman. Knopf, 1989. [B Robeson]
Prince: Inside the Music & the Masks.
Ronin Ro. St. Martin's, 2011. [B Prince R]
Queen: The Life & Music of Dinah Washington
Nadine Cohodas. Pantheon, 2004.. [B Washington C]
What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years
Rickey Riccardi. Pantheon, 2011. [B Armstrong R]

Journalism/Media

My Long Trip Home: A Family Memoir
Mark Whitaker. S&S, 2011. [B Whitaker]
A Personal Odyssey
Thomas Sowell. Free Press, 2000. [B Sowell S]
Role of a Lifetime
James Brown w/Nathan Whittaker. Faithwords, 2009. [B Brown B]

Law

Black Robes, White Justice
by Bruce Wright. Stuart, 1987. [B Wright]
Equal Justice Under Law: An Autobiography
Constance Baker Motley. FSG, 1998. [347.7314 Motley]
In Contempt
Christopher A. Darden with Jess Walter. ReganBooks, 1996. [345.730252 Darden]
Knocking Down Barriers: My Fight for Black America
Truman K. Gibson w/Steve Huntley. Northwestern, 2005. [B Gibson G]
A Lawyer's Life
Johnnie Cochran. [B Cochran C]
Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary
Juan Williams. Random, 1998. [B Marshall W]
Vernon Can Read: A Memoir
Vernon Jordan, Jr., with Annette Gordon-Reed. PublicAffairs, 2001. [B Jordan J]

Literature

Alice Walker: A Life
Evelyn C. White. Norton, 2004. [B Walker W]
All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes
Amiri Baraka. Freundlich, 1984. [B Baraka B]
The Life of Langston Hughes
Arnold Rampersad. 2 vols. Oxford UP, 1986-88. [B Hughes R]
Nella Larsen, Novelist of the Harlem Renaissance: A Woman's Life Unveiled
Thadious M. Davis. LA St. Univ., 1994. [B Larsen D]
Phillis Wheatley: Biography of a Genius in Bondage
Vincent Carretta. Univ. of GA, 2011. [B Wheatley C]
W.E.B. Dubois: A Biography
Gerald Horne. Greenwood, 2010. [B DuBois H]
Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston
Valerie Boyd. Scribner, 2003. [B Hurston L]

Military

A More Unbending Battle: The Harlem Hellfighters' Struggle for fFeedom in WWI and Equality at Home
Peter N. Nelson. Perseus, 2009. [940.5412 Nelson ]
Cathy Williams: From Slave to Female Buffalo Soldier
Phillip Thomas Tucker. Stackpole, 2002. [B Williams T]
Chappie: America's First Black Four-Star General: The Life & Times of Daniel James, Jr.
J. Alfred Phelps. Presidio, 1991. [355.0092 Phelps]
Death or Liberty: African-Americas & Revolutionary America.
Douglas R. Egerton. Oxford, 2009. [973.3089 Egerton ]
Fighting for America: Black Soldiers--The Unsung Heroes of World War II
Christopher Paul Moore. One World, 2005. [940.5403 Moore]
My American Journey
Colin L. Powell with Joseph E. Persico. Random, 1995. [B Powell P]
On the Altar of Freedom: A Black Soldier's Civil War Letters from the Front
James Henry Gooding. Univ. of MA, 1991. [973.7415 Gooding]
Red Tails, Black Wings: The Men of America's Black Air Force
John B. Holway. Yucca, 1997. [ 355.008 Holway]

Musicians/Composers

Bamboula! The Life & Times of Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Frederick Starr. Oxford UP, 1995. [B Gottschalk S]
Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story
Ray Charles and David Ritz. Dial, 1978. [780.92 Charles]
Dancing to a Black Man's Tune (Scott Joplin)
Susan Curtis. Univ. of MO, 1994. [B Joplin C]
Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye
David Ritz. M-H, 1985. [B Gaye R]
Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson & the Invention of the Blues
Elijah Wald. Amistad, 2004. [B Johnson W]
Footprints: The Life and Music of Wayne Shorter
Michelle Mercer. Tarcher, 2004. [B Shorter M]
Groovin' High: The Life of Dizzy Gillespie
Alyn Shipton. Oxford, 1999. [B Gillespie S]
Jelly's Blues: The Life, Music & Redemption of Jelly Roll Morton
Howard Reich & William Gaines. Da Capo, 2003. [B Morton R]
Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones
Courtney Sale Ross. Warner, 1990. [781.64092 Jones L]
Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life
Laurence Bergreen. Broadway, 1997. [B Armstrong B]
Luther: The Life & Longing of Luther Vandross
Craig Seymour. HarEnt, 2004. [B Vandross S]
Spirit Catcher: The Life & Art of John Coltrane
John Fraim. Great House, 1996. [B 7Coltrane F]
Thelonius Monk: The Life & Times of an American Original
Robin D. G. Kelley. Free Press, 2009. [B Monk K]
W. C. Handy: The Life & Times of the Man Who made the Blues
Keith Devlin. Knopf, 2009. [B Handy R]


Politics

Adam Clayton Powell & the Politics of Race
Neil Hickey. Fleet, 1965. [B Powell H]
Angela Davis: An Autobiography
Angela Davis. Random, 1974. [B Davis D]
Barbara Jordan: American Hero
Mary Beth Rogers. Bantam, 1998. [B Jordan R]
Dreams from My Father
Barack Obama. Three Rivers, 2004. [B Obama O]
The Good Fight
Shirley Chisholm. H&R, 1973. [320.973 Chisholm]
King of the Cats: The Life & Times of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Wil Haygood. HM, 1993. [B Powell H]
A Reason to Believe: Lessons from an Improbable Life
Deval Patrick. Broadway, 2011. [B Patrick P]
Robert Clifton Weaver and the American City: The Life and Times of an Urban Reformer
Wendell E. Pritchett. Univ. of Chicago, 2008. [B Weaver P]
Step By Step: A Memoir of Hope, Friendship, Perserverance & Living the American Dream
Bertie Brown. One World, 2008. [B Bowman B]
This is Herman Cain: My Journey to the White House
Herman Cain. Threshold, 2011. [B Cain]
Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement
John Lewis w/Michael D'Orso. S&S, 1998. [B Lewis L]

Science & Medicine

Brain Surgeon
Keith Black. Wellness, 2009. [B Black B]
The Life of Benjamin Banneker
Silvio A. Bedini. Scribner, 1972. [B Banneker B]
George Washington Carver: Scientist & Symbol
Linda O. McMurry. Oxford UP, 1981. [B Carver M]
Joycelyn Elders, M.D.: From Sharecropper's Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America
Joycelyn Elders & David Chanoff. Morrow, 1996. [B Elders E]

Sports

Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman.
Steven Travers. NYU Press, 2001. [B Bonds T]
The Best Pitcher in Baseball: The Life of Rube Foster, Negro League Giant
Robert C. Cottrell. NYU Press, 2001. [B Foster C]
The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game
Oscar Robertson. Rodale, 2003. [B Robertson R]
Buck Leonard: The Black Lou Gehrig
Buck Leonard, with James A. Riley. C&G, 1995. [B Leonard L]
The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter
Ian O'Connor. HM, 2011. [B Jeter O]
Captain for Life: My Story as a Hall of Fame Linebacker
Harry Carson. St. Martin's, 2011. B Carson C]
Days of Grace
Arthur Ashe. Knopf, 1993. [B Ashe A]
Doc: The Rise & Rise of Julius Erving
Vincent M. Mallozzi. Wiley, 2009. [B Erving M]
I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side & Beyond
Michael Oher, w/Don yeager. Gotham, 2011. [B Oher O]
Jesse Owens: An American Life
William J. Baker. Free Press, 1986. [B Owens B]
Kareem
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with Mignon McCarthy. Random, 1990. [B Abdul-Jabbar A]
King of the Court: Bill Russell & the Basketball Revolution
Aram Goudsouzian. Univ. of CA, 2010. [B Russell G]
King of the World: Muhammed Ali & the Rise of an American Hero
David Remnick. Random, 1998. [B Ali R]
The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron
Howard Bryant. Pantheon, 2010. [B Aaron B]
LeBron James: The Rise of a Star
David Lee Morgan. Gray & Co., 2004. [B James M]
The Match: Althea Gibson & Angela Buxton
Bruce Schoenfeld. Amistad, 2004. [B 796.342 Gibson S]
My Life
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, with William Novak. Random, 1992. [B 796.323 Johnson J]
Monte Irvin: Nice Guys Finish First
Monte Irvin with James A. Riley. Carroll & Graf, 1996. [B Irvin I]
On the Line
Serena Williams, with Daniel Paisner. Grand Central, 2009. [B Williams W]
Pound for Pound: A Biography of Sugar Ray Robinson
Herb Boyd & Ray Robinson II. Amistad, 2005. [B Robinson B]
Shaq Uncut: My Story
Shaquille O'Neal. Grand Central, 2011. [B Oneal O]
Sugar Ray Leonard: The Big Fight--My Life In & Out of the Ring
Sugar Ray Leonard w/ Michael Arkush. Viking, 2011. [B Leonard L]
Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton
Jeff Pearlman. Gotham, 2011 [B Payton P]
Tiger: ABiography of Tiger Woods
John Strege. Broadway, 1997. [B Woods S]
Unforgiveable Blackness: The Rise & Fall of Jack Johnson
Geoffrey C. Ward. Knopf, 2004. [B Johnson W]
View From Above
Wilt Chamberlain. Villard, 1991. [796.323 Chamberlain C]
Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend.
James S. Hirsch. Scribern, 2010. [B Mays H