The iconic NAACP magazine’s most dynamic and daring African American voices gathered together for the first time in a groundbreaking literary collection, from founding editor W. E. B. DuBois and Jessie Fauset to today's modern day cultural critics, including June Shagaloff and Michael A. Lawrence.

The Crisis magazine is the official publication of NAACP. It was created in 1910 by renowned historian, civil rights activist, and NAACP co-founder W. E. B. DuBois. The magazine appeared three years before Conde Nast launched an American version of Vanity Fair and fifteen years before Harold W. Ross introduced The New Yorker to readers.

Du Bois started The Crisis in one room of the New York Evening Post building in New York City and edited the publication until 1934. A group of NAACP leaders adapted the name from James Russell Lowell's poem The Present Crisis, written at the height of the Civil War.

In the premier issue Du Bois made clear of the publication’s goals: "The Crisis will record important happenings and movements in the world which bear on the great problem of inter-racial relations, and especially those which affect the Negro-American. Secondly, it will be a review of opinion and literature, recording briefly books, articles, and important expressions of opinion in the white and colored press on the race problem. Thirdly, it will publish a few short articles. Finally, its editorial page will stand for the rights of men, irrespective of color or race, for the highest ideals of American democracy."

At the time, Du Bois noted, "it was the rule of most white papers never to publish a picture of a colored person except as a criminal and the colored papers published mostly pictures of celebrities who sometimes paid for the honor. In general, the Negro race was just a little afraid to see itself in plain ink." Everything changed with the advent of The Crisis.

Now, for the first time ever The Best of the Crisis will bring together the magazine’s previously published most dynamic and daring voices and stories from its founding until today in one extraordinary collection, including W. E. B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, Bayard Rustin, Francis Grimke, J.A. Rogers, Stetson Kennedy, E. Franklin Frazier, Oswald Garrison Villard, Jessie Fauset and Arna Bontemps.

This edition will spotlight the first section devoted to Negro children, the first presentation of Negro artwork, the first feature stories about successful Negroes, the first full-fledged drive for Pan-Africanism, the first special numbers devoted to Negro educational advancement, the first articles on consumers cooperation all tied together with contemporary voices on where we stand on these issues today.

A sweeping history of the African American struggle against police brutality, exposing how state violence underpins the capitalist economy and tracing the long resistance movement in pursuit of racial justice and freedom for all

Rekia Boyd, Timothy Thomas, Jonathan Sanders, Breonna Taylor, Jordan Neely, and Michael Brown were casualties of war. Whether we call it a war on crime, a war on militants, or a war on drugs, law enforcement at every level has made Black neighborhoods across the country into killing fields and open-air prisons, stripping vulnerable people of equal rights, freedom of movement, and even protection from torture. In a smoldering indictment, Robin D. G. Kelley excavates the deep history of this war through the lives of the victims and their communities, drawing a direct line from today’s fatalities to the “blood at the root”―the racial terror at the heart of America’s system of exploitation and wealth accumulation.

It is a system, Kelley shows, that depends on racial and economic inequality and is maintained through not only tools of force but also tools of wealth extraction, from lynch law in Georgia to segregated housing in St. Louis to gentrification, predatory lending, civil forfeiture, and even today’s militarization of ICE.

At the same time, Making a Killing is a history of the counterwar, the legacy of collective Black resistance―the movements, tactics, thinkers, and leaders―that has long been a catalyst for change and the tip of the spear in a broader fight against rising fascism. Demanding not only justice for Black victims but also vast and visionary social transformation, these movements, from Reconstruction to the present day, hold out the possibility that we may lay to rest the America we know so that a new world may be born.

In this meticulously researched and vividly written account, a prominent historian reclaims a forgotten incident of racial violence in the Jim Crow South.

The Rifle and the Plough reconstructs a little-known episode from the summer of 1910, when the Black farming settlement of Sandy Beulah in East-Central Texas came under attack. White mobs waged war on prosperous Black landowners; rumors became weapons; celebration became provocation. Historian Steven A. Reich shows how the massacre unfolded and why it happened: the growing accumulation of land by Black residents, heightened racial tensions following boxer Jack Johnson’s heavyweight title victory, and white resistance to Black autonomy and public festivity, including Juneteenth. The Rifle and the Plough recovers the rise and destruction of a thriving Black community and asks why this history still matters. By linking racial violence to struggles over historical memory, land theft, and accountability, Reich speaks directly to contemporary debates about how the nation confronts its past, what justice demands of the present, and what reparative futures might yet be imagined.

59 illustrations

A wild, rollicking, firsthand account of the good ole days of funk from Bootsy Collins, the legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame bass guitarist for James Brown, George Clinton, and Parliament-Funkadelic. Funky foreword courtesy of Snoop Dogg.

He’s a bona fide funk legend, a rhinestone-clad style icon, and arguably one of the best bassists to ever live. (At least, according to Rolling Stone.) His career has spanned five decades: from rising to stardom playing alongside James Brown; to setting the bar, the groove, and the look of Parliament-Funkadelic; to collaborating with today’s most innovative and beloved musicians, like Anderson .Paak, Snoop Dogg, and Bruno Mars. Bootsy Collins has more than a few stories to tell.

He is no stranger to the spotlight, and tales of his escapades are whispered among music nerds and the general public. Yet Bootsy’s story has never been put on the page.

Now, in his own words — “the straight up, real deal, if I’m lyin’, I’m dyin’, and I ain’t ready to go yet”— Bootsy is ready to share with fans legendary stories about:

* the ins and outs of his three-decade relationship with mentor and sometimes tormentor James Brown—including dropping acid with the Godfather of Soul himself
* how a one-night stand almost resulted in him being killed by a member of Florida’s Black Mafia
* when he and the Parliament-Funkadelic crew were mistaken for a group of escaped convicts, and during a detailed cavity search, the LAPD found George Clinton’s a**-stash
* his collaborative and tumultuous relationship with funk legend George Clinton
* eventually getting clean and becoming the favorite OG for a new crop of musicians and artists

Bootsy’s story is full of heart, humor, joy, sorrow, and a whooooole lot of funk. True to its iconic creator, Funked Around, Found Out includes psychedelic photos, costumes, guitars, and other surprises that are as closely associated with Bootsy as his thumping grooves. Music fans, pop culture aficionados, and other acolytes will rejoice.

An inventive haunted house story with an uncanny twist, in which a woman mourning the recent death of her abusive mother takes a housekeeping job with increasingly strange and dangerous tasks, for fans of Carissa Orlando and Monika Kim.

Loretta is numb with grief. Reeling after the death of her abusive—although she would never use that word—mother and estranged from her younger sister, Loretta finds herself unemployed and alone.

Resolutely out of options, she hears of an unusual job opportunity. The owner of a huge home on the outskirts of town is looking for a live-in housekeeper—and offering thousands of dollars every week, in cash. There are only two simple rules: complete the daily chores left in the mailbox and no overnight guests. It seems like the perfect escape.

The idyllic solitude quickly sours into a waking nightmare. The daily chores escalate from simple cleaning to grotesque demands for Loretta’s flesh and blood. Any resistance is met with painful and increasingly life-threatening punishments. Loretta is familiar with this situation—well trained by her mother and miserable childhood— and isolates herself inside the carnivorous mansion. As her sense of reality warps and she falls deeper into the house’s clutches, her friends and sister try to intervene before it’s too late. But to survive, Loretta must decide whether to accept the comfort of familiar cycles or find out how hard she’s willing to fight for herself.

Both a terrifying thriller and an emotional portrait of resilience in the face of abuse, This House Is Not a Home is an ambitious debut from an exciting new voice in adult horror.

From computer scientist, astrophysicist, and dreamer, Terysa Ridgeway, comes a story of two starry-eyed sisters who shine in STEM together!

Eight-year-old Terysa is a born problem-solver with a galaxy of ideas―and she's determined to win the school science fair. There's just one tiny problem… she has too many brilliant ideas to choose from!

Luckily, her big sister, Shana, is an astronomy whiz. When Shana shares the inspiring story of Dorothy Vaughan―NASA's first Black supervisor and a trailblazing computer programming pioneer―Terysa is inspired. Together, the sisters dive into coding, teamwork, and a little trial-and-error to design a project that moves all on its own. It's creative. It's unique. It's out of this world. But will it be enough to win first place?

Perfect for readers who love:

* STEM-inspired stories for kids.
* Strong, curious girls in science.
* Coding and beginner programming concepts.
* Inspiring real-life role models like Dorothy Vaughan.
* Sister relationships and teamwork.

Acclaimed author Richard Ho and artist Xuân Lan take readers on a tour of Asian homes around the world—just please remember to leave your shoes at the door! A rich exploration of cultures, families, and traditions for fans of A Big Mooncake for Little Star and Eyes that Kiss in the Corners.

Welcome. You are about to step into an Asian home. But before you do. . . please remove your shoes.

Slippers are allowed. Socks and bare feet, too. You may have always taken off your shoes before stepping into a home, or it may be new to you. But have you ever stopped to wonder why it is a common practice to take off your shoes in Asian households?

Richard Ho explains the custom, which spans across cultures and generations, in his thoughtful, richly layered text that is excellent for reading aloud. Xuân Lan's playful artwork showcases a variety of Asian cultures and introduces a young cat to lead readers on a journey through time and place.

Along with the curious cat, readers will:

* Visit an ancient Chinese village, an historic Korean classroom, a modern Japanese dining room, and many more places.
* Honor the cultures and traditions of the Asian diaspora.
* Celebrate our feet, which work so hard every day.
* Learn more from the author's note and visual glossary providing further details about each culture's customs.

The action guide to building serious financial power.

For too long, women have worked twice as hard to earn less than men, and women have felt emotionally broke and financially stressed. It's time for a change and time for women—especially women of color—to make bank.

In her first book, We Should All Be Millionaires, Rachel Rodgers—Black woman, mother of four kids, and self-made millionaire—shared her personal story. How she climbed from crushing debt and financial stress to wealth and abundance, running a multi-million-dollar company, and owning a blissful 57-acre horse ranch.

Her book inspired thousands of readers and listeners to construct a new attitude about money, claim their power, and build the financial security that we all need and deserve. Now, with Hello Seven, Rachel provides a practical framework to achieving seven-figure wealth.

This is the book that makes it happen. Rachel lays out the Hello Seven Growth Scale so you can identify where you fall on one of seven levels — from $0 to 7 figures — and map out the specific action steps you need to take to grow from one level to the next.

From the 2025 Children’s Literature Legacy Award winner, New York Times bestselling, and multiple award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford comes a powerful nonfiction picture book that follows the individual acts of courage behind the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott.

In Montgomery, everyone relied on the city’s buses, but only white riders could sit in the front. If white riders needed more seats, Black riders had to give theirs up. And the white bus drivers would call the police whenever they wanted to. How could the Black community fight for their rights?

With incredible coordination and planning, Black people across the city carefully planned a boycott. When Rosa Parks was arrested after refusing to give her seat up to a white rider, they were ready to act. But, as the months drew on, everyone found themselves wondering: What would it take to end the boycott?

Award-winning team Carole Boston Weatherford and Noa Denmon unite to tell the remarkable story of the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and the people who achieved justice by working together.

* Important American History: This book spotlights the collective action of the Civil Rights Movement.
* Unsung Heroes: Strength in Numbers celebrates the many people who made the long bus boycott a success.
* Impressive Back Matter: This book features an extensive timeline, along with additional information about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

NBC News Senior White House Correspondent Gabe Gutierrez offers a forceful, necessary exposé on the precarious realities and politics of modern Puerto Rico, detailing the decade of financial exploitation, federal negligence, and American ambivalence that pushed the most populous US territory to the brink and examining what must be done to insure the island’s survival.

For decades Puerto Rico has been on its own. Criminally underfunded and largely forgotten by the US government, the island has pivoted between financial and natural disasters, struggling without Congressional representation. While Hurricane Maria exposed the federal government’s ineptitude and apathy to aid Puerto Rico in its time of greatest need, the storm also laid bare a systemic crisis that had been building for years—a slow-motion train wreck of American neglect, institutional exploitation, and financial ruin with profound human consequences.

Now veteran NBC News reporter and senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez, who has covered the island’s storms and its people for years, tells the urgent story of how Puerto Rico came to this precarious moment in its history, uncovering how decades of failed US policies have culminated in the tumultuous last ten years. Whether it’s the US hedge funds who leveraged the island into bankruptcy, or the federal bureaucracy that has robbed the island of the autonomy to shape its own destiny, the mismanagement of Puerto Rico has stretched across the island’s governorships, as well as US presidential administrations and political parties.

With each passing year, this negligence comes at a steeper price to US taxpayers, but more importantly to those who live there. Through moving portraits of the people working to preserve Puerto Rico for future generations, Gutierrez demonstrates the human cost of the recent turmoil that has left everyday Puerto Ricans with few good options and reinvigorated the island’s independence movement as they seek a viable future for their home.

What emerges is an eye-opening narrative of American ambivalence about an island so deeply tied to our uncomfortable, imperial past. A seasoned journalist’s ambitious examination of what it takes to change American institutions, The Island shows how our failure to care adequately for Puerto Rico is a failure to reckon with our own history.

From the author of the acclaimed novel, House of Cotton, comes an electric, haunting new Southern noir following the residents of Better Tomorrow Trailer Park in the aftermath of a gruesome murder.

Summer ’97. Deadly sins. Misguided obsessions.

When Better Tomorrow Trailer Park’s owner, Joe Candle, is found nailed to a cross in the center of the lot, the police have one question for the park’s eccentric residents: Who killed Candle?

No one is safe from suspicion. Not the pretty, calf-eyed cashier with a shadowed past, or the barber and his strange, altered demeanor, or the young son of a cop who harbors a volcanic temper.

As the investigation begins and satanic panic grips this small town in the heart of Appalachia, the low-grade paranoia spreads beyond the borders of the park. With the arrival of a lone, mysterious detective, a darker plot is soon unearthed. The questions that arise threaten the very existence of Better Tomorrow, and the community is tested to its breaking point.

Thundering towards the dreaded summer solstice, Lonesome Holler is a beautifully written exploration of loneliness, a blue-tuned elegy for community, and a comedic, devastating ode to the South.

An eloquent, prize-winning historian chronicles the rise of Black enterprise in America.

Entrepreneurs like Booker T. Washington and Madam C.J. Walker are familiar figures in the history of Black business. But from the hopeful dawn of emancipation to the crucible of Jim Crow, from rural Mound Bayou, Mississippi, to the bustling blocks of Harlem, many others built extraordinary businesses in pursuit of prosperity and freedom. Nevertheless, their efforts to pursue the American Dream were steadily undermined by people intent on profiting on their innovations and reining in their opportunities. Award-winning historian Shennette Garrett-Scott reveals the everyday genius of the people who refused to accept exclusion as identity: former slaves turned cotton mill owners, washerwomen turned financiers, and self-taught visionaries who built banks, real estate empires, and grocery store chains. Their successes were real, but ventures that promised economic independence often provoked backlash as white elites, politicians, and vigilantes tried to contain Black success. Even the boldest dreams often buckled under the combined weight of limited resources and state obstruction.

A daring tale, lyrically told, The Business of Freedom reveals the history, strengths, and weaknesses of Black capitalism as a strategy for both individual and collective empowerment and shows why free enterprise alone could never deliver the freedom its champions promised.

26 illustrations