Timely, relevant, and illuminating, this essential book by respected cultural historian, teacher, and author John G. Jackson sheds long overdue light on standard Eurocentric and distorting approaches to the history of Africa from early African civilizations to Africa’s significance in world history.
 
With brilliantly objective scholarship, respected historian and author John G. Jackson reexamines the outdated, racist, and Westernized history of Africa that is still taught in schools, and presents one infinitely more rich, colorful, varied—and truthful. Challenging the standard dehumanizing and exploitive approaches to African history, from the dawn of prehistory to the resurgent Africa of today--including the portrayal of Africans as “savages” who ultimately benefitted from European enslavement with its “blessings of Christian civilization”—Jackson confronts the parochial historian, devastates the theoretical pretensions of white supremacists, and expands intellectual horizons.
 
Accessible and informed, fascinating and candid, Introduction to African Civilizations is an important historical guide that will enhance antiracist teachings for the general reader and the scholar alike.
 
Introduction by John Henrik Clarke, pioneer of African Studies and author of Christopher Columbus and the African Holocaust
 
Foreword by Runoko Rashidi, historian, activist, and author of Introduction to the Study of African Classical Civilizations

Gail Simmons will be in conversation with Chris Shepherd on November 17th at the Hobby Center as part of her official book tour.  Get tickets HERE!

From author, culinary expert, and Top Chef judge Gail Simmons comes a fun, informative, and trailblazing guide to a rarely-explored side of hospitality: how to be a great guest.

Countless influential voices have written books about hosting, offering tips for what to cook, how to set the perfect table, mix the best drinks and create the most welcoming vibes. But hospitality, by definition, involves at least two people; where is the advice for guests?

Culinary expert and perennial Top Chef judge Gail Simmons is something of a professional on the subject. As a tastemaker and lifestyle authority, she is invited to countless social events running the gamut from world-class fine dining and international affairs to neighborhood potlucks. Through it all, she knows that for any gathering to be a success, guests must rise to the occasion and actively embrace their role.

In Guesting, Gail unpacks the reciprocal nature of this relationship and explores the sometimes-tricky choreography that governs its dance. She also shares her essential tenets of guesting, and proven strategies for navigating any social situation (yes, even assigned seating). From dinner parties to weddings, religious observances to restaurants, Guesting guides readers through all types of “get-togethers” with confidence and grace. It also connects the vital role guesting plays in our wellbeing and the integrity of our collective culture, at a moment when technology and the temptation for short-term comfort have diminished our inherent need to create―and maintain―human relationships.

And since any good guest knows that bringing something to the table is always the right move, Gail shares ideas and recipes for thoughtful store-bought contributions, homemade food gifts, and favorite dishes to share with a crowd. Whether you’re visiting an old friend, going out for dinner, or attending a milestone celebration, Gail has the answers and inspiration to help you become the consummate guest.

An astounding multigenerational saga, Red Clay chronicles the interwoven lives of an enslaved Black family and their white owners as the Civil War ends and Reconstruction begins.

In 1943, when a frail old white woman shows up in Red Clay, Alabama, at the home of a Black former slave--on the morning following his funeral--his family hardly knows what to expect after she utters the words "... a lifetime ago, my family owned yours." Adelaide Parker has a story to tell--one of ambition, betrayal, violence, and redemption--that shaped both the fate of her family and that of the late Felix H. Parker.

But there are gaps in her knowledge, and she's come to Red Clay seeking answers from a family with whom she shares a name and a history that neither knows in full. In an epic saga that takes us from Red Clay to Paris, to the Côte d'Azur and New Orleans, human frailties are pushed to their limits as secrets are exposed and the line between good and evil becomes ever more difficult to discern. Red Clay is a tale that deftly lays bare the ugliness of slavery, the uncertainty of the final months of the Civil War, the optimism of Reconstruction, and the pain and frustration of Jim Crow.

With a vivid sense of place and a cast of memorable characters, Charles B. Fancher draws upon his own family history to weave a riveting tale of triumph over adversity, set against a backdrop of societal change and racial animus that reverberates in contemporary America. Through seasons of joy and unspeakable pain, Fancher delivers rich moments as allies become enemies, and enemies--to their great surprise--find new respect for each other.

New York Times Bestseller

Highly acclaimed debut author Etaf Rum tells the story of three generations of Palestinian-American women struggling to express their individual desires within the confines of their Arab culture in the wake of shocking intimate violence in their community.

“A dauntless exploration of the pathology of silence, an attempt to unsnarl the dark knot of history, culture, fear, and trauma that can render conservative Arab-American women so visibly invisible…. The triumph of Rum’s novel is that she refuses to measure her women against anything but their own hearts and histories…. Both a love letter to storytelling and a careful object lesson in its power.”—New York Times Book Review

“Where I come from, we keep these stories to ourselves. To tell them to the outside world is unheard of, dangerous, the ultimate shame.”

Palestine, 1990. Seventeen-year-old Isra prefers reading books to entertaining the suitors her father has chosen for her. Her desires are irrelevant, however—over the course of a week, the naive and dreamy girl finds herself betrothed, then married, and soon living in Brooklyn. There Isra struggles to adapt to the expectations of her oppressive mother-in-law, Fareeda, and her strange new husband, Adam: a pressure that intensifies as she begins to have children—four daughters instead of the sons Isra is expected to bear.

Brooklyn, 2008. At her grandmother’s insistence, eighteen-year-old Deya must meet with potential husbands and prepare herself for marriage, though her only desire is to go to college. Her grandmother is firm on the matter, however: the only way to secure a worthy future for Deya is through marriage to the right man. But fate has a will of its own, and soon Deya will find herself on an unexpected path that leads her to shocking truths that will force her to question everything she thought she knew about her family, the past, and her own future.

Set in an America at once foreign to many and staggeringly close at hand, A Woman Is No Man is a story of culture and honor, secrets and betrayals, love and violence. It is an intimate glimpse into a controlling and closed cultural world, and a universal tale about family and the ways silence and shame can destroy those we have sworn to protect.

For readers of Ace and Belly of the Beast: A Black queer feminist exploration of asexuality--and an incisive interrogation of the sex-obsessed culture that invisibilizes and ignores asexual and A-spec identity.

Everything you know about sex and asexuality is (probably) wrong.

The notion that everyone wants sex--and that we all have to have it--is false. It’s intertwined with our ideas about capitalism, race, gender, and queerness. And it impacts the most marginalized among us. For asexual folks, it means that ace and A-spec identity is often defined by a queerness that’s not queer enough, seen through a lens of perceived lack: lack of pleasure, connection, joy, maturity, and even humanity.

In this exploration of what it means to be Black and asexual in America today, Sherronda J. Brown offers new perspectives on asexuality. She takes an incisive look at how anti-Blackness, white supremacy, patriarchy, heteronormativity, and capitalism enact harm against asexual people, contextualizing acephobia within a racial framework in the first book of its kind. Brown advocates for the “A” in LGBTQIA+, affirming that to be asexual is to be queer--despite the gatekeeping and denial that often says otherwise.

With chapters on desire, f*ckability, utility, refusal, and possibilities, Refusing Compulsory Sexuality discusses topics of deep relevance to ace and a-spec communities. It centers the Black asexual experience--and demands visibility in a world that pathologizes and denies asexuality, denigrates queerness, and specifically sexualizes Black people.

A necessary and unapologetic reclamation, Refusing Compulsory Sexuality is smart, timely, and an essential read for asexuals, aromantics, queer readers, and anyone looking to better understand sexual politics in America.

In her final novel, “a beautiful and devastating examination of family, society and race” (The New York Times), Dorothy West offers an intimate glimpse into the Oval, a proud, insular community made up of the best and brightest of the East Coast's Black bourgeoisie on Martha’s Vineyard in the 1950s.

Within this inner circle of "blue-vein society," we witness the prominent Coles family gather for the wedding of the loveliest daughter, Shelby, who could have chosen from "a whole area of eligible men of the right colors and the right professions." Instead, she has fallen in love with and is about to be married to Meade Wyler, a white jazz musician from New York. A shock wave breaks over the Oval as its longtime members grapple with the changing face of its community.

With elegant, luminous prose, Dorothy West crowns her literary career by illustrating one family's struggle to break the shackles of race and class.

Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away meets The Last Stop on Market Street in this touching story about what makes a place home.

Elysia's family is moving. It's the last day in her apartment. The last day in her neighborhood. The last day in her city. Elysia is going to miss it all so much, but her sister Penelope shows her that home comes in many forms.

As they walk down their block one last time, Elysia feels home in the sound of her neighbor's bachata music, in the taste of her favorite bodega hot chocolate, and in the smell of coconut oil from the hair salon. She finds home in her favorite books, playing with friends, and time spent with her sister.

Even though she may not always live in the same place, Elysia knows she will always carry these pieces of home in her heart.

Discover how to overcome challenges, regain your footing, and rise stronger.

In The Art of Rising Again, join artist, writer, speaker LaNia Roberts (LaNia the Artist) for a bold and transformative journey that will guide you to live with greater self-worth, resilience, and unapologetic joy.

Life knocks us down. Over and over again. And getting back up can feel impossible. Whether you've been navigating illness, divorce, failure, or other life-altering events, it is time to break free from shame, embrace self-compassion, and rediscover your purpose.

LaNia has been there too, and in The Art of Rising Again she comes alongside you and shares her story of overcoming some of life’s biggest challenges so you can find the permission and strength to do it too. Combining her stunning artwork with practical tools that will empower you during the journey ahead, she offers you inspiration to regain your footing and rise stronger. Organized into 10 impactful sections, this book offers:

* Raw, personal stories from LaNia’s life, revealing how she overcame challenges and silenced her inner critic
* Devotions, affirmations, and actionable steps to empower you on your journey of healing and growth
* Stunning fine art paintings by LaNia, celebrating memory, identity, and liberation through vibrant colors and layered storytelling

The Art of Rising Again is an ideal gift for loved ones and friends who need encouragement, those who may not yet recognize their own worth, or anyone recovering from life’s toughest challenges.

If you are ready to walk the path of transformation, this no-nonsense, straight-to-the-heart guide will help you get started. This book will empower you to reclaim your confidence, pursue your dreams, and rise again.

A brilliant new collection by the great Caribbean writers and scholar: “an engaging, deep-hearted, strong-spirited, and richly musical poet” (The Multicultural Review)

Equinox is an unforgettable and never-before-published masterwork completed by Kamau Brathwaite before his death in 2020. Written in his unique Sycorax typeface and replete with compelling images and photographs, Equinox contains poems written in Brathwaite’s singular Barbadian vernacular and visionary style―poems about the Middle Passage, the natural world, Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston, the Kumina dance in Jamaica, Nelson and Winnie Mandela, the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, and Breughel’s painting “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus,” among many tidalectic topics. The lyrical poems in Equinox weave together history and culture with the imagery of Brathwaite’s native Barbados, weaving a lush tapestry of injustice, redemption, and hope.

You Are Not Alone: A Gentle Companion for Enduring, Grieving, and Healing from Pregnancy and Infant Loss

“We, too, are postpartum after pregnancy and infant loss,” says Eileen Santos Rosete. “And we deserve the same care all who give birth need, with an added sensitivity to our grief and our trauma.”

Pregnancy loss. Infant loss. Womb loss. Such losses are as valid as any other, yet these experiences and the individuals who endure them remain largely unrecognized and unsupported. To Tend and To Hold honors survivors and the depth of what they’ve gone through with a reverence that has, until now, been missing.

Within this carefully crafted resource, Rosete emerges as a warm confidante, helping us articulate our experiences, understand our options, and tend to our unique needs as both postpartum and bereaved, helping you:

• Center Your Needs: Listen to what your body is calling for and honor what feels supportive in the moment
• Use Your Voice: Articulate your experiences with words that resonate and comfort
• Understand Your Journey: Gain insights that put your feelings and experiences into context
• Access Healing Tools: Utilize simple grief and trauma-informed practices tailored to meet your needs

Woven with threads of wisdom from a trusted collective of health and healing arts practitioners, comforting stories, nourishing postpartum recipes, and grounding embodiment practices, To Tend and To Hold is a heartfelt, holistic source of solace for all who bear loss.

If you are looking for a happily ever after, then this is the subscription for you! We love our romances be to be inclusive so expect to see romances featuring folks of all gender identities, body sizes and age ranges. Also, be prepared for a little spice (aka smut) every once in the while.

What you get: A mix of paperback and mass paperback frontlist and backlist books.

Ordering deadline:  Subscription orders placed before the 17th of the month are guaranteed to ship on the first Tuesday of the following month when all subscriptions are shipped.

Ordering Instructions:  Please select your subscription frequency (monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly) and proceed to checkout.

Gift subscriptions:  Subscriptions make really great gifts.  Please make sure the shipping address is the correct address for the gift recipient.

Shipping will be calculated at checkout.  All subscriptions ship via media mail and will arrive within 3-8 business days of the ship date.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Rap Year Book and Basketball (and Other Things), a clever and inventive examination of some of basketball's most iconic players, moments, games, and more.

Everything in basketball is measured. Everything in basketball is counted, and quantified, and computed. And yet, no matter how expansive the list of various pinpoint-specific statistical categories gets, some basketball things remain uncountable, and unquantifiable.

Some moments are more poetry than calculation; more art than numerical value; more feeling than data processing. And thus: Expensive Basketball.

From the final 196 seconds of Kobe Bryant’s playing career to the Sue Bird backpedal, from the erosive terror of Tim Duncan to the Larry Bird memory carousel, Expensive Basketball is an affirmation of feelings.

It’s an affirmation of basketball as virtuosity. 

It’s an affirmation of how sometimes you watch a person perform on the basketball court and it feels the same way it does when you lie in the grass at night and stare up at the moon for long enough that you start to think about how incredible it is that you really, truly, honestly, actually exist.