Typical of most communities after the Civil War, Nacogdoches's African Americans had to repurpose their lives by building their own communities while they carved a life of survival first and progress second. The images in this book will tell the stories of the first churches and how they became the center of the community. Other images will share information about the early leaders in the community who helped establish educational facilities for "Negroes." Additional images focus on black businesses, and a final set of images will discuss the emerging black middle class and others who played significant roles in Nacogdoches history. Readers of this book will go on a journey, through images, that highlights residents' pains of struggles and gains of triumph.

Sex is for sale in more ways than ever. It can be bought and sold online, in sex clubs, on the street, and around the world. As with many industries, discrimination, exploitation, and inequality persist in sex work. Yet it also offers autonomy, job satisfaction, and even pleasurable experiences for those involved. Sex Work Today explores these contradictions, offering an intimate look at the benefits and challenges of sex work across geographic contexts.

Featuring thirty-one original essays by sex workers, advocates, researchers, and activists, Sex Work Today is the first compilation of research on new forms of digital sex such as camming, sugar dating, and AI sex dolls. Providing a lens to understand contemporary labor dynamics and the nature of sex work itself, this collection captures formerly ignored aspects of the sex industry including: fatphobia and disability; transmasculine and nonbinary sex workers; racialized emotional labor in the digital sex industry; high job satisfaction among professional dominatrixes; and sex worker scholars.

With federal policies ostensibly aimed at combating sex trafficking–affecting all sex workers–understanding this industry is more vital than ever. Decentering Western, white, cisgender voices, Sex Work Today underscores the global repercussions of these misaligned policies, which make sex work more challenging and less safe, and provides valuable insights for those seeking to shape policies, challenge prejudices, and foster a safer and more equitable world for all.

What’s new, now and next from contemporary Black artists

This book surveys the work of a new generation of Black artists, and also features the voices of a diverse group of curators who are on the cutting edge of contemporary art. As mission-driven collectors, Bernard I. Lumpkin and Carmine D. Boccuzzi have championed emerging artists of African descent through museum loans and institutional support. But there has never been an opportunity to consider their acclaimed collection as a whole until now.

Edited by writer Antwaun Sargent (author of The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion), Young, Gifted and Black draws from this collection to shed new light on works by contemporary artists of African descent. At a moment when debates about the politics of visibility within the art world have taken on renewed urgency, and establishment voices such as the New York Times are declaring that “it has become undeniable that African American artists are making much of the best American art today,” Young, Gifted and Black takes stock of how these new voices are impacting the way we think about identity, politics and art history itself.

Young, Gifted and Black contextualizes artworks with contributions from artists, curators and other experts. It features a wide-ranging interview with Bernard Lumpkin and Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem; and an in-depth essay by Antwaun Sargent situating Lumpkin in a long lineage of Black art patrons. A landmark publication, this book illustrates what it means (in the words of Nina Simone) to be young, gifted and Black in contemporary art.

Artists include: Mark Bradford, David Hammons, Glenn Ligon, Kerry James Marshall, Julie Mehretu, Adam Pendleton, Pope.L, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Henry Taylor, Mickalene Thomas, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Sadie Barnette, Kevin Beasley, Jordan Casteel, Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Bethany Collins, Noah Davis, Cy Gavin, Allison Janae Hamilton, Tomashi Jackson, Samuel Levi Jones, Deana Lawson, Norman Lewis, Eric N. Mack, Arcmanoro Niles, Jennifer Packer, Christina Quarles, Jacolby Satterwhite, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Sable Elyse Smith, Chanel Thomas, Stacy Lynn Waddell, D’Angelo Lovell Williams, Brenna Youngblood, and more.

A spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years—an epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity, by the Booker Prize-winning author of The Inheritance of Loss

“A novel so wonderful, when I got to the last page, I turned to the first and began again.”—Sandra Cisneros
"A grand and stirring love story, written in exquisite prose . . . [a] sheer delight!"—Namwali Serpell

When Sonia and Sunny first glimpse each other on an overnight train, they are immediately captivated, yet also embarrassed by the fact that their grandparents had once tried to matchmake them, a clumsy meddling that only served to drive Sonia and Sunny apart.

Sonia, an aspiring novelist who recently completed her studies in the snowy mountains of Vermont, has returned to her family in India, fearing she is haunted by a dark spell cast by an artist to whom she had once turned for intimacy and inspiration. Sunny, a struggling journalist resettled in New York City, is attempting to flee his imperious mother and the violence of his warring clan. Uncertain of their future, Sonia and Sunny embark on a search for happiness together as they confront the many alienations of our modern world.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is the sweeping tale of two young people navigating the many forces that shape their lives: country, class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next. A love story, a family saga, and a rich novel of ideas, it is the most ambitious and accomplished work yet by one of our greatest novelists.

The question "Do black landscapes matter?" cuts deep to the core of American history. From the plantations of slavery to contemporary segregated cities, from freedman villages to northern migrations for freedom, the nation’s landscape bears the detritus of diverse origins. Black landscapes matter because they tell the truth. In this vital new collection, acclaimed landscape designer and public artist Walter Hood assembles a group of notable landscape architecture and planning professionals and scholars to probe how race, memory, and meaning intersect in the American landscape.

Essayists examine a variety of U.S. places—ranging from New Orleans and Charlotte to Milwaukee and Detroit—exposing racism endemic in the built environment and acknowledging the widespread erasure of black geographies and cultural landscapes. Through a combination of case studies, critiques, and calls to action, contributors reveal the deficient, normative portrayals of landscape that affect communities of color and question how public design and preservation efforts can support people in these places. In a culture in which historical omissions and specious narratives routinely provoke disinvestment in minority communities, creative solutions by designers, planners, artists, and residents are necessary to activate them in novel ways. Black people have built and shaped the American landscape in ways that can never be fully known. Black Landscapes Matter is a timely and necessary reminder that without recognizing and reconciling these histories and spaces, America’s past and future cannot be understood.

"This heartfelt sapphic romance is loaded with laugh-out-loud humor and the high-drama hijinks of a splashy telenovela." —Camille Perri, author of When Katie Met Cassidy

One wedding, two rivals and a whole lot of secrets…

As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, Isabella Valdes knows three things for certain:
* her late father’s restaurant is thriving
* she owns lots of designer things
* both of those statements are absolute lies to make her mother happy

Isabella would do anything to keep her father’s legacy alive, including attending her estranged cousin’s weeklong wedding extravaganza. Because once Sofia’s wealthy fiancé tastes the recipes Isa prepares from her father’s cherished journal, he’s sure to invest.

To Isa’s annoyance, she’ll be sharing a cabin with Valentina, the former friend turned rival who ruined her quinceañera. But Val is offering an unexpected deal—she’ll help Isa unravel an old family secret found in her father’s journal in return for help sabotaging the wedding and winning the heart of the bride.

Saying yes is a bad idea. Isa’s perfectionism meets its match in Val’s carefree demeanor, but as they work together, the usually responsible Isa can’t seem to say no to Val’s shenanigans. There’s no hiding from Val, no ignoring this complicated but undeniable connection that’s changing Isa’s beliefs about love, loyalty and just how much she owes to her family—and to herself…

Cozy up and drift into the magical world of dreams with this soothing bedtime picture book, by the exceptional illustrator Fátima Ordinola, author of Our Love.

Drift off into dreamland in this beautifully illustrated bedtime story. From cuddling pandas to snuggling polar bears, lazy tigers to soft, woolly sheep, Our Dreams gently captures the cozy, restful moments shared between parent and child through the lens of the animal kingdom and explores the magic and joy of dreaming.

With soft watercolor artwork and a beautiful double-page foldout at the end, this is the perfect read for bedtime, offering comfort and reassurance as your little one drifts off to sleep, surrounded by love and the promise of sweet dreams.

FROM THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR OF OUR LOVE: This stunning book capturing tender moments through the lens of adorable cuddling animals is another heartwarming ode to parent-child connections.

A PERFECT BEDTIME STORY: Our Dreams will inspire sweet dreams to all little ones, offering comfort and reassurance.

PERFECT GIFT: For Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparents’ Day―or any day of the year you want to celebrate the comfort and warmth of families.

Perfect for:

* Parents, grandparents, and caregivers
* Gift-givers seeking new baby and birthday presents
* Preschool and kindergarten-level readers
* Gift-givers looking for a sweet bedtime read aloud

The Legacy Sites is a compelling and visually rich book exploring the groundbreaking work of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) through its transformative public spaces: the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, brought together here for the first time. Through striking photography and powerful narrative, this volume invites readers to engage deeply with America’s long and ongoing struggle for racial justice.

Founded by acclaimed public interest lawyer and New York Times bestselling author Bryan Stevenson, the Equal Justice Initiative has redefined how a nation can reckon with its past. This book serves not only as a guide to the three Legacy Sites in Montgomery, Alabama, but as a meditation on the power of memory, the importance of truth-telling, and the hope found in justice-oriented action.

The book is organized into three immersive chapters ― each dedicated to one of the Legacy Sites ― and designed to reflect the distinct but interconnected missions of each location. First opened in 2018, with the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the original Legacy Museum, the three sites welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

The Legacy Museum sits on a site where enslaved people were once forced to labor in bondage. It traces the direct line from enslavement to mass incarceration through original research, powerful exhibits, and digital storytelling. This chapter delves into how the Museum reclaims historical spaces to confront visitors with the realities of racial terror and the enduring consequences of systemic injustice.

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, often referred to as the nation’s first Memorial to victims of racial terror lynchings, is a solemn and stunning outdoor space of remembrance. This chapter features moving photographs of its iconic suspended steel monuments ― each representing a U.S. county where lynchings occurred ― and explores the role of public memorials in collective healing. Woven throughout are stories of the victims and communities represented, grounding the Memorial in personal and historical narrative.

Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, EJI’s newest and most expansive site overlooking the Alabama River, honors the lives and resilience of enslaved people through outdoor sculpture, narrative, historical artifacts, and interpretive installations. Spanning multiple acres, it creates a contemplative space where art, history, and landscape converge. Artists featured include: Simone Leigh, Hank Willis Thomas, Rose B. Simpson, Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, and Alison Saar.

Together, these sites form one of the most ambitious and visionary public history projects in the United States. The book captures not just their physical presence, but their emotional and intellectual impact ― showing how architecture, narrative, and memorial can shift national conversations.

Designed for educators, students, museumgoers, activists, and anyone interested in American history, this book is both a tribute and a call to action. Through the lens of the Equal Justice Initiative, readers are reminded that while history cannot be changed, it can be confronted ― and through that confrontation, transformed.

Naomi has always felt different-like she doesn't belong at home, at school, or anywhere at all. No matter how hard she tries, she just can't seem to fit in.

One night, after feeling especially discouraged, Naomi drifts off to sleep and finds herself in a surprising place. There, she meets someone who reminds her of a powerful truth: God created her on purpose and for a purpose.

Through this heartwarming story, young readers will be reminded that they are wonderfully made, deeply loved, and uniquely gifted by God. Naomi's Journey encourages children to embrace who they are, stop comparing themselves to others, and discover the beauty of the gifts God has placed inside of them.

Perfect for children ages 5-12, this book is filled with hope and encouragement that will inspire kids to see themselves the way God does-special, chosen, and enough.

A hidden history of twentieth-century American modernity that re-examines a mere twelve-block area on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with Thelonious Monk as its guiding star. 

The Jungles reclaims the largely forgotten world of San Juan Hill, a predominantly Black neighborhood on Manhattan’s West Side, was one of the most fertile centers of American cultural life in the twentieth century.

At once a biography, an urban history, and a cultural reckoning, Howard W. French’s The Jungles reveals how the neighborhood that would encompass Lincoln Center, previously known as the Jungles, fostered numerous pathbreaking Black artists, among them a young Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917–1982).

The story opens in Cuba in 1898, where we watch as Teddy Roosevelt’s forces triumph on San Juan Hill, with close to one-fifth of the overall invading force consisting of Black soldiers whose valor went largely unrecognized. After returning to the US, these veterans joined a broader wave of Black migrants moving northward, eventually settling in a Manhattan -neighborhood that would take the battle’s name. San Juan Hill became a lively, artistic Black community that preceded the Harlem Renaissance and inspired some of the highest twentieth- century creative triumphs―giving rise to the stride piano style and nurturing the genius of Monk, whose mold-breaking artistry struggled to gain traction in an industry then dominated by white producers.

As Robert Moses began tearing down the neighborhood under the guise of “urban renewal,” Monk became its most famous holdout, staying put in his cramped apartment in the Phipps Houses at 243 West 63rd Street, his upright piano protruding from his bedroom into the kitchen as he continued to make his iconic music.

By the late 1950s, Monk’s genius had finally been recognized, but the erasure already felt irreversible, extending even to the musical West Side Story, which reimagined the neighborhood’s streets as Latino gang territory, whitewashing the predominantly Black and Caribbean community that had actually lived there.

A compelling history from one of our finest American historians, The Jungles ultimately emerges as a new way of telling the history of music, of New York, and of America. The cradle of jazz was not only in New Orleans but also in San Juan Hill, and French’s magnificent recreation of that vanished world, and of the miraculous life of Thelonious Monk, restores to American cultural memory what erasure nearly stole for good.

12 illustrations

A self-care guidebook full of activities for Black men everywhere pursuing joy, creating connections, confronting racism, and working through intergenerational trauma.

Black men desperately need care and restoration. But what does that restoration look like when you’re a Black man in today’s world? How do you take care of your mental health when men who look like you die at the hands of police? How do you find peace and refuge when you’re not sure how to keep up with your partner? Or navigate a challenging workplace? While scrolling through social media feeds, you may feel like you don’t have access to wellness like women do. But Black men need a space for self-care too.

In Self-Care for Black Men, you will find practical answers to your questions. This book contains self-care strategies that address some of the most common issues Black men face, such as dealing with racism, navigating prejudice in the workplace, managing romantic relationships, and working through intergenerational trauma.

This is your guide to wellness and self-discovery written specifically for Black men. There will opportunities to learn new skills to manage your mental health, as well as do more deep reflection on your own terms. It’s time to take your health firmly within your own hands and Self-Care for Black Men will help you do that.

A bold and unabashed novel about a young Palestinian woman's unraveling as she teaches at a New York City middle school, gets caught up in a scheme reselling Birkin bags, and strives to gain control over her body and mind The Coin’s narrator is a wealthy Palestinian woman with impeccable style and meticulous hygiene. And yet the ideal self, the ideal life, remains just out of reach: her inheritance is inaccessible, her homeland exists only in her memory, and her attempt to thrive in America seems doomed from the start. In New York, she strives to put down roots. She teaches at a school for underprivileged boys, where her eccentric methods cross boundaries. She befriends a homeless swindler, and the two participate in a pyramid scheme reselling Birkin bags. But America is stifling her—her willfulness, her sexuality, her principles. In an attempt to regain control, she becomes preoccupied with purity, cleanliness, and self-image, all while drawing her students into her obsessions. In an unforgettable denouement, her childhood memories converge with her material and existential statelessness, and the narrator unravels spectacularly. In enthralling, sensory prose, The Coin explores nature and civilization, beauty and justice, class and belonging—all while resisting easy moralizing. Provocative, wry, and inviting, The Coin marks the arrival of a major new literary voice.