These works of history writing range from sweeping sagas to in-depth examinations of single events. From slavery and the impact of racist ideas on the formation of the United States, through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights movement, to the impact in the present day of mass incarceration and policing on Black communities, these titles provide context for the Black lived experience, the way it has changed over decades and centuries, and the through lines that continue to resonate.

Explore everything the Library has to offer for Black History Month, and discover more recommended reads with the Schomburg Center’s Black Liberation Reading List.

Some of these titles are also available in accessible formats including talking books (DB), braille (BR), and through Bookshare (BK), as indicated below.  See The New York Public Library's Andrew Heiskell Library for more information.