Lala Russell just wants to finish high school and leave Davey, Texas, a sundown town. At 15 years old, she’s not interested in joining the Black Alliance Club at her school, though she agrees with the organization’s mission. Though tensions within the community are brewing, as there are plans to diversify an “all-white” part of town, she just wants to focus on her dreams and talent. However, being a skilled cellist is not Lala’s only gift. She has also inherited her grandmother’s gift of being a “seer” and seeing outcomes before they come to pass. And, Lala happens to have had a vision about a young Black teen being shot by a white man. So, she plans to find him and save him. But her grandmother has had a “vision”, too. Split the Sky is an excellent read for parents of teens, young adults, and older teens who appreciate reading books with nuanced characters, have complex arcs, and a passion for social justice themes and history. Lala’s journey of self-discovery is told with honesty, transparency, and urgency, giving voice to the emotions and choices that many young people and students often carry in silence. Themes of resilience, community, and belonging are at the center, making it both relatable and inspiring for adults and teens. Split the Sky is a powerful story for those who value seeing Black youth portrayed with complexity and strength.
From the New York Times bestselling author, Tembi Locke, comes Someday, Now, a memoir with a deeply personal reflection on grief, blended family, travel, and renewal. Written with the intimacy of a conversation among loved ones, Someday, Now invites readers to sit with loss while still reverencing the beauty of life, parenting, and letting our children flourish. Locke’s intimate storytelling captures the richness of culture, memory, and the power of relationships that anchor us through hardship. It’s an uplifting memoir that affirms healing is not only possible but inevitable when love guides the way. If you loved reading Locke’s From Scratch or watching the very popular Netflix limited series, you will absolutely adore this touching and compelling memoir.
As a renowned maternal health expert, celebrity doula, and founder of the global maternal health and education platform, Mama Glow, Latham Thomas redefines what it means to raise children by teaching parents to begin with themselves. Drawing on cultural wisdom and modern wellness practices, Thomas provides tools for creating a home filled with calm, intention, joy, and peace. Peaceful Parenting, the audiobook, includes a series of twenty meditations that center on pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. The mediations address the unique pressures families face, while offering strategies and gentle guidance that encourage parents to thrive. Themes include “preparing for birth, parent-baby bonding, body changes, sleep deprivation, stress management, releasing guilt, and building parenting confidence. While parenting can be unpredictable at times, peaceful parenting sends a gentle reminder that parenting does not have to be stressful and that we have the power to define our parenting journey, and it all starts with doing the “inner work” as adults.
This work honors the fearless and unapologetic spirit of the late June Jordan, educator, writer, activist, and poetess, whose words still challenge and inspire decades after they were first written and spoken. Through essays and reflections, readers are reminded of her refusal to be silent in the face of injustice. Edited by Lauren Muller, Becky Thompson, Dominique C. Hill, and Durell M. Callier, this book pays homage to Jordan’s legacy as an activist and poetess, a dual legacy that continues to shape the Black imagination and thought. This book includes essays, poems, interviews, and letters by activists and artists such as Elizabeth Alexander, Angela Davis, and Naomi Shihab Nye, Pratibha Parmar, Kathy Engel, Afaa M. Weaver, E. Ethelbert Miller, and June Jordan’s former students. It’s an invitation to see her not just as a historical figure, but as a voice still speaking into today’s struggles.
Barbara Fant’s collection turns resistance into rhythm, blending beauty with fire. Her poems use “poetry as prayer” and beautifully transition from vulnerability and power to urging readers to find the light, no matter how dark the times. This collection journeys through faith, womanhood, and community, and much more. With themes of resilience, victory, and joy as a healing balm, Joy in the Belly of a Riot is a beautiful manifestation of how poetry has the power to heal and help one overcome pain.
Mentorship has the power to change lives, and Jason Reynold’s Coach is a beautiful invitation to fathers and sons, male mentors, teachers, and spiritual leaders to have deeper conversations around the power of influence and what it means to be a coach. As the next installation on the TRACK series, this book shines a light on those who steer the lives of young people toward their fullest selves daily. Coach centers themes on discipline, love, responsibility, and life lessons that transcend the track field. This book is an excellent read for coaches, in their varied forms, sports lovers, and those seeking motivation altogether.
Kendra, a cook who returns home to the DC area to open a supper club with speakeasy vibes. When she teams up with BJ, her brother’s best friend, to search for a property for her forthcoming restaurant, sexual tension begins to brew as she’s always had a crush on him. But, he puts the brakes, and tells her that anything between them is strictly prohibited. This steamy romance delves into the tricky question, “Are siblings of friends off limits?” With warm characters and high stakes, McCoy’s newest rom-com is the perfect read for those who love a good forbidden romance.
As the founder of Harriett’s Bookshop in Philadelphia, Cook knows a thing or two about books. Books are not just filled with pages, but rather carry a rhythm, a flow, and an essence. And, It’s Me They Follow is a read for the book lover who loves a “book within a book”, and in this book, there’s a shopkeeper, a bookseller, and a matchmaker. Within the pages of the allegorical book, books bring soulmates together, and this intriguing read asks readers to ponder the nature of influence and accountability. This book centers on themes of courage, leadership, community, and more.
Fela was once considered “The most dangerous man in Nigeria”, and he was arrested more than 200 times due to his activism. Yet, and still, he used his music as a tool to bring awareness to government corruption. This stimulating and picturesque biographical graphic novel captures the extraordinary life of Fela Kuti, the Nigerian musician who put the Afrobeat genre of music at the forefront as an international voice of resistance. In this bold and bright graphic novel, not only are his acts of resistance highlighted, but it’s also a celebration of music.
From Dropout to Doctorate by Dr. Terence Lester is a powerful testament to resilience and faith. From a high school dropout and gang member who experienced homelessness to a PhD holder and founder of the Love Beyond Walls non-profit, Lester shares his journey navigating the trauma of poverty while exposing the systemic educational injustices that trap Black communities. Lester’s story proves that no matter where you start, your past doesn’t define your future, and justice is always worth fighting for. This book is an excellent read for male mentors, men seeking inspiration after a setback, high school teachers looking to empower older teens, teenage and college youth groups, and more. Lester, who is wholeheartedly committed to not just speaking about change but to actually doing the work, was recently awarded the Author of the Year Award by the Black Christian Influencers (BCI) institution for his books All God’s Children and Zion Learns to See: Opening Our Eyes to Homelessness.
Hell’s Kitchen: Behind the Dream offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes journey into Alicia Keys’ hit Broadway musical. Written by Keys and Lise Funderburg, the book captures the show’s thirteen-year evolution from concept to the Tony-winning stage production that’s been captivating audiences at the Shubert Theatre. Inspired by Keys’ upbringing in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen, the story follows 17-year-old Ali—a bold, curious teen searching for identity, freedom, and voice in a neighborhood that shapes her dreams. Through vivid photography, exclusive interviews, and Keys’ personal reflections, readers witness how music, family, and mentorship converge into a powerful coming-of-age narrative. Featuring insights from the cast and creative team, behind-the-scenes imagery, and commentary on Keys’ original songs, Hell’s Kitchen: Behind the Dream is both a visual celebration and an artistic blueprint—an ode to creativity, community, and the rhythm of New York life that continues to inspire.
The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir is Roy Wood Jr.’s heartfelt and hilarious reflection on the men who helped shape him. When the Emmy-nominated comedian and former Daily Show correspondent became a father, he found himself reckoning with lessons left unfinished after losing his own dad at sixteen—a respected civil rights journalist from Birmingham, Alabama. In tracing his path from dishwasher to headliner, Wood revisits the unconventional “fathers” who taught him about manhood, ambition, and grace: fellow comedians, neighborhood hustlers, restaurant coworkers, and even Hollywood mentors like Trevor Noah. Through sharp wit and deep introspection, Wood reveals the wisdom he’s gathered—from knowing when to hold your tongue to learning how to channel anger into purpose. Equal parts comedy and confession, The Man of Many Fathers is a funny, moving meditation on legacy, resilience, and the teachers we don’t always recognize in real time.
Minor Black Figures, the latest novel from Booker Prize finalist Brandon Taylor, follows Wyeth, a young Black painter searching for meaning in his art, his faith, and himself. Set in a sweltering New York summer charged with tension and desire, the story begins when Wyeth meets Keating, a former seminarian whose intellect and intensity ignite a complicated friendship. As the two debate art, spirituality, and love, Wyeth’s days working for an art restorer lead him to uncover the forgotten legacy of a little-known Black artist. That discovery forces him to confront his own place in a world that often commodifies Black creativity while denying its depth. With Taylor’s signature precision and emotional insight, Minor Black Figures becomes a powerful meditation on creation and connection, and an intimate, thought-provoking portrait of what it means to make art, and to make sense of oneself, in a restless and divided world.
Sparks Fly is the steamy debut novel from Zakiya N. Jamal, follows Stella Renee Johnson, a late bloomer who’s ready to rewrite her love story. When her roommate ditches a planned night out at a sex club, Stella decides to go solo, determined to finally explore her desires. But just as things get interesting with a mysterious stranger, fate (and a missing condom) intervenes, sending her running for the door. The next day, Stella’s world flips again when that same man walks into her office—Max Williams, the tech genius behind an AI platform threatening her job. As workplace tension collides with undeniable chemistry, their connection deepens beyond the physical. Both Black, brilliant, and bisexual, Stella and Max find themselves caught between logic and longing. Equal parts witty and heartfelt, Sparks Fly is a modern love story about risk, reinvention, and the courage to follow passion wherever it leads.