Black Tudors: The Untold Story by Miranda Kaufmann

Title: Black Tudors: The Untold Story
Author: Miranda Kaufmann
Genre: History

I love history, and sometimes it feels like I've read everything about the Tudor period. This book, however, reveals the rich and somewhat hidden story of Black people in Tudor England. Contrary to popular belief and depiction in fiction/media, Black people had a thriving community and presence in Tudor England. It's really fascinating, especially given Brexit and conversations around what is truly "English" to read about the long history of immigrants and their various roles in England. It's also fascinating to read about the connections between race, religion, and social acceptance; this echoed things I learned about only as an adult from reading "Stamped From the Beginning" by Ibram X. Kendi. A great read for anyone interested in history, especially Tudor history, and a surprisingly relevant way to engage with current debates on citizenship and belonging.

- Meagan

Check out Black Tudors: The Untold Story by Miranda Kaufmann @ the library!

Everything's Fine by Cecelia Rabess

Title: Everything's Fine
Author: Cecilia Rabess
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Politics, Identity

Jess is a young Black woman starting her finance career at Goldman Sachs. She discovers that one of her new colleagues, Josh, is an old classmate from college. She remembers him most for the heated discussions they would have in a legal course. As their relationship transforms, Jess learns more about who she really is verses who she has always believed she should be. She considers how often being the only Black face in a room has shaped her life. Josh has lived a very different experience - being a white man from a privileged community in Connecticut. “Everything Is Fine” explores what it means to have difficult conversations (and make difficult decisions) with those you love when you don’t share the same perspective.

- Tiffany

Check out Everything's Fine by Cecilia Rabess @ the library!

Rick by Alex Gino

Title: Rick
Author: Alex Gino
Genre: Children's Fiction

Discovering that you are not the only person who does something, feels something, or reacts in some way is part of the experiences that make us realize that we are part of a larger group, part of humanity. There is a sense of magic that is an integral part of learning a new word to describe yourself, or to describe how you are feeling.

This is never more true than in middle school, as you are exploring your own identity, and forming your own sense of self outside of who you have always been told you are. Rick is just starting his time in middle school, and as he quietly joins the Rainbow group that meets after school, he learns that there are more words to describe people than gay, straight, and lesbian - and begins to realize where he might fit in, himself.

- Katrina

Check out Rick by Alex Gino @ the library!

Fruit Punch by Kendra Allen

 

Title: Fruit Punch
Author: Kendra Allen
Genre: Memoir, Black Writers

Storytelling is powerful because not only does it make it difficult to ignore reality, it connects us. Imagine a life without a default experience; where everyone believed there is value in all our stories. Kendra Allen is a young Black girl growing up in Texas in the late 1990s and early 2000s, telling her coming of age story - in her way. Her conversationalist tone describing her turbulent, yet loving upbringing grabs hold of you and guides you down a poetic spiral that you can’t help but connect to.

- Tiffany

Check out Fruit Punch by Kendra Allen @ the library!