Slam By Walter
Dean Myers Is a story of a basketball player named Greg “Slam” Harris. Slam has
a goal to play basketball in college and beyond. He is from Harlem NY, and is constantly
struggling to stay free of the distractions that could potentially ruin his
dream. Despite the best efforts of his
mother, Slam’s grades are slipping and he is at risk to not be allowed to play
ball. Add to the drama a girlfriend and
a best friend who is beginning to make some poor life choices and you have a
recipe for a good book!
Ghetto Cowboy by
G. Neri this is the story of Coltrane, an African American teenager from
Detroit. After getting expelled from
school, Cole’s mother realizes that she is losing him and can’t handle the
stress of raising a misbehaving son alone.
After the meeting with the principal Cole’s mother doesn’t take Cole
home, she drives through the night to Philadelphia, where a man named Harper
lives, Cole is about to meet his father for the first time. Harper is a cowboy, loves taking care of
horses more than anything else. At the
same time Cole is “dumped” in Philly, Harper’s stall gets a new horse that doesn’t
trust anybody, except Cole. This is a
coming of age story where Cole learns to forgive his father and mother because
of the hard work he has to do to take care of Boo, the horse that chose him.
Native Son by
Richard Wright Is a book about Bigger Thomas, black young man who lives in the
Ghetto with his Mother and two siblings.
Bigger’s family rely on him for support so everyone is excited when he
gets a well-paying job as a chuffer for a prominent white family. Bigger is treated as an equal by his new
bosses and it is confusing and frustrating for him. One night when driving his boss’ daughter
around town with her communist boyfriend, bigger is “pushed to the edge” by their
kindness. The Daughter gets drunk and is
intimate with her boyfriend in the back of the car while Bigger is
driving. The daughter is so drunk that
when it is time to go home she cannot walk and Bigger must carry her to her room. When he puts her down he cannot resist the urge
to kiss her. That’s when the daughter’s
blind mother walks in, Bigger panics and places a pillow over the girls face so
that she does not make any noise. When
the Mother leaves, Bigger realizes that he has accidentally suffocated the
young women…
A Child Called “it”
by David Pelzer
This is the Autobiographical novel depicting the story of a young
child named Dave and his survival of the horrors of his home. According to the book, young Dave was treated
like an animal, or worse, by his alcoholic mother for no apparent reason or
wrong doing of his own. He was tortured,
starved, neglected and abused and it took years for anyone in the outside world
to suspect anything, and if they did they kept their opinions to
themselves. There is controversy surrounding
the validity of some of Pelzer’s claims, but even if this is a complete work of
fiction, it would steal be a heart wrenching tear jerker.
We Are The Ship : the Story
of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson,
forward by Hank Aaron
This is a story about the Negro Baseball League and the talented young men who wanted to pursue major league careers despite the discrimination and cruelty. The narrator discusses the beginning of the Negro Baseball League in the 1920s up until Jackie Robinson's crossover in the majors in 1947. The oil paintings in the book are stunning and help bring to life the story of these talented men.
Bad News for Outlaws by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
This a biography about Bass Reeves who was a peace officer and hero in the Old West. Bass Reeves always caught the men whose warrants he had. Criminals feared him and law abiding citizens were grateful for his bravery. This story is very detailed and will grab the attention of young readers. It discusses growing up in slavery then to grow up and be a feared and respected lawman.
Push by Sapphire
Told from the perspective of Precious Jones, a young poor black woman living in Harlem, New York. Precious lives with her overweight dead beat mother who has been torturing and molesting Precious since she was little. Precious' father, who does not live with the family, only comes over when he wants to have sexual relations with his daughter. Precious has her first child at twelve and her second child just a few years later. She gets suspended from school after becoming pregnant with her second. Her father is also the father of both her children. Precious is enrolled in an after school program where each girl is told to keep a journal. The journal helps Precious with her children, standing up to her mother and becoming an independent woman for herself and her children.
This is a story about the Negro Baseball League and the talented young men who wanted to pursue major league careers despite the discrimination and cruelty. The narrator discusses the beginning of the Negro Baseball League in the 1920s up until Jackie Robinson's crossover in the majors in 1947. The oil paintings in the book are stunning and help bring to life the story of these talented men.
Bad News for Outlaws by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
This a biography about Bass Reeves who was a peace officer and hero in the Old West. Bass Reeves always caught the men whose warrants he had. Criminals feared him and law abiding citizens were grateful for his bravery. This story is very detailed and will grab the attention of young readers. It discusses growing up in slavery then to grow up and be a feared and respected lawman.
Push by Sapphire
Told from the perspective of Precious Jones, a young poor black woman living in Harlem, New York. Precious lives with her overweight dead beat mother who has been torturing and molesting Precious since she was little. Precious' father, who does not live with the family, only comes over when he wants to have sexual relations with his daughter. Precious has her first child at twelve and her second child just a few years later. She gets suspended from school after becoming pregnant with her second. Her father is also the father of both her children. Precious is enrolled in an after school program where each girl is told to keep a journal. The journal helps Precious with her children, standing up to her mother and becoming an independent woman for herself and her children.
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Steve Harmon, a sixteen year old is put on trial for a murder after being accused for being the lookout for another young man who robbed a drug store and killed the clerk. The book is written as a screenplay and handwritten comments by Steve who is trying to stay sane will waiting his trial in jail. His entries describe in detail the horror of prison life and how terrified this young man is of spending the rest of his life in this hell.
Steve Harmon, a sixteen year old is put on trial for a murder after being accused for being the lookout for another young man who robbed a drug store and killed the clerk. The book is written as a screenplay and handwritten comments by Steve who is trying to stay sane will waiting his trial in jail. His entries describe in detail the horror of prison life and how terrified this young man is of spending the rest of his life in this hell.
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