New African-American Titles for February

  

Several new African-American fiction and nonfiction titles have been published just in time for Black History Month.  The following are just a sample of the new books that have been ordered by the library. Visit your local public library to check out the selection of new books.  Keep in mind that books can be placed on reserve and sent to your library branch of choice.  The descriptions of the titles are from the publishers.

Black Cloud Rising by David Wright Falade

At the heart of the narrative is Sergeant Richard Etheridge, the son of a slave and her master, raised with some privileges but constantly reminded of his place. Deeply conflicted about his past, Richard is eager to show himself to be a credit to his race. As the African Brigade conducts raids through the areas occupied by the Confederate Partisan Rangers, he and his comrades recognize that they are fighting for more than territory. Wild's mission is to prove that his troops can be trusted as soldiers in combat. And because many of the men have fled from the very plantations in their path, each raid is also an opportunity to free loved ones left behind. For Richard, this means the possibility of reuniting with Fanny, the woman he hopes to marry one day.

Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happily Ever Afters by Jessica Pryde

Romantic love has been one of the most essential elements of storytelling for centuries. But for Black people in the United States and across the diaspora, it hasn't often been easy to find Black romance joyfully showcased in entertainment media. In this collection, revered authors and sparkling newcomers, librarians and academicians, and avid readers and reviewers consider the mirrors and windows into Black love as it is depicted in the novels, television shows, and films that have shaped their own stories. Whether personal reflection or cultural commentary, these essays delve into Black love now and in the past, including topics from the history of Black romance to social justice and the Black community to the meaning of desire and desirability.

Didn't We Almost Have It All: In Defense of Whitney Houston by Gerrick Kennedy

On February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. In the decade since, the world has mourned her death amid new revelations about her relationship to her Blackness, her sexuality, and her addictions. Didn't We Almost Have It All is author Gerrick Kennedy's exploration of the duality of Whitney's life as both a woman in the spotlight and someone who often had to hide who she was. This is the story of Whitney's life, her whole life, told with both grace and honesty.

Hope for the Hurting by Tony Evans

Life is painful.

Everyone's story comes with unique challenges, difficulties, bumps, and bruises that leave you lost and drowning in their wake. It could be a financial disaster, a health issue, a broken relationship, or the loss of a loved one.

Dr. Tony Evans, bestselling author and pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, understands life's hardships firsthand. In a span of less than two years, he lost his brother, sister, brother-in-law, two nieces, father, and wife. At the same time, both of his daughters received cancer diagnoses. In the wake of all this pain, Dr. Evans had to put into practice, at the deepest levels, the truths he has preached about God for more than forty years.

God's Word doesn't promise us a life free from pain and trouble. It promises us something else--Someone else. Someone who will walk with us through all of life's trials and troubles.

There is hope for the hurting: His name is Jesus.