7 History Books by BIPOC Authors
As the writer of the In Reading Color newsletter, covering task #4 of the Read Harder Challenge (Read a history book by a BIPOC author) is especially perfect.
My picks for this task are mostly based in the U.S., and there's a reason for that. It's the same reason we have different heritage months that a certain group of people bemoan, and a big part of the reason we have a BIPOC literature-based newsletter in the first place — which is to say that not much BIPOC history and literature are covered correctly, if at all.
And so, a lot of the books below aren't just supplements for learning history, but sometimes outright corrections. They include everything from an award-winning account of Indigenous peoples' contributions to U.S. history to the history of Asians in America.
Before we get to the books, though, here's one more reminder that we have Read Harder merch! Check it out at Book Riot's Bonfire shop!
Now for the recs. As with other Read Harder posts, the first two recommendations are open to everyone, and the rest are for members of the Read Harder Community: the paid newsletter membership. Make sure to join if you can! It's cozy and we have cookies.
The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk
U.S. history as a field has traditionally treated Indigenous people as a side note. In this National Book Award-winning account, Blackhawk rewrites them into the country's story, showing how they influenced major historical events at every turn. Five centuries of history leading up to the start of the U.S. as we know it today are examined, showing, among other things, how Native nations influenced European colonizers' actions, just as colonizers influence theirs.
Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen by George McCalman
This one has been sitting on my shelf for ages, and I think it's finally time to get into it for this task. It comes from an award-winning graphic designer and artist, and celebrates the many contributions of Black Americans to fields like politics, literature, music, science, and more. It gets into the big hitters, like Nina Simone, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and others, but also talks about the lesser-known figures, like Dr. Eliza Ann Grier, a woman born into slavery who became the first Black woman to practice medicine in the U.S., and Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her bus seat nine months before Rosa Parks. Each mini biography features original, expressive art that adds to the stories of the ancestors.
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017 by Rashid Khalidi
Yusuf Diya al-Khalidi, the author's great-great-uncle and mayor of Jerusalem, wrote a letter to Theodor Herzl expressing concern over the Zionist call to create a national Jewish home in Palestine. He warned that the indigenous population would not tolerate being displaced. That was in 1899. Since just a few months ago (if not before), the conflict has been on everyone's minds across the world. Here, Khalidi uses all manner of archival materials and primary documents that were previously not reported on to trace 100 years of colonial war against Palestinians. He looks at everything from the 1917 Balfour Declaration to the rise of national movements on both sides.
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
This retells America's beginnings in a more honest and well-rounded way by centering perhaps the most defining aspect of it: chattel slavery. By looking at U.S. history from that focal point, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story expands on the award-winning efforts of the 1619 Project's depiction of American democracy being rooted in the enslavement of Black people. It does so through 18 essays, 36 poems, and works of fiction. Hannah-Jones's lead essay from the original project won a Pulitzer Prize. The reaction to the original project has been so strong that Sen. Tom Cotton, one of its detractors, has fought to keep it from being taught in schools.
An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz
I think one of the most damaging aspect of America's brand of the white patriarchy is the separation of vulnerable people — from marginalized racial groups to disabled people to poor white people. But here, Ortiz seeks to show how the fight against imperialism that would transform into capitalism has often crossed racial and ethnic lines. Covering more than 200 years, Ortiz breaks down how The Global South — specifically Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa — are responsible for all that America is. He shows the fallacy of ideas like Manifest Destiny and Jacksonian Democracy by showing how Black American, Latine, and Indigenous people have fought back against subjugation through the years of Jim Crow and other divisive eras.
Asian American Histories of the United States by Catherine Ceniza Choy
Award-winning historian Choy recounts an almost 200 year history of Asians in America. Despite being the fastest growing population in the U.S., there isn't much of an emphasis on their history in this country through the ages. Choy begins to remedy this by looking at all Asian Americans — immigrants, refugees, American-born, multiracial, and more — and looks at everything surrounding their communities, from the anti-Asian hate that surged with COVID to the many breakthroughs in art, pop culture, and politics.
Notable Native People by ADRIENNE KEENE
This is a collection of accessible biographies of 50 Indigenous people from the Americas and Polynesia assembled by Native American author Keene. There are past as well as contemporary figures — including activists, artists, athletes, and scientists — that are highlighted in this gorgeously illustrated book.
Which book will you be reading for this prompt? Let's trade recommendations in the comments section!
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