Tonya Bolden

Bolden sheds light on new research and interpretations of one of America's most influential African Americans. She focuses on Douglass the man rather than the historical icon. In chronicling his shortcomings and the low points in his life as well as his victories, Bolden creates a portrait of this relentless warrior as a speaker, a once-enslaved abolitionist, but most importantly, as a human being.

"As a mail carrier, Victor Hugo Green traveled across New Jersey every day. But with Jim Crow laws enforcing segregation since the late 1800s, traveling as a Black person in the US could be stressful, even dangerous. So in the 1930s, Victor created a guide--The Negro Motorist Green-Book--compiling information on where to go and what places to avoid so that Black travelers could have a safe and pleasant time. While the Green Book started out small,...

"This is a story about America and the shaping of its democratic values during the Reconstruction era, one of our country's most pivotal and misunderstood chapters. In this stirring account of the Civil War, emancipation, and the struggle for rights and reunion that followed, one of the premier US scholars delivers a book that is as illuminating as it is timely. Real-life accounts of heroism, grit, betrayal, and bravery drive this book's narrative,...