20th-Century Black History Books

20th-Century Black History Books - Heritage Mom

source: https://heritagemom.com/2023/07/01/20th-century-black-history-books/

These 20th-Century Black History Books cover a period of history during which segregation tightened and racial oppression escalated across the United States. Uniquely, it also includes years of immense progress and explosive creative expression among Black Americans who found ways to survive and even thrive amid incredibly unjust circumstances.

The books I've chosen for my children to read next school year highlight stories from the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Great Depression to the Civil Rights Movement and more recent calls for justice. We'll also study the role of African Americans in the intervening wars of this time period alongside poets, musicians, artists, and more!

In my book, A PLACE TO BELONG, I've devoted two chapters to books as mirrors and windows and a chapter on defining a "really good book." I also have chapters on teaching hard (tough, tragic, traumatic) history and teaching the joyful aspects of history and culture through literature, art, music, poetry, food, and more. Please read the book to fully understand how and why I use these books (and how they can be used to grow "roots and branches" in your home).

Grades

& Ages

These plans cover 20th-Century Black history books for my children; however, the book recommendations certainly extend above, below, and between these ages, so hopefully, everyone will find something relevant for their children. My kids will be the following ages this fall:

9th grader (Age 14)* 7th grader (Age 12) 5th grader (Age 10) 2nd grader (Age 8)

* Finally! Parents have been asking me for high school recommendations for years, but I couldn't share what I didn't have. The time has come, folks! I now have a full-fledged teenager, and the book recommendations will pour forth. Enjoy 🙂

Black History Books Across Time Periods

We've adopted a four-year history rotation modeled after Charlotte Mason's but adapted for American students. My kiddos will experience each rotation 3 times during their school years, going deeper each time. The time periods studied are as follows:

I don't want to repeat all of the notes and suggestions that I've shared in these posts over the years, so I recommend that you take a quick look at the introductory info for the Rotation 2 & Rotation 3 posts above. You can ignore the books if you're not in those time periods, but I share ideas and details at the top of each post that may help with your planning for this year.

20th-Century Black History Books

Here are direct links to the booklists containing each element of my family's Black history plans covering the 1900s:

Reading schedule

Coming Soon! Check back later this summer for a customized reading schedule based on some of these book recommendations.

Disclaimers

I have not read all of these 20th-Century Black history books from cover to cover. I already have all the books sitting here with me, and I've done a pretty thorough preview of the ones I haven't read, so I don't expect any issues, but I will update this post if I run into any questionable material as I finish pre-reading.

I shop my home bookshelves for our lesson books before making additional purchases because I want my family to read the books we already have. Some of these were purchased years ago. I did NOT pay a ton of money for any of these titles, and you shouldn't either (unless you just want to). I always offer enough variety that no one should feel pressure to overpay for harder-to-find titles. Request books from your library, share/swap with friends, invest in the ones that interest you most, and skip the rest.

My goal in sharing is not to say that these are the best and only 20th-Century Black history books. I'm simply sharing my family's plans with the hope that they will inspire you (and save you time!) as you prepare for the next school year. Please feel free to drop additional ideas (or questions) in the comments below so we can all benefit.

Saying Thank You

As I shared the individual posts that comprise this mega post, many of you reached out to say thank you, and some asked if you could send a donation or buy me a coffee. I appreciate being appreciated, so THANK YOU for caring and acknowledging the large expense and many hours of work that went into pulling all of this together. What I would appreciate more than payment is for you to LEAVE A REVIEW for my book on Amazon and other online sites where my book is sold. Thank you in advance, and I hope these Black history books add fresh perspectives and enjoyable moments to your lessons.

You can find me on Instagram @heritagemomblog. I hope to see you there!

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