SSAAM Bookshelf

"The whole world opened to me when I learned to read" 
- Mary McLeod Bethune

Explore SSAAM's recommended books on African American history, music, literature, and other topics. These books are read and recommended by the museum's Board members, staff, and affiliated. Click on a thumbnail below to view the book on Amazon.

Find other reading lists at:
 

New York Public Library: Guide to resources related to independent Black bookstores

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Schomburg's Black Liberation List for Young Readers: Essential titles on Black history and culture, selected by the Schomburg Center

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The Conscious Kid: Organization dedicated to equity and promoting positive racial identity development in youth.

Written by SSAAM Board & Staff

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African Americans in New Jersey

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Biographies & Autobiographies

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Tubman.jpg
Bannaker.jpg
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18th-century America

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Slavery & Abolitionism

Half.jpg
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Ebony.jpg
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Civil War & Reconstruction

River.jpg
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Post-Reconstruction & Civil Rights

Separate.jpg
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DuBois.jpg

Jim Crow & the Ku Klux Klan

Cross.jpg
ByAnother.jpg
KKK.jpg
NewJCrow.jpg
Sundown.jpg
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The Modern South

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African Americans in the Military

Buffalo.jpg
Marines.jpg
Courage.jpg

Modern African American Issues

Farming.jpg
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KillAll.jpg
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BFWS.jpg
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Machine.PNG
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Literature & Culture

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Owens.jpg
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Books for Young People