There’s More to Our Story: A Critical, Diverse and Honest Histories Booklist for Babies Through Adults as We Celebrate 250 Years as a Nation

With this weekend’s milestone of 250 years as the United States of America, there is much to celebrate and reflect on.  Moments like this have many, including ourselves, asking who we are?  Who have we been? Who are we becoming? What have we learned? And importantly, not only where are we going, but where do we want to go and how will we get there?  

Unfortunately, at a time of so many important questions, there is a great collective narrowing of our ability to ask and answer such questions, especially publicly and in dialogue with each other.  Discourse is limited.  Dissent is restricted.  History is removed from public buildings and national parks.  Books are banned from schools and removed from public libraries.  Art that teaches is replaced with art that dictates.  The list goes on.

In a time of narrowing, honest and critical histories can broaden our knowledge, offer diverse perspectives, and reveal the spaces between the history we know, what we’ve been taught and what has been shared, and the history we don’t know or haven’t examined.  In order to be proactive about our present and future, we need to understand the full story of how we got to now, both the stories that inspire us, and the truths that challenge us.  With these questions and issues in mind, we offer this booklist of critical, diverse and honest histories to help us understand ourselves and create an informed empowered deliberate future. 

All these titles, and hundreds more (search “history”), are available for no cost loan to library patrons of our free community lending library. Click “Borrow A Book” to learn how you can bring these and other books home. See also our Hours and Location. If you’re not local to our lending program, please refer to these suggestions when looking for honest, diverse and critical history books for all ages.  To learn how to support our efforts to provide these and other critical books for understanding who we are and where we can go, visit Get Involved at www.cdjlibrary.org.   

*Titles not currently available in the Knox County Public Library system.

Board Books

• *The Life of / La Vida de Delores (Lil’ Libros), Patty Roríguez and Ariana Stein

• Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, Vashti Harrison 

• Little Legends:  Exceptional Men in Black History, Vashti Harrison

• *A Is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World, Evan Chen and Derek Desierto

Picture Books

• The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Renée Watson and Nikkolas Smith

• *Before I Lived Here, Stacy S. Jensen and Victo Ngai

• My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story, George Takei and Michelle Lee

• *Main Street: A Community Story About Redlining, Britt Hawthorne, Tiffany Jewell and David Wilkerson

• The History of We, Nikkolas Smith

• *My History, My Gender, Me; Cassandra Jules Corrigan

• *Be Amazing: A History of Pride, Desmond Napoles and Dylan Glynn

• A to Z Black History Knoxville, Kharmon Anderson, Dream2Design.org

• We Want to Go to School: The Fight for Disability Rights, Maryann Cocca-Leffler and Janine Leffler

• Pura’s Cuentos: How Pura Belpré Reshaped Libraries with Her Stories, Annette Bay Pimentel and Magaly Morales

• I’m an American, Darshana Khiani and Laura Freeman

• Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, Duncan Tonatiuh

• Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World, Cynthia Chin-Lee

• Equality’s Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America, Devorah Diesen and Magdalena Mora

• *Stronger Than, Nikki Grimes, Stacy Well, E.B. Lewis

• *The Rabbi and the Reverend: Joachim Prinz, Martin Luther King Jr., and Their Fight Against Silence, Audrey Ades, Chiara Fedele

Juvenile

• Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper

• Evicted!: The Struggle for the Right to Vote, Alice Faye Duncan

• Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies, Cokie Roberts and Diane Goode

• *Black Heroes: A Black History Book for Kids: 51 Inspiring People from Ancient Africa to Modern-Day U.S.A., Arisha Norwood

• *A Child's Introduction to Pride: The Inspirational History and Culture of the LGBTQIA+ Community, Sarah Prager, Caitlin O’Dwyer

• We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know, Traci Sorell and Frané Lessac

• *Hear My Voice / Escucha mi voz: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States, Warren Binford and Michael Garcia Bochenek

• *I Am Not a Label: 34 artists, thinkers, athletes and activist with disabilities from past and present, Cerrie Burnell and Laruen Mark Baldo

• *Amazing: Asian American and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All, Maia Shibutani, Alex Shibutani, Dane Liu and Aaliya Jaleel

Middle Grades

• Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism and You, Jason Reynolds, Sonja Cherry-Paul, Rachelle Baker, Ibram X. Kendi

• History Smashers: The Mayflower, Kate Messner and Dylan Meconis

• Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States: A Graphic Interpretation, Paul Peart Smith

• *What Was Stonewall? Nico Medina, Jake Murray, Who HQ

• Betty Before X, Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson

• *Fred Korematsu Speaks Up, Laura Atkins, Stan Yogi, Yutaka Houlette

• *Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement, Stella Caldwell

• *Rad American Women A - Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future!, Kate Schatz

• Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box, Evette Dionne

• Finish the Fight!: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote, Veronica Chambers, the staff of the New York Times

Teen

• *Queer History of the United States for Young People, Michael Bronski, Richie Chevat

• *Caste (Adapted for Young Adults) by Isabel Wilkerson

• Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Brandy Colbert

• Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, Alex L. Combs, Andrew Eakett

• *Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America, Ibram X. Kendi, Joel Christian Gill

• They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group, Susan Campbell Bartoletti

• *Lies My Teacher Told Me: Young Readers' Edition: Everything American History Textbooks Get Wrong, James W. Loewen, Rebecca Stefoff

• *Lies My Teacher Told Me: A Graphic Adaptation, James W. Loewen, Nate Powell

• *One Person, No Vote (YA Edition): How Not All Voters are Treated Equally, Carol Anderson, Tonya Bolden

• Call and Response, the story of Black Lives Matter, Veronica Chambers

• An Indigenous People's History of the United States for Young People, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Debbie Reese, Jean Mendoza

• *We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration, Frank Abe, Matt Sasaki, Tamiko Nimura, Ross Ishikawa

• *Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fights for Their Rights, Mikki Kendall, A. D’Amico

• Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History, Blair Imani

Adult

• Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W Loewen

• *Blunt Instruments: Recognizing Racist Cultural Infrastructure in Memorials, Museums and Patriotic Practices, Kristin Hass

• Stamped from the Beginning, Ibram X. Kendi

• A Queer History of the United States (revisioning history), Michael Bronski

• *https://www.librarycat.org/lib/CDJLibrary/item/241879547, Kim E. Nielsen

• The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Ilena Silverman, Jake Silverstein, The New York Times Magazine, Cailin Roper

• *Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender, Dr. Kit Heyam

• Brown: The Last Discovery of America, Richard Rodriguez

• *People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present, Dara Horn

• A Black Women's History of the United States, Daina Ramey Berry, Kali Nicole Gross

• An Indigenous People's History of the United States (10th Anniversary Edition), Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

• The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority, Ellen D. Wu

• *A Protest History of the United States, Gloria J. Browne-Marshall

• An African American and Latinx History of the United States, Paul Ortiz

• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson

• Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts, Rebecca Hall, Hugo Martinez

• The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls, Joan Jacobs Brumberg

• The Heat of a red Summer: Race Mixing, Race Rioting in 1919 Knoxville, Robert J. Booker

Widening Our Circles: Books for February 2022

As Grandpa says in one of our favorite books, “All Around Us” written by Xelena Gonzalez and illustrated by Adriana M Garcia, “Circles are all around us.  We just have to look for them.”  And it’s true, circles are all around us, even within us, and we within them, from the tiny circles of cells and atoms to the circle of the water cycle with rain falling from the clouds, filling up reservoirs, travelling through rivers, evaporating up again, and coming back down.  

One thing that all circles have in common is that they form a boundary between what is inside and what is outside.  And that boundary marks a distinction: everything inside the circle shares something in common that is not shared by what is outside the circle.  Socially, this can look like belonging to a group with a common interest like cycling or knitting where everyone in the group participates in that activity and has a sense of belonging to that group.  People outside the group may, or may not, also enjoy that activity, but for many possible reasons, they do not share a sense of belonging to that particular group.  They are not part of that circle.  

However, it can be hard to reconcile the tension between enjoying the belonging and comfort found within a group, and the growth and excitement that comes from widening our circles and letting the outside in.  How do you attend to your own growth and development, and participate in and nurture your circles, while also cultivating the curiosity and openness that allows you and your groups to grow and evolve?  How do groups foster the trust within that allows them to grow, while simultaneously welcoming newcomers?  

It’s also important to be aware of the difference between firm and porous boundaries, and to question who is involved in forming and maintaining a circle or group.  Who is in, who is out, and why?  Firm boundaries can become overly insulating as well as exclusionary, making it difficult to recognize and honor all people as worthy of being held within a circle of love and worth.  In addition, many people have been, and still are, excluded from circles, not because of lack of affinity, but because of discrimination and prejudice.  Remembering to consider who is, and who isn’t, forming, maintaining, joining and participating in a circle, and whether the group’s boundaries are fixed or movable, helps create circles that can be widened and maintain a society that is welcoming, inviting, inclusive and just.   

This month, we make our way together towards wider circles by sharing books that offer tools and inspiration for:

• widening our self acceptance,

• widening our love,

• widening our understanding of history, and

• widening our commitment to community free from racism and oppression.  

The books in the curated list below, all written by or about people with identities and/or from communities that are under-published and under-represented in literature, each draw upon these themes.  These, and hundreds more, are available for loan to our library patrons.  Click “Borrow A Book” to learn how to bring these and other books home.  If you’re not local to our lending program, please refer to these suggestions when looking for books.  May this list help you and yours widen your circles. 

*Monthly themes adapted from the work of Soul Matters Sharing Circle https://www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com

Widening Our Self Acceptance

Picture Books

• Sulwe written by Nyong’o Lupita, illustrations by Vashti Harrison

• Big Hair, Don’t Care - Crystal Swain-Bates author; Megan Bair, illustrator

• Tough Guys Have Feelings Too written and illustrated by Keith Negley

• Your Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, author, and Luisa Uribe, illustrator

• Bodies are Cool by Tyler Feder

• Beautifully Me by Nabela Noor

• You Matter - Christian Robinson author and illustrator

Juvenile & Up

• Love Your Body by Jessica Sanders

• Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods

Middle Grades

• Unsettled written by Reem Faruqi, illustrated by Soumbal Qureshi

• Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods

• Other Boys written and illustrated by Damian Alexander

Teen & Up

• All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

• Girls Write Now: Two Decades of True Stories from Young Female Writers - Girls Write Now contributors

• I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

• Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way about Caring for People, Including Myself - S. Bear Bergman, author; Saul Freedman-Lawson, illustrator

Adult

• All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

Widening Our Love

Board Book

• Love Makes A Family by Sophie Beer

• Good Night Families (Good Night Our World) - Adam Gamble, author; Kelly Cooper, illustrator

• Mommy, Mama, and Me by Leslea Newman

• Hugs of Three: My Daddies and Me by Dr. Stacey Bromberg

• And Tango Makes Three - Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, authors; Henry Cole, illustrator

• Nibi is Water by Joanne Robertson

Picture Book

• Grandma Comes to Stay (First Experiences) by Ifeoma Onyefulu

• A Friend for Henry - Jenn Bailey, author; Mika Song, illustrator 

• I Am Love: A Book of Compassion - Susan Verde, author; Peter H. Reynolds, illustrator

• You Matter - Christian Robinson author and illustrator

• A Manual for Marco: Living, Learning and Laughing with an Autistic Sibling by Shaila Abdullah, author, and Iman Tejpar, illustrator

Juvenile & Up

• Why Are You Looking At Me?  I Just Have Down Syndrome written by Lisa Tompkins and illustrated by Ryan Eubanks

Middle Grades

• Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

Teen and Up

• Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way about Caring for People, Including Myself - S. Bear Bergman, author; Saul Freedman-Lawson, illustrator

Adult

• The Gender Creative Child: Pathways for Nurturing and Supporting Children Who Live Outside Gender Boxes - Diane Ehrensaft, author.

• Unconditional: A Guide to Loving and Supporting Your LGBTQ Child by Telaina Eriksen

Widening Our History by Expanding What We Tell & How We Tell It

Board Book

• This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer written by Joan Holub and illustrated by Daniel Roode

• Cradle Me (Navajo and English Edition) by Debby Slier

Picture Book

• The People Remember with words by Ibi Zoboi and pictures by Loveis Wise

• The 1619 Project: Born on the Water words by Nikole Hannah-Jones & Renee Watson, pictures by Nikkolas Smith’

• All Around Us by Xelena Gonzalez

• When We Were Alone written by David Alexander Robertson and illustrated by Julie Flett

• Enough: 20 Protesters Who Changed America - Emily Easton, author; Ziyue Chen, illustrator 

Juvenile & Up

• I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis

• We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell

• Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee

• The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi, author, and Loveis Wise, illustrator

• Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Middle Grades

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz

• Show Me A Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte

• 1621: A New look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O’Neill Grace 

Teen

• Freedom’s A-Callin Me - Ntozange Shange, author; Rod Brown, illustrator 

• Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History - Blair Imani, author; Monique Le, illustrator; Tegan and Sara, Foreword.

• Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation by Monique Gray Smith

• Lies My Teacher Told Me: Young Readers Edition: Everything American History Textbooks Get Wrong by James W. Loewen, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff 

Adult

• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

• Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

• The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Widening Our Commitment to Building the Beloved Community, Free from Racism and Oppression

Boardbooks

• A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara

Picture Book

• A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara

• The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi, author, and Loveis Wise, illustrator

• Sofia Valdez, Future Prez written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts

• She’s My Dad!: A Story for Children Who Have a Transgender Parent or Relative written by Sarah Savage, illustrated by Joules Garcia

• V is for Voting - Kate Farrell, author; Caitlin Kuhwald, illustrator

• All Because You Matter - author, Tamil Charles; illustrator Bryan Collier

• Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock by Aslan and Kelly Tudor

Juvenile

• We Shall Overcome - Bryan Collier, illustrator

• Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester

• Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness - written and illustrated by Anastasia Higginbotham

• When A Bully is President: Truth and Creativity for Oppressive TImes by Maya Gonzalez

Middle Grades & Up

• Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists are Saving the Earth by Rachel Sarah  

• This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewel 

Teen

• All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

• Wake, Rise, Resist: The Progressive Teen’s Guide to Fighting Tyrants and A*holes - Joanna Spathis and Kerri Kennedy, authors.

adult

• All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

• Antiracist Baby - words by Ibram X. Kendi, illustrations by Ashley Lukashevsky

• Trans Allyship Workbook: Building Skills to Support Trans People in our Lives - Davey Shlasko, author; Kai Hofius, illustrator

• Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving

• Raising Antiracist Kids by Nicole C. Lee, Esq.

• Brown: The Last Discovery of America by Richard Rodriguez

• 3 Keys to Defeating Unconscious Bias: Watch, Think, Act by Sondra Thienderman

• How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance by Akiba Solomon

• How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi