Journey to Freedom: The African American Library

Series · 26

books · 1989-2011

By Marian Fryga, Amy Robin Jones, Don Troy, and more

Books in series

Slavery

The Struggle for Freedom

2009

The first enslaved Africans landed in North America in 1619 to begin a life of forced, unpaid labor, harsh living conditions, and cruel treatment. The Southern economy grew dependent on slave labor, and the terrible institution was not abolished until after the American Civil War. Although slavery ended almost 150 years ago in the United States, its legacies of racism, prejudice, and the struggle for equal treatment persist today.

Jackie Robinson

2001

A biography of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play baseball in the major leagues, discussing his childhood and family, his athletic success in college, the racism he encountered in the Army, and his baseball career with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Langston Hughes

African-American Poet

2002

Briefly introduces the life and accomplishments of Langston Hughes, an African American writer who shared his views on racism through his poetry and prose, as well as through poetry readings.

George Washington Carver

1999

A biography of the man who overcame many hardships before going on to become a college professor known for his accomplishments in the field of agriculture

Alice Walker

African-American Author and Activist

2003

Introduction to the life and accomplishments of famed African-American author and activist, Alice Walker.

Sojourner Truth

1999

This is a biography of the former slave who dedicated her life to achieving equal rights for women and blacks.

Zora Neale Hurston

African American Writer

2002

Profiles Zora Neale Hurston, whose childhood love of stories led her to a successful career as a folklorist and author of poems, novels, short stories, and plays.

Thurgood Marshall

2001

A biography of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to be named to the U.S. Supreme Court, discussing his childhood and family, his college years and marriage, his career as a lawyer and Civil Rights champion, his appointment to the Court, and his legacy.

Barbara Jordan

African American Politician

2000

Traces the life and work of this African American woman who was a respected politician, teacher, and spokeswoman for democracy.

#10

The Blues

Birth of an American Sound

2005

By the last decades of the 1800s, America's first wholly black folk music—the blues—was being born all across the South. The Birth of an American Sound tells the story of the blues from the early call-and-response songs of enslaved workers to today's vibrant blues scene.

#11

Nelson Mandela

Activist for Equality

2002

A biography of the South African leader who became a civil rights activist, political prisoner, and president of South Africa.

#12

The Ku Klux Klan

A Hooded Brotherhood

2002

Briefly introduces the origins, history, actions, and impact of the Ku Klux Klan, a hate group that targets a wide range of ethnic, religious, and cultural groups in the United States.

#13

Believe

A Journey to Freedom Part 1

2011

It seems impossible! Possibly the most difficult time period during a divorce is the separation. The shock is beginning to set in and the cold realization of being alone hits and hits hard. Alone? This isn't what I had planned for my life! How could I possibly make it? I had never been alone for any time period in my life. Read these personal journal entries to see how I coped. I pray you'll be inspired by the devotions in the second half of the book as well. You will find a common thread linking us together in the experiences we all face, which forces us to take life one day at a time and trust God to see us through in our journey to freedom.

#14

Booker T. Washington

1999

Describes the life of Booker T. Washington, his accomplishments as an educator, and his impact on the fight for equality

#15

W. E. B. Du Bois

2009

W. E. B. Du Bois was born a few years after the end of the Civil War, and he dedicated his life to the fight for racial equality. Du Bois was highly educated, and he used his knowledge to speak out against segregation and the commonly held belief that blacks were inferior to whites.

#16

Mary McLeod Bethune

2000

A simple biography of the black educator discusses her instrumental contributions in creating opportunities for blacks in education and government.

#18

Arthur Ashe

Athlete and Activist

2005

Arthur Ashe broke countless barriers to become the world's first black tennis star. Arthur Athlete and Activist covers the life of the late Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion and social activist who used his fame to fight apartheid and ignorance about AIDS.

#19

The Harlem Renaissance

A Celebration of Creativity: A Celebration of Creativity

2002

An introduction to the period in the 1920s known as the Harlem Renaissance, when the expression of African American creativity in many forms flourished.

#20

Crying Freeman, Vol. 2

1989

Crying Freeman, the deadliest assassin of the 108 Dragons clan of the Chinese mafia has taken a bride, and she has passed the harsh tests of the Dragons and been given a new name, Hu Qing Lan, "Tiger Orchid." And despite Freeman's Japanese heritage, he has been chosen to become the eventual leader of the Dragons. But someone inside the Dragons wants Freeman dead, and Tiger Orchid should make a fine hostage to draw Freeman into the open . . . where a monstrous killer awaits! Written by manga legend Kazuo Koike, creator of Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Executioner, and illustrated by the acclaimed Ryoichi Ikegami, Crying Freeman is manga at its most intensely violent, morally ambiguous, and boldly erotic. • Featuring an all-new translation, Dark Horse's Crying Freeman is the first English-language edition of the title in the original non-westernized format! • From the writer of Lone Wolf and Cub, Lady Snowblood, and Samurai Executioner !

#21

Miles Davis

Jazz Master

2005

Nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, jazz trumpeter and bandleader Miles Davis was one of the brightest lights in the jazz world. Miles Jazz Master introduces readers to this talented but troubled jazz visionary and his music.

#23

Frederick Douglass

1999

Examines the life and accomplishments of Frederick Douglass, as well as his impact on the civil rights movement

#24

The Emancipation Proclamation

1999

Discusses Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and its impact on slavery and the Civil War

#25

James Baldwin

African-American Writer and Activist

2003

Introduction to the life and accomplishments of famed African-American writer and essayist, James Baldwin.

#26

Condoleezza Rice

2005

As an influential leader in U.S. politics, Condoleezza Rice became one of the foremost authorities on the Soviet Union during the Cold War and served in advisory roles for two presidents. Her intelligence and drive led her to one of the highest-ranking jobs in the White House, secretary of state.

#27

Toni Morrison

2001

A biography of Toni Morrison, the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, discussing her childhood in Ohio, her school years, her encounters with racism, and her careers as a teacher, editor, and writer.

#28

The Amistad Mutiny

Fighting for Freedom

2005

In 1839, African slaves who rebelled against their Spanish owners on the Amistad schooner were charged with murder in the United States. The Amistad Fighting for Freedom details the famous U.S. Supreme Court case that ultimately ruled in favor of the black captives.

Authors

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. Robert Green, full name is Robert Kimball Green, holds graduate degrees from New York University and Harvard.

Ryōichi Ikegami (池上遼一) is a manga artist. He was assistant to manga artist Shigeru Mizuki in 1966. In 2001, he won the Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga as the artist of Heat. He became a professor at Osaka University of Arts in 2005. Ikegami has worked on several popular series, such as Mai, the Psychic Girl with writer Kazuya Kudo, Crying Freeman, with writer Kazuo Koike, as well as Sanctuary and Heat with writer Sho Fumimura. He also wrote and drew Spider-Man: The Manga, a manga version of Spider-Man and collaborated with Garon Tsuchiya for the manga BOX (BOX 暗い箱). His most recent work is Lord currently serialized in Big Comic Superior.

Barbara Somervill is a professional writer who has been a magazine editor, journalist, and advertising copywriter for more than twenty years. Somervill is a member of the National Association of Female Executives, the Association of Women in Communications, and the International Documentary Association.

Ann Heinrichs

Author · 26 books

Ann Heinrichs is the author of more than 200 books for children and young adults. They cover U.S. and world history and culture, science and nature, and English grammar. Ann has also enjoyed careers as a children’s book editor and an advertising copywriter. An avid traveler, she has toured Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia. Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, she now lives in Chicago. She enjoys biking, kayaking, and flying kites.

Kazuo Koike (小池一夫, Koike Kazuo) was a prolific Japanese manga writer, novelist and entrepreneur. Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series. Koike, along with artist Goseki Kojima, made the manga Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famous Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama. Koike and Kojima became known as the "Golden Duo" because of the success of Lone Wolf and Cub. Another series written by Koike, Crying Freeman, which was illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami, was adapted into a 1995 live-action film by French director Christophe Gans. Kazuo Koike started the Gekika Sonjuku, a college course meant to teach people how to be mangaka. In addition to his more violent, action-oriented manga, Koike, an avid golfer, has also written golf manga.