In his newest work, Ed Gordon brings together some of the most prominent voices in Black America today, including Stacey Abrams, Harry Belafonte, Charlamagne tha God, Michael Eric Dyson, Iyanla VanZant, Eric Holder, Killer Mike, Maxine Waters, and so many more to answer questions about vital topics affecting our nation today, such as:

· Will the black vote control the 2020 election?

· Do black lives really matter?

· Are stereotypical images of people of color changing in Hollywood?

· How is "Black Girl Magic" changing the face of black America?

Bombarded with media, music, and social media messages that enforce stereotypes of people of color, Gordon set out to dispel what black power and black excellence really looks like today and offers a way forward for all in a new age of black prosperity and pride.

Celebrate MLK Day this month by reserving a copy of Conversations in Black in hardcover, ebook, and mp3 audiobook.

Zora Neal Hurston's work remains as current today as when it was first published. From the ever evolving story of the Clotilda profiled in Barracoon, to the 2019 book outlining her professional relationship with Langston Hughes, if you've had Hurston's work on your to-read list, 2020 is a great year to start.

In 1925, Barnard student Zora Neale Hurston--the sole black student at the college--was living in New York, "desperately striving for a toe-hold on the world." During this period, she began writing short works that captured the zeitgeist of African American life and transformed her into one of the central figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Nearly a century later, this singular talent is recognized as one of the most influential and revered American artists of the modern period.

Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is an outstanding collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African American folk culture. Brought together for the first time in one volume, they include eight of Hurston's "lost" Harlem stories, which were found in forgotten periodicals and archives. These stories challenge conceptions of Hurston as an author of rural fiction and include gems that flash with her biting, satiric humor, as well as more serious tales reflective of the cultural currents of Hurston's world. All are timeless classics that enrich our understanding and appreciation of this exceptional writer's voice and her contributions to America's literary traditions.

Click here to reserve these funny and relevant rediscovered gems in hardcover, ebook, or mp3 audiobook with Fulton County Libraries.

The thrilling, unlikely story of Barack Obama's first presidential campaign, as told by the volunteers and staff who propelled the long shot candidate to the presidency.

In the year leading up to the Iowa caucuses, few thought a freshman senator named Barack Hussein Obama would be able to win the Democratic nomination--not to mention become the most popular leader in the world.

But something was stirring. Hundreds of young people from all over the country began assembling first in Iowa. These "kids" became the foundation of one of the most improbable presidential campaigns of the modern era.

Chris Liddell-Westefeld and thousands of other staff and volunteers dedicated every minute of their time, intelligence, and resources to help elect Barack Obama, as what started in the midwest spread nationwide. Drawn from more than 200 interviews with alumni and President Obama himself, They Said This Day Would Never Come takes readers deep inside the most inspirational presidential campaign in recent history.

Reserve a copy of a book important to any future study of the Obama campaign in hardcover, ebook, or mp3 audiobook format.

Raised by an African American mother and a Ghanaian father, Kwei Quartey has become a standout in new mystery writers for the 21st century. This new book launches his second series in what is sure to be a long career thrilling fans both in America and abroad.

Accra private investigator Emma Djan's first missing persons case will lead her to the darkest depths of the email scams and fetish priests in Ghana, the world's Internet capital.

When her dreams of rising through the Accra police ranks like her late father crash around her, 26-year-old Emma Djan is unsure what will become of her career. Through a sympathetic former colleague, Emma gets an interview with a private detective agency that takes on cases of missing persons, theft, and infidelity.

Meanwhile, Gordon Tilson, a middle-aged widower in Washington, DC, has found solace in an online community after his wife's passing. Through the support group, he's even met a young Ghanaian widow he's come to care about. When her sister gets into a car accident, he sends her thousands of dollars to cover the hospital bill—to the horror of his only son, Derek. Then Gordon decides to surprise his new love by paying her a visit—and disappears.

Be among the first to reserve the start of Quartey's new mystery series in hardcover or ebook format. If you missed out on his previous work, we have the first book of the Darko Dawson series, Wife of the Gods, on the shelf and ready!

On June 21, 1964, more than twenty Klansmen murdered three civil rights workers. The killings, in what would become known as the "Mississippi Burning" case, were among the most brazen acts of violence during the civil rights movement. And even though the killers' identities, including the sheriff's deputy, were an open secret, no one was charged with murder in the months and years that followed.

In Race Against Time, Mitchell takes readers on the twisting, pulse-racing road that led to the reopening of four of the most infamous killings from the days of the civil rights movement, decades after the fact. His work played a central role in bringing killers to justice for the assassination of Medgar Evers, the firebombing of Vernon Dahmer, the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham and the Mississippi Burning case. Mitchell reveals how he unearthed secret documents, found long-lost suspects and witnesses, building up evidence strong enough to take on the Klan. He takes us into every harrowing scene along the way, as when Mitchell goes into the lion's den, meeting one-on-one with the very murderers he is seeking to catch. His efforts have put four leading Klansmen behind bars, years after they thought they had gotten away with murder.

Written by one of the journalists who covered the case in real time, this book is a must read for those interested in the civil rights movement. Reserve your copy today in hardcover or ebook. When this title is made available for libraries to purchase in audio format, we'll quickly add it to our collection.

Based off the original workbook, Me and White Supremacy teaches readers how to dismantle the privilege within themselves so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too.

When Layla Saad began an Instagram challenge called #meandwhitesupremacy, she never predicted it would spread as widely as it did. She encouraged people to own up and share their racist behaviors, big and small. She was looking for truth, and she got it. Thousands of people participated in the challenge, and over 90,000 people downloaded the Me and White Supremacy Workbook.

The updated and expanded Me and White Supremacy takes the work deeper by adding more historical and cultural contexts, sharing moving stories and anecdotes, and including expanded definitions, examples, and and further resources.

This book isn't available for sale or as a library book until February 4, but you can win a print galley (a paperback used to promote the book before official release) of this title by emailing us within 24 hours of the New Books Newsletter email. Just put "MLK Day" in the subject line of your email to Collection.Development@fultoncountyga.gov. We'll pick a winner at random from messages received between 8:30am Monday, 1/13/20 and 8:30am Tuesday, 1/14/20.

The winner will be notified via email and must be able to pick the book up at an AFPLS branch within one month. Just in case you aren't chosen, why not click here to reserve a copy with Fulton County Libraries? We'll be pleased to offer this title to all our readers on its release date.