Schomburg Center releases special list of 100 books by Black authors
Credit: NYPL
Marking the start of Black History Month and its centennial, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has released a curated list of 100 Black-authored books from the past century. The “100 Black Voices: Schomburg Centennial Reading List” is now available at the New York Public Library’s circulating and research branches, with instant e-book and audiobook access to select recommendations and book giveaways at participating locations. The selections were curated by the Schomburg Center’s reference division and feature recommendations from leading figures in Black history, literature, scholarship, and art.
“Not only were we able to engage brilliant minds about their favorite books, but we also received thoughtful and unexpected choices to encourage our patrons to read, discover, and explore,” Maira Liriano, associate chief librarian of the Schomburg Center’s research and reference division, said.
“The list is a continuation of our legacy of literacy in encouraging the exploration and access to Black literature, and highlights the many riches in our vast research collections.”
More than 70 recommenders from across music, media, art, literature, and scholarship contributed to the list, submitting books that have shaped their practice. Out of the 400 titles submitted, works by Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and James Baldwin received the most recommendations.
Featured literary and cultural luminaries who contributed recommendations include Henry Louis Gates Jr., Glenn Ligon, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Jelani Cobb, Imani Perry, James McBride, Mateo Askaripour, Alison Stewart, Leonard Greene, Isabel Wilkerson, Herb Boyd, Darryl Pinckney, Raven Leilani, Bryan Stevenson, Arturo Schomburg’s great-granddaughter Aysha E. Schomburg, Schomburg Center director Joy L. Bivins, and others.
The list features landmark works by writers of the Harlem Renaissance, including “The New Negro” by Alain Locke, “Plum Bun” by Jessie Redmon Fauset, and “The Mis-Education of the Negro” by Carter G. Woodson.
Recommendations include classic works of Black literature, such as “Sula” by Toni Morrison and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, as well as more recent bestsellers like “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi, and “James” by Percival Everett.
There are 20 titles from the list available immediately to NYPL cardholders with no wait times. Find them here. Through February 28, anyone with an NYPL library card can borrow the featured e-book and audiobook titles for three weeks on their devices via the Libby e-reader app.
Throughout Black History Month, NYPL branches will also give away hundreds of physical copies of 10 of the most recommended titles from the list. Giveaways will take place at the Schomburg Center, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, and several Harlem locations, including Countee Cullen, Harlem, 125th Street, George Bruce, Hamilton Grange, Harry Belafonte–115th Street, and Macomb’s Bridge libraries.
Additional giveaways will be held at several other library hubs, including the Bronx Library Center, the St. George Library Center in Staten Island, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in Midtown Manhattan.
A limited-edition Schomburg Centennial library card, featuring an image of “Rivers,” the public art installation honoring poet Langston Hughes, is available at NYPL locations while supplies last.
The list not only honors the center’s 100th anniversary, but also arrives nearly a century after historian, author, and journalist Carter G. Woodson established “Black History Week,” which later evolved into Black History Month.
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