Powerful Juneteenth Reading List for the New Generation

According to the online definition by Oxford Languages, Juneteenth means:

“a holiday celebrated on 19 June to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.”

While this American holiday is packed with such a dense history, it did not receive much recognition until 2021 when President Biden signed legislation to make June 19th an official federal holiday. Before then, the meaning behind Juneteenth and the pain of generations had barely been discussed in school history lessons. Although we can’t change the past, we can always look toward a brighter and more educated future.

Reading is a fantastic way to not only empathize but learn in an organic manner about different stories and perspectives of previously enslaved people in the U.S. The echoes of those events still affect the U.S. as a society today. By looking at the past we can understand more and have these important conversations. Here are some recommended books to read related to Juneteenth. While some are non-fiction and some are fiction, all are important to decreasing ignorance.

The Deep

Rivers Solomon

This is an imaginative sci-fi novel about water-breathing descendants of African slave women. In this innovative spin on “The Giver,” this community of underwater dwellers live in an ideal society that depends on only one person remembering the harsh pain of their ancestor's past. Rivers Solomon, a non-binary intersex American author was inspired by the rap group, Clipping, and their song used for the This American Life episode “We Are In The Future.”

Four Hundred Souls

by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain

Ibram X. Kendi, the author of the bestselling book How to Be an Antiracist, has teamed up with Keisha N. Blain to create an 80-chapter chronological collection of essays detailing accounts of a dark time in human history. Different historians, musicians, journalists, poets, and many more contribute to this historical document, giving a fresh voice to each narrative as we learn their stories. If you only know what is taught in schools about slavery and segregation, this is a highly recommended read.

Brown Girl Dreaming

Jacqueline Woodson

Featured in Time magazine’s Top 100 YA Books of All Time, this book is a beautiful narrative written in prose accounting Woodson’s American life in the 60s and 70s. During that time we see the aftereffects of Jim Crow and the Civil rights movement, and how she recounts them as an innocent child who has done no evil in the world. This book has won countless awards such as the National Book Award and the Newbery Honor, securing its place on shelves to give that much-needed voice to our black children around the world.

Beloved

Toni Morrison

This historical fiction is about a woman named Sethe, who was born a slave and had horrible things happen to her throughout her life, including the death of her child whom she named Beloved. The story accounts of the torture of Sethe’s memories and the healing of her demons all while meeting a teenager with the same name as her departed child. Toni Morrison is an absolute artist, with her captivating storytelling that hits home for anyone who reads it.

Addy: An American Girl

Connie Rose Porter

I am sure you have all seen the American Girl doll series that started in 1986 and quickly became a sensation for young girls throughout the country and a collectible treat for the dedicated plangonologist. This book is actually the background story and accounts of the American Girl Addy Walker. Born a slave, Addy and her family plan their escape in 1865 to Philadelphia. Unfortunately, before that can happen Master Stevens sells her Poppa and brother Sam! Can she and her mother make the risky escape on their own? Will they be able to reunite with their family after crossing the lines of freedom?

The 1619 Project

Nikole Hannah-Jones

The purpose of this book is to reframe history in an academic light that shows the true accounts of the barbaric practices of slavery that started in America and have continued to have residual effects on people today. Through poetry and essays collected by Nikole Hannah-Jones, this book not only tells us the history of slavery, but goes into detail about how it has changed America’s culture, music, politics, diet, and even capitalism and religion. This is an excellent book for those looking to get a deeper understanding of the anti-Black rhetoric in America.

Juneteenth

Ralph Ellison

Published after Ellison's death, this preceding novel to Invisible Man is widely regarded as a classic novel of the African-American experience. This book is more than just unique, it is the legacy of Ralph Ellison. The original manuscript for Juneteenth was started in 1954 and then lost in a fire in 1967. Devastated, Ellison spent almost 40 years until his death in 1994 trying to rewrite it leaving more than 2,000 pages of manuscript which his long-time friend John F. Callahan put together and published after Ellison’s passing. While the plot of the story is not widely advertised online, it is still a highly recommended read with even just its historical background alone.

What books are you interested in reading this year for Juneteenth? Do you want to connect with this part of history or do you prefer something more light-hearted and fun? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Article edited by Lindsey Huddleston.