Throughout February, WTOP is celebrating Black History Month. Join us on-air and online as we bring you the stories, people and places that make up our diverse community.
As Black History Month continues, the D.C. Public Library said reading is one of the most meaningful ways to understand the voices, history and creativity of Black communities.
Maryann James‑Daley, director of library services for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, is sharing a range of books for adults, teens and kids that she says help readers connect more deeply with Black stories and experiences.
James‑Daley says one of her top go‑to recommendations is the work of Octavia Butler.
“For Black History Month, she has a collection of short stories called ‘Bloodchild.’ And so, I think that’s a good recommendation for people to get a sense of her and to become familiar with her work. And it’s a nice, quick read.”
She also points readers to a deeply local history book written by one of the library’s own.
“’The NAACP in Washington, DC’ by Derek Gray, who actually is an archivist here at the library, and he wrote a book that digs into the rich history of the local NAACP, and showed how it quickly became a leading organization in the country.”
Gray told WTOP his book looks back at the early years of the NAACP in D.C., which quickly became a leading opponent of President Woodrow Wilson’s move to segregate federal offices.
He said that over the decades, the organization balanced between more aggressive activism and cautious, conservative strategies as it worked to fight Jim Crow discrimination.
For those drawn to immersive fiction, James‑Daley said N.K. Jemisin’s award‑winning “The Broken Earth Trilogy” fits the bill.
“It’s very immersive. You read one book, you’re going to want to read the rest of them,” she said.
In the children’s section, James‑Daley says there are several strong options available at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, starting with engaging picture books, among them “Big Tune: Rise of the Dancehall Prince.”
“It’s about a kid who connects with this community and his joy of dance hall music and dancing in fun.”
Another pick is Nnedi Okorafor’s “Binti” series, which follows a young woman who leaves her tight‑knit Himba community to attend a top university in space and ends up caught in an alien conflict she never asked for.
She said nonfiction can be just as powerful for young readers.
“’Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present’ and that’s by Jamia Wilson. And so it gives nice little snapshots of 52 icons of color from the past and present.”
James‑Daley also emphasizes why representation matters in children’s literature.
“It is important for kids to see themselves in the books that they read.”
For middle‑grade readers, she highlights a title that connects with earlier library exhibits on Black travel, “Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America.”
It “digs into the green book and the roots of Black travel, it’s a great book for kids to delve into,” she said. The book, she adds, “delves into the intricacies of Black travel. It (looks into) the origin of the green book and how the green book really shaped Black people’s travel lives.”
When asked about what she’s reading right now, she said it is “The Personal Librarian.”
“It’s a historical fiction book based on a real-life woman who was a librarian, personal librarian, in the early to mid-1900s and she had to deal with crossing the color line and passing as white in order to grow in her profession.”
The library encourages families and readers of all ages to explore these recommendations and more throughout February.
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