Since I was young, books have been a great love and passion for me. While the neighborhood kids played in the yard, I could be found with my nose in a book, lounging under a tree. My favorite stories are nonfiction and historical fiction—I’m simply fascinated by how remarkable actual life can be. I marvel in talented and creative prose, not overdone or flowery, but beautifully crafted phrases that tell a whole story in a single sentence. The collection of books I’m recommending is a different approach to learning about the Black experience. It steps outside the how-to lists of today to address the history that has led to this critical moment in time.