February is Black History Month, which means the library will be celebrating black authors and their perspectives. There are so many diverse and interesting books written by black authors, and we urge you to try one out for yourself this month! On our display, we have attempted to highlight black authors from both the past and present. These include writers like W.E.B. Du Bois, whose seminal book The Souls of Black Folk (1903) maps out African Americans’ history in the United States and proposes solutions to America’s rampant racism. We also have Richard Wright’s Native Son (1940), which follows the story of Bigger Thomas, a young black man living in Chicago. The novel aims to highlight systemic racism in America, which greatly disadvantages black people. Additionally, our display contains James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953), which also examines racism’s negative effects on different generations of black people, and the role that generational trauma plays in everyday life. The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), which is also on the display, chronicles the life of one of the most beloved black activists in American history. The display also has many works from Toni Morrison, who is arguably the most beloved black author of all time. Some of these include Beloved (1987), Jazz (1992), and Paradise (1998). Beloved won the Pulitzer Prize, and it primarily deals with the lingering repercussions and trauma left behind in slavery’s wake. Finally, we also have the recent hit The Hate U Give (2017), which looks at police brutality and the negative role it still plays in black life. Please come to the library and look through our display. I’m sure we’ll be able to find a book that will interest you!