Staff Picks
DPPL’s Race & Social Justice Reading List
06.12.20
In the wake of national protests, many customers have reached out to us.
They, like us, are looking for recommendations for books and movies that enlighten and educate us on race and justice.
Here at DPPL we strive to provide access to a broad collection that represents the diversity of our community.
We will work tirelessly to do our part to make our library, our community, and our world a place where all are welcome and treated with dignity and respect.
Here are our picks for kids, teens, and adults that encourage critical thinking and conversation about race, as well as a deeper understanding of systemic injustices experienced by Black Americans.
The following titles are a starting place for transformation through exploring racism and inequity in fiction, fact, and film.
Many of these titles are available digitally and print copies may be placed on hold for pickup when our carry-out services begins on June 15th.
For instant access to acclaimed documentaries like P.S. I Can't Breathe and Broken on All Sides, use your DPPL library card to access Kanopy's Social and Systemic Injustice Collection.
Books for Kids
The Day You Begin
by Jacqueline Woodson
El día en que descubres quién eres
by Jacqueline Woodson
Picture Book
Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
by Sonia Sotomayor
¡Solo pregunta! : sé diferente, sé valiente, sé tú
by Sonia Sotomayor
Picture Book
Last Stop on Market Street
by Matt de la Pena
Última parada de la calle Market
by Matt de la Pena
Picture Book
BOOKS FOR TEENS
(Grades 7 - 12)
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America
by Ibi Zoboi, Tracey Baptiste, et al.
Fiction | Short Stories
BOOKS FOR ADULTS
The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America’s Law Enforcement
by Matthew Horace
Nonfiction
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
By Ibram X. Kendi
Nonfiction
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir
by Asha Bandele and Patrisse Cullors
Nonfiction