10 Best Black Books of 2012

By Kam Williams    

1. Tuskegee Love Letters
by Kim Russell

2. Iconic: Decoding Images of the Revolutionary Black Woman
by Lakesia D. Johnson

3. Help Me to Find My People:
The African-American Search for Family Lost in Slavery
by Heather Andrea Williams

4. The Black Chicago Renaissance
Edited by Darlene Clark Hine and John McCluskey, Jr.

5. The Courage to Hope: How I Stood Up to the Politics of Fear
by Shirley Sherrod

6. Inspiration: Profiles of Black Women Changing Our World
by Crystal McCrary with Nathan Hale Williams

7. American Tapestry:
The Story of the Black, White, and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama by Rachel L. Swarns

8. Grace Gold & Glory: My Leap of Faith by Gabrielle Douglas

9. Obama Talks Back: Global Lessons A Dialogue with America's Young Leaders
by Gregory J. Reed, Esq.

10. Hi! My Name Is Loco and I Am a Racist
by Baye McNeil

Honorable Mention

The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss

Unfinished Business: Black Women, the Black Church and the Struggle to Thrive in America by Keri Day

Martin & Malcolm & America by James H. Cone

The Black Church: Where Women Pray and Men Prey by Deborrah Cooper

The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West

19 Years Old & 19 Men Later by Tenisha Gainey
Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living & Loving Together by Jamillah and David Lamb

Rebuild the Dream by Van Jones

HIV/AIDS: The Facts and The Fiction by Chris Jennings

Making Bold Moves: Creating Multimillion Dollar Success in 500 Days or Less by Williams S. Parrish, Jr.
The African-American Criminal Justice Guide by John V. Elmore

Slaves with Swag: The Negroes Your History Teacher Forgot to Mention by Daryl T. Hinmon
Better Than Alright: Finding Peace, Love & Power by Ledisi
Race, Power & Politics: Memoirs of an ACORN Whistleblower as told by Marcel Reid to Michael McCray, Esquire, CPA

The No Excuse Guide to Success: No Matter What Your Boss or Life Throws at You by Jim "Mr. Energy" Smith, Jr.

To the Mountaintop: My Journey through the Civil Rights Movement by Charlayne Hunter-Gault

I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up by D.L. Hughley

Alas, Peace Be Still by Jessica L. Angelique
Walking Tall: A Memoir about the Upside of Small and Other Stuff by Clay Rivers
Nicki Minaj: The Woman Who Stole the World - An Unauthorized Biography by Lynette Holloway
Identity: Your Passport to Success by Stedman Graham
What in the Hell Happened? An Intimate Look at Love and Relationship with Raw Honesty by Bishop Alphonso Lee Smith
Oooooh... Say It Again: Mastering the Fine Art of Verbal Seduction and Aural Sex by Alan Roger Currie

The Price of the Ticket: Barack Obama and the Rise and Decline of Black Politics by Frederick C. Harris

Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, and the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee. Contact him through NewsBlaze. Read more reviews by Kam Williams.

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