Cultural Literature

When a decades-long court battle resulted in her family's freedom in 1855, seven-year-old Mary Mildred Williams unexpectedly became the face of American slavery. Due to generations of sexual violence, Mary's skin was so light she "passed" as white--a...

When a decades-long court battle resulted in her family's freedom in 1855, seven-year-old Mary Mildred Williams unexpectedly became the face of American slavery. Famous abolitionists Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Henry David Thoreau, and John Albion Andrew...

Gilgamesh is considered one of the masterpieces of world literature, but until now there has not been a version that is a superlative literary text in its own right. Acclaimed by critics and scholars, Stephen Mitchell's version allows us to enter an...

Composed over 2,500 years, lost in the deserts of Iraq for 2,000 more, Gilgamesh presents a palimpsest of ancient Middle Eastern cultic and courtly lyrics and lore. The story of a visionary journey beyond the limits of human experience, Gilgamesh is a...

This bestselling book reveals the extraordinary life of Dr. Ben Carson--from inner-city kid to renowned neurosurgeon.Dr. Ben Carson is known around the world for breakthroughs in neurosurgery that have brought hope where no hope existed. In Gifted Hands,...

Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln were the preeminent self-made men of their time. In this masterful dual biography, award-winning Harvard University scholar John Stauffer describes the transformations in the lives of these two giants during a major...

'A must read for modernists, and for anyone who misses the future.' Bob Stanley, musician, journalist, author, and film producer This collection of writings by Mark Fisher, author of the acclaimed Capitalist Realism, argues that we are haunted by futures...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, USA TODAY, AND CHICAGO TRIBUNE - A masterly work of literary journalism about a senseless murder, a relentless detective, and the great plague of homicide...

Don't just see the sights--get to know the people. Ghana is among the friendliest and safest countries in Africa. Visitors are warmly welcomed but are expected to be sympathetic to local customs and beliefs, and to follow certain codes of conduct...

A striking and honest portrait of a man overcoming racism in a place that barely acknowledged its existence. --Publishers Weekly Bill Garrett was the Jackie Robinson of college basketball. In 1947, the same year Robinson broke the color line in major...

Mark Barnett knows and loves jazz, and he has a special talent for explaining the music-and his passion for it-in words that everyone can understand. It's a talent that shines from every line in this book.The contents of the book originally appeared in...

In Getting Beyond Race, Richard Payne takes the practical approach that race relations are ultimately about ordinary people interacting with each other. Payne argues that confrontation, blaming, and dwelling on failure in race relations are not as...

At the outset of summer in 1990, a Houston gangsta rap group called the Geto Boys was poised to debut its self-titled third album under the guidance of hip-hop guru Rick Rubin. What might have been a low-profile remix release from a little-known corner...

These are the people who hauled Georgia up from its poor, agrarian roots, making it among the most diversified, prosperous states in the country. They fought for freedom and served in the statehouse and White House. They excelled at sports, founded...

Nearly every American can cite at least one of the accomplishments of George Washington Carver. The many tributes honoring his contributions to scientific advancement and black history include a national monument bearing his name, a U.S.-minted coin...

"Only alone can I draw close enough to God to discover His Secrets." The amazing story of Geory W. Carver, slave birth, Iowa State graduate and Tuskegee Professor who revolutionized the economy of the south by disvering hundreds of uses for the peanut...