New Releases by Tonya Bolden

The 1940''s was a time when society thought it improper for women to make a sax wail or let loose hot licks on skins, but with the advent of World War II and many men away fighting the war, women finally got their chance to strut their stuff on the bandstand. These all-girl bands kept morale high on the homefront and on USO tours of miltary bases across the globe while also helping to establish America''s legacy in jazz music. "Take-off?" Oh, yeah. Several all-girl bands did. This book includes a hip swing CD.

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, perhaps best known for his seminal work The Souls of Black Folk and as the founding editor of the NAACP?s groundbreaking magazine The Crisis, was ever a soul in motion for justice. Whether he was protesting Jim Crow laws and lynch mobs in the Deep South, advocating for the end of European Colonialism, or campaigning for world peace, Du Bois was always speaking out for others. This fascinating Up Close biography by award-winning author Tonya Bolden tells the story of how one man?tirelessly and never quietly? fought for equality until his death at age ninety-five.

American icon and international superstar Dionne Warwick presents an inspiring and entertaining children''s picture book that encourages kids to find their best talent in life and embrace it. “Little D” is ambling through childhood like any other little kid—enjoying her family and neighbors, her pet dog, her hobbies, and school—when one day she discovers that she has a special talent. In her first-ever singing performance in front of an audience, Little D brings the house down! And she discovers, with her grandfather''s encouragement (“If you think it, you can do it!”), that everyone has a special talent and it''s up to each person to find it, embrace it, perfect it, and enjoy it! The book includes audio CD featuring an exclusive recording of the gospel song “Jesus Loves Me” (the first song young Dionne performed before an audience, as told in the book), as well as a reading of the book by Ms. Warwick.

"Published in association with The Field Museum, Chicago."

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, perhaps best known for his seminal work The Souls of Black Folk and as the founding editor of the NAACP''s groundbreaking magazine The Crisis, was ever a soul in motion for justice. Whether he was protesting Jim Crow laws and lynch mobs in the Deep South, advocating for the end of European Colonialism, or campaigning for world peace, Du Bois was always speaking out for others. This fascinating Up Close biography by award-winning author Tonya Bolden tells the story of how one man, tirelessly and never quietly, fought for equality until his death at age ninety-five.

Through period photographs and text introduces readers to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here, ideal for African-American History Month, is a stunningly beautiful book consisting of portraits-in pictures and words-of twenty outstanding African-Americans. The individuals range from historical to contemporary figures, such as the dancer Judith Jamison, and represent diverse fields of endeavor, from the law (Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall) to athletics, science, and more. For each individual, there is a three-page biography by the noted author Tonya Bolden and a striking black-and-white portrait that captures not only the subject''s likeness but is a work of art in itself. A book to inspire, to teach, or to display, with its large trim size and striking design, it is as handsome as it is important.

Presents a history of African American visual arts and artists from the days of slavery to the present.

Among the 150 great African-American women featured are Cioncoin, a slave turned plantation owner; Annie Davis, who was Lincoln''s pen pal; Phillis Wheatley, a poet; and Lucie Eddie Campbell, the "Mother of Gospel Music."

Rolling Stone compared it to melted caramel, and Miles Davis compared it to his horn. Chaka Khan''s scorchingly soulful voice first dazzled most of us back in 1974 with Rufus and "Tell Me Something Good," and most recently in her Grammy Award-winning performance in Standing in the Shadows of Motown, singing "What''s Going On?" with the Funk Brothers. Over the years, she''s had twelve number-one hits and nine number-one albums. Over one hundred appearances on the Billboard charts. Nineteen Grammy nominations and eight Grammy wins. Her achievements in the music industry are legendary, and like her twenty albums, they''re well-known to the public. But the private side of Chaka, the story of what fame and fortune have cost her-- and taught her-- hasn''t been told before. In Chaka! Through the Fire, Chaka Khan gives us the whole story of the woman behind the diva and reveals her high and low points. A happy early childhood in a loving, creative home was shattered by escalating fights between her parents. When they finally split, Chaka''s father disappeared without even a goodbye, leaving Chaka bewildered, bereft, and blaming her mother. She reconnected with her dad in her teens, finding that he was as liberal and permissive a parent as her mother was strict. Chaka started experimenting with drugs and joined the Black Panthers. Soon after, she fronted for a band called Rufus. They hit it big with "Tell Me Something Good," and Chaka''s stardom was launched. But life on the road was grueling, and as the years went by, the pressures grew. Chaka turned to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain of failed relationships, the guilt of leaving her kids to be raised by Grandma, the resentment she felt about the exhausting demands of her career. It wasn''t until things got very bad that she started to see the patterns. All the things she had suffered through in her childhood and swore never to do to her kids-- well, she was doing them. That''s when she began the work of turning it all around. These days, she''s still a musical powerhouse, but she''s making sure there''s time for family, too. She''s drug-free. She''s started her own record label and has also started a foundation to help women and children in need. Remarkably, Chaka has remained a true wild child despite all the changes: a fiercely independent woman who never compromised her spirit.

Biographical portraits of ten African-American women, including Leontyne Price, Toni Morrison, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, depict strength of character during times of slavery and prejudice.

In a warm, personal voice, Tonya Bolden explores what it has meant to be young and black in America. From the first recorded birth of a black child in Jamestown, through the Revolution, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the fight for civil rights, right on up to our own time, Bolden brings to light how black children have worked and played, suffered and rejoiced. 127 illustrations.

Explores what it has meant to be young and black in America from the first recorded birth of a black child in Jamestown right on up until our own time.

Eartha Kitt''s purr-fect strategies for staying healthy and vital in mind and body.

An exuberant, no-holds-barred account of the amazing life of music icon ChakaKhan.

Presents biographical sketches of notable African American men, from their earliest arrival in this country to the present time.

Ten-year-old Beryl is fairly content with her life in East Harlem in the 1960s, until she learns that her older sister is really her half-sister and worries that her family will begin to change.

Seventeen stories from around the world dealing with the universal trials of growing up.

Based on a Broadway musical written, produced and directed by Higginsen, this novelization is the story of Higginsen''s sister.