Staff Picks
Black Business Month
- Ariel H.
- Monday, August 02, 2021
Collection
In honor of National Black Business Month, a list has been compiled of books, read and authored, by black entrepreneurs!
Go support your local Black entrepreneurs!
The Color of Money
Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap
Published in 2017
"When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, the black community owned less than one percent of the United States' total wealth. More than 150 years later, that number has barely budged. The Color of Money pursues the persistence of this racial wealth gap by focusing on the generators of wealth in the black community: black banks. Studying these institutions over time, Mehrsa Baradaran challenges the myth that black communities could ever accumulate wealth in a segregated economy. Instead, housing segregation, racism, and Jim Crow credit policies created an inescapable, but hard to detect, economic trap for black communities and their banks. The Catch-22 of black banking is that the very institutions needed to help communities escape the deep poverty caused by discrimination and segregation inevitably became victims of that same poverty. Not only could black banks not "control the black dollar" due to the dynamics of bank depositing and lending but they drained black capital into white banks, leaving the black economy with the scraps. Baradaran challenges the long-standing notion that black banking and community self-help is the solution to the racial wealth gap. These initiatives have functioned as a potent political decoy to avoid more fundamental reforms and racial redress. Examining the fruits of past policies and the operation of banking in a segregated economy, she makes clear that only bolder, more realistic views of banking's relation to black communities will end the cycle of poverty and promote black wealth."--Jacket.
The Little Black Book of Success
Laws of Leadership for Black Women
Published in 2010
Three high-powered African-American women executives counsel black graduates and businesswomen on the leadership principles and skills that have enabled their successes, covering topics ranging from respect to networking.
Life in Motion
An Unlikely Ballerina
Published in 2014
As the only African American soloist dancing with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland has made history. But when she first placed her hands on the barre at an after-school community center, no one expected the undersized, anxious thirteen-year-old to become a ground-breaking ballerina.
The Last Black Unicorn
Published in 2017
"From stand-up comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish comes The Last Black Unicorn, a hilarious, edgy, and heart-wrenching collection of autobiographical essays that will leave you laughing through tears. Tiffany Haddish grew up in one of the poorest parts of South Central Los Angeles. Her mother wound up with a debilitating brain injury after surviving a car accident. Tiffany never fit in anywhere: not in the households she rotated through in the foster care system, and certainly not the nearly all white high school she had to ride the bus an hour to attend. As an illiterate ninth grader, Tiffany did everything she could to survive. After a multitude of jobs, she finally realized that she had talent in an area she never would have suspected: comedy. Tiffany faced the 'routine' hindrances of climbing the entertainment business ladder--but had the added obstacles of sex, race, and class in her way. But she got there. She's humble, grateful, down to earth, and funny as hell. She still cleans the toilet the way she was shown by a foster mom who worked as a maid, and she still rolls her joints the way one of her foster dads taught her. Tiffany can't avoid being funny: it's just who she is. But The Last Black Unicorn is so much more than a side-splittingly hilarious collection of essays--it's a memoir of the struggles of one woman who came from nothing and nowhere. A woman who was able to achieve her dreams by reveling in her pain and awkwardness, showing the world who she really is, and inspiring others through the power of laughter"-- Provided by publisher.
The Compound Effect
Multiplying Your Success, One Simple Step at a Time
Published in 2011
Explains how decisions can shape one's destiny and presents principles for guiding achievements in business, relationships, and other areas of life.
Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success
Discovering Your Gift and the Way to Life's Riches
Published in 2014
Think and Grow Rich
Published in 2008
Think and Grow Rich is the number one Inspirational and motivational classic for individuals who are interested in furthering their lives and reaching their goals by learning from important figures in history. The text read in this audio book is the original 1937 edition written by Napoleon Hill and inspired by Andrew Carnegie and while it has often been reproduced, no updated version has ever been able to compete with the original ...
Everyday Millionaires
How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth--and How You Can Too
Published in 2019
Rich Dad Poor Dad
With Updates for Today's World and 9 New Study Session Sections
Published in 2017
Taking to heart the message that the poor and middle class work for money, but the rich have money work for them, the author lays out a financial philosophy based on the principle that income-generating assets always provide healthier bottom-line results.
Becoming
Published in 2018
In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America, she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private. A deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations.
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl
Published in 2015
"A collection of humorous essays on what it's like to be unabashedly awkward in a world that regards introverts as hapless misfits, and Black as cool ... [from] Issa Rae, the creator of the Shorty Award-winning ... series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl"-- Provided by publisher.
Playing the Game Without a Coach
How Courage, Resilience, and Forgiveness Helped One Man Seize the American Dream
Published in 2017
At thirteen years old, Benjamin Raymond made a life-changing decision. The son of a white mother, who often broke down under the strains of her mental illness and drug addiction, and a black father, who had long since disappeared, Ben took control of his destiny and put himself in foster care. While he struggled to find a stable home, Ben had a gift that could catapult him to a better life. He was a major talent on the basketball court. His natural athleticism and fierce drive won him a college scholarship, but earning a double degree was only the beginning. He was determined to play at a championship level in every area of life. As he mastered the game in corporate America, Ben transitioned from award-winning salesperson to thriving business owner. He also became a committed husband and father and a mentor to young men, executives, and entrepreneurs. Along the way, he uncovered painful family secrets as he unraveled the truth of his identity as a child of two races, two cultures, and two troubled parents. A raw portrait of growing up in a family burdened with mental illness and domestic violence, building relationships through prison walls, and discovering what living a rich life really means, Playing the Game without a Coach is a story of courage, resilience, and ultimately, forgiveness.
Year of Yes
Published in 2016
With three hit shows on television and three children at home, Shonda Rhimes had lots of good reasons to say NO when an unexpected invitation arrived. Hollywood party? No. Speaking engagement? No. Media appearances? No. And there was the side-benefit of saying No for an introvert like Shonda: nothing new to fear. Then Shonda's sister laid down a challenge: just for one year, try to say YES to the unexpected invitations that come your way. Shonda reluctantly agreed, and the result was nothing short of transformative. In Year of Yes, Shonda Rhimes chronicles the powerful impact saying yes had on every aspect of her life -- and how we can all change our lives with one little word: Yes.
Island Queen
A Novel
Published in 2021
"A former slave rises above the harsh realities of being owned and colonialism on Montserrat working hard to buy freedom for herself, her mother, and her sister and becoming an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier, and planter. Based on the true life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas"-- Provided by publisher
Island Queen
A Novel
Published in 2021
"A former slave rises above the harsh realities of being owned and colonialism on Montserrat working hard to buy freedom for herself, her mother, and her sister and becoming an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier and planter"-- Provided by publisher.
Hidden Figures
The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race
Published in 2018
Explores the previously uncelebrated but pivotal contributions of NASA's African American women mathematicians to America's space program, describing how Jim Crow laws segregated them despite their groundbreaking successes. Includes biographies on Dorothy Jackson Vaughan (1910-2008), Mary Winston Jackson (1921-2005), Katherine Colman Goble Johnson (1918-), Dr. Christine Mann Darden (1942-).
9 Laws of Success
Attract Health, Love, Life & Success to Your Life!
Published in 2018
"In this book, Stormy [Wellington, inspirational speaker and wealth coach], reveals The 9 laws of success that are her founding principles. Her mission is to share with others her personal journey, and these laws that have helped her achieve success in every area of her life. These principles can be applied to every facet of life and every career."--Back cover.
Black and White
The Way I See It
Published in 2014
"The gripping story of Richard Williams, the father who raised and trained two of the greatest women in sports, Venus and Serena. He achieved greatness in spite of hardship and disadvantages to become a successful businessman, family man and tennis coach"-- Provided by publisher.
Black Fortunes
The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires
Published in 2018
"The astonishing untold history of America's first black millionaires - former slaves who endured incredible challenges to amass and maintain their wealth for a century, from the Jacksonian period to the Roaring Twenties - self-made entrepreneurs whose unknown success mirrored that of American business heroes such as Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Thomas Edison. Between the years of 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity, a small group of smart, tenacious, and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success."--Amazon.com
The Path Made Clear
Discovering You Life's Direction and Purpose
Published in 2019
Oprah shares what she sees as a guide for activating your deepest vision of yourself and creating a life of success and significance.