In honor of Black History Month, Walden students, alumni, faculty members, and staff members have recommended the following books to read in February and throughout the year.
Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change
John Lewis
"Congressman John Lewis links the civil rights era to current social change.. He says it best: 'To truly revolutionize our society, we must first revolutionize ourselves.' True change starts within."
Doris Watson
2010 Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) graduate
Black Students and School Failure
Jacqueline Jordan Irvine
“I recommend this book because it presents and discusses the severity of the achievement gap for black students. This book, in my opinion, is a classic because Dr. Irvine offers solutions that work from a political, practical, and prescriptive standpoint. She thoroughly discusses the role of culture, race, and social class, which are very important factors often overlooked and dismissed in today’s classroom, be it P-12 or adult and higher education.”
Dr. Kelley Costner
Associate Dean, The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership
Clearly Invisible: Racial Passing and the Color of Cultural Identity
Marcia Alesan Dawkins
“Dr. Dawkins is a contributing faculty member in the College of Undergraduate Studies. This book is based on her dissertation, which won just about every award it could in the communication studies discipline.”
Dr. Jon Paulson
Program Director, College of Undergraduate Studies
Daughters of Thunder: Black Women Preachers and Their Sermons 1850-1979
Bettye Collier-Thomas
“Having grown up in the black church, a sermon can soothe your soul, shake you up and inspire. Daughters of Thunder reminds me of my spiritual roots through the voices of women who paved the way for me to be here.”
Donna Albro
Faculty, College of Undergraduate Studies
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
Frederick Douglass
“This well-written autobiographical sketch of Douglass’ life presents a vivid depiction of the slave experience. As an African American, this book provided me an image of the early African-American experience that has encouraged me to persevere. Douglass’ desire to learn and remain a lifelong learner has inspired me to make education a focal part of my life.”
Dr. Salimah McCallum
2012 Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) graduate
The Black Campus Movement: Black Students and the Racial Reconstitution of Higher Education, 1965–1972
Ibram Rogers
“I think we tend to forget that the education of African Americans in this country has a very long history and can be broken down into several distinct eras. This is one view of a very tumultuous time worth remembering.”
Jennie Ver Steeg
Director of Library Services
The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes (Vintage Classics)
Langston Hughes
“Langston Hughes has always been a favorite poet of mine from childhood onward. This phenomenal African-American poet wrote poems about the struggles of blacks to the awesome wonders of being black. Poems written of love found and love lost. As someone once said, ‘his poems are a historical treasure.’”
Kimberly Richardson
2012 Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) graduate
The Confessions of Nat Turner
William Styron
“This book is a powerful statement about the power of education to free the spirit, the mind, and the whole person.”
Dr. Sylvia Kaneko
Faculty and Doctoral Mentor, School of Counseling and Social Service
The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women
Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood, and Rhonda Joy McLean
“This book has been called a mentor in the pocket. There have been so many times that I have had experiences as a leader to which very few people could relate. I have really enjoyed finding out that I am not weird, strange, or different because of my experiences, and I really appreciate the opportunity to benefit from the advice of informed others.”
Dr. Savitri Dixon-Saxon
Associate Dean, School of Counseling and Social Service
The Making of a Black Scholar: From Georgia to the Ivy League
Horace A. Porter
“I recommend this book because the author found himself in Iowa after a very distinguished career and made some sense of it and peace with it.”
Jennie Ver Steeg
Director of Library Services
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
Isabel Wilkerson
“This book tells the story of the African-American migration from the southern states to the north. The stories are factual but written in the style of a captivating novel. As an African American whose parents had southern roots, it was like being privy to a part of their lives that forever shaped mine. A great read.”
Dr. Cheryl El-Amin
2010 Ph.D. in Human Services graduate
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
“Written by one of greatest authors of the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston’s novel was also critically acclaimed and controversial. The fictional story is a narrative about an attractive African-American woman’s journey, set in Florida during the early years of 20th century.”
Shana Payton
2012 Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) graduate
Thrall: Poems
Natasha Trethewey
“Natasha Trethewey is the 2012–13 U.S. Poet Laureate. Thrall explores themes most connected to Natasha’s personal life, such as her love for history, the South, and being a biracial woman in America.”
Dr. Kizzy M. Parks
Faculty, School of Psychology
Up From Slavery
Booker T. Washington
“This is one of my favorite books. Period. It is not only a wonderful account of the period in our history when we went from a slave-bound country to a free state. It is also a wonderful account of what it means to evolve from an enslaved man or woman to a free and accomplished leader. Furthermore, it was written during a time when men and women could not take freedom or education for granted. It is an inspiring book.”
Sheri Muntean
2012 M.S. in Psychology graduate
While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Rights Movement
Carolyn Maull McKinstry
“This is a particularly poignant exploration of what took place in the South at the beginning of the civil rights movement and how racial relations have changed since then. It is especially meaningful to me, as my aunt, the Rev. Phyllis Edwards, marched with Dr. King.”
Dr. Pamela Legner
Faculty, School of Management