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December 9, 2021

“Julius Chambers: Child of the Jim Crow South”

The following is an excerpt from Richard A. Rosen and Joseph Mosnier’s Julius Chambers: A Life in the Legal Struggle for Civil Rights. Born in the hamlet of Mount Gilead, North Carolina, Julius Chambers (1936–2013) escaped the fetters of the Jim Crow South to emerge in the 1960s and 1970s as the nation’s leading African American civil rights attorney. Following… Continue Reading “Julius Chambers: Child of the Jim Crow South”

Categories African American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Excerpts/History/North Carolina
December 8, 2021

New and Recently Released UNC Press Audiobooks

We are pleased to announce the availability of the following UNC Press titles in audiobook format (sample audio excerpts are available via the links below): Those Who Know Don’t Say: The Nation of Islam, the Black Freedom Movement, and the Carceral State by Garrett Felber, published by Tantor Media Felber . . . examines how the Nation of Islam, and… Continue Reading New and Recently Released UNC Press Audiobooks

Categories African American Studies/American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Civil War/Cooking / Food/Creative Nonfiction/Cultural Studies/Islamic Studies/Labor Studies/Latino Studies/Military History/North Carolina/Political Science/Religion/UNC Press News
December 6, 2021

“Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: Now Who Are Your People?”

The following is an excerpt from Barbara Ransby’s Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision. A gifted grassroots organizer, Baker shunned the spotlight in favor of vital behind-the-scenes work that helped power the black freedom struggle. She was a national officer and key figure in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, one of… Continue Reading “Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: Now Who Are Your People?”

Categories African American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Excerpts
December 1, 2021

Happy Rosa Parks Day: A Recommended Reading List

December 1st, 1955, marks the day civil rights activist Rosa Parks rejected a bus driver’s order, in Montgomery, Alabama, to give up her seat in the “colored” section of the bus to a white passenger, after the whites-only section had already been filled. She was then arrested and convicted of violating the laws of segregation. However, Rosa Parks was able… Continue Reading Happy Rosa Parks Day: A Recommended Reading List

Categories African American History/African American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/History/Journalism/Journalism History/North Carolina/Reading Lists/Women's Studies
November 4, 2021

Frank Graham, Pauli Murray, and the Search for Racial Justice

The following is a guest blog post by William A. Link, author of Frank Porter Graham: Southern Liberal, Citizen of the World. Frank Porter Graham (1886–1972) was one of the most consequential white southerners of the twentieth century. Born in Fayetteville and raised in Charlotte, Graham became an active and popular student leader at the University of North Carolina. After earning a… Continue Reading Frank Graham, Pauli Murray, and the Search for Racial Justice

Categories Biography / Autobiography/North Carolina/Political Science
October 14, 2021

Frank Porter Graham and Academic Freedom

The following is a guest blog post by William A. Link, author of Frank Porter Graham: Southern Liberal, Citizen of the World. Frank Porter Graham (1886–1972) was one of the most consequential white southerners of the twentieth century. Born in Fayetteville and raised in Charlotte, Graham became an active and popular student leader at the University of North Carolina. After earning… Continue Reading Frank Porter Graham and Academic Freedom

Categories Biography / Autobiography/North Carolina/Political Science
October 6, 2021

Mark Twain, Publisher, and His Confederate Masquerade

The following is a guest blog post by Stephen Cushman, author of The Generals’ Civil War: What Their Memoirs Can Teach Us Today. In this insightful book, Stephen Cushman considers Civil War generals’ memoirs as both historical and literary works, revealing how they remain vital to understanding the interaction of memory, imagination, and the writing of American history.  Why did… Continue Reading Mark Twain, Publisher, and His Confederate Masquerade

Categories Biography / Autobiography/Civil War/History/Military History
October 4, 2021

Mental Illness Awareness Week Reading List

Today’s reading list is focused on mental health as we enter Mental Illness Awareness Week, recognized from October 3rd to October 9th. “Since 1990, when Congress officially established the first full week of October as MIAW, advocates have worked together to sponsor activities, large or small, to educate the public about mental illness.” Below you’ll find a list of various… Continue Reading Mental Illness Awareness Week Reading List

Categories African American Studies/American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Gender Studies/Health / Medicine/History/Law / Legal History/Native Amer./Indigenous Studies/Public Policy/Sociology
September 28, 2021

Civil War Memory and the Twain Effect

The following is a guest blog post by Stephen Cushman, author of The Generals’ Civil War: What Their Memoirs Can Teach Us Today. In this insightful book, Stephen Cushman considers Civil War generals’ memoirs as both historical and literary works, revealing how they remain vital to understanding the interaction of memory, imagination, and the writing of American history.  Happy Book… Continue Reading Civil War Memory and the Twain Effect

Categories Biography / Autobiography/Civil War/History/Military History
September 9, 2021

“New Approaches to the Revolutionary Era”, The Library of Virginia’s Virtual Virginia Forum series featuring Author Carolyn Eastman

In late July, Carolyn Eastman, author of Omohundro Institute and UNC Press-published The Strange Genius of Mr. O: The World of the United States’ First Forgotten Celebrity, was featured in The Library of Virginia’s Virtual Virginia Forum series alongside historians Kyle Rogers and David Hayter. In this discussion, Eastman and her fellow historians examine the ways in which their own… Continue Reading “New Approaches to the Revolutionary Era”, The Library of Virginia’s Virtual Virginia Forum series featuring Author Carolyn Eastman

Categories American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Colonial, Revolutionary Era & Early American History
August 31, 2021

New Orleans, A Resilient People: A Reading List

To help the victims of Hurricane Ida, visit these links to learn more about the local organizations who need your financial support in serving those affected: How to Help Hurricane Ida Victims Right Now Want to donate or volunteer to assist those affected by Hurricane Ida? Here’s how to help If you’ve been keeping up with the national news, you… Continue Reading New Orleans, A Resilient People: A Reading List

Categories African American Studies/American History/American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Gender Studies/History/Latin American/Caribbean Hist./Law / Legal History/LGBT Studies/Political Science/Women's Studies
August 9, 2021

George Gordon Meade: Unsung Hero of the Gettysburg Campaign

The following is a guest blog post by Kent Masterson Brown, author of Meade at Gettysburg: A Study in Command. Commentators often dismiss Meade when discussing the great leaders of the Civil War. But in this long-anticipated book, Kent Masterson Brown draws on an expansive archive to reappraise Meade’s leadership during the Battle of Gettysburg.  Over the years, General George… Continue Reading George Gordon Meade: Unsung Hero of the Gettysburg Campaign

Categories Biography / Autobiography/Civil War/History/Military History
July 30, 2021

Celebrity and Crazy

The following is a guest blog post by Carolyn Eastman, author of The Strange Genius of Mr. O: The World of the United States’ First Forgotten Celebrity, published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture and the University of North Carolina Press. The Strange Genius of Mr. O. is the biography of a remarkable performer—a gaunt Scottish… Continue Reading Celebrity and Crazy

Categories American History/American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/History
July 29, 2021

“Half in Shadow: Black Women in Academia”, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Conversation with UNC Press Author Dr. Shanna Greene Benjamin and Dr. Janaka Bowman Lewis

Hosted by Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Dr. Shanna Greene Benjamin, author of Half In Shadow: The Life and Legacy of Nellie Y. McKay, and Dr. Janaka Bowman Lewis, discuss topics related to Benjamin’s book Half In Shadow. Watch below as Dr. Benjamin and Dr. Lewis examine academia’s relationship with black women, who Nellie Y. McKay is and what she represented. Shanna… Continue Reading “Half in Shadow: Black Women in Academia”, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Conversation with UNC Press Author Dr. Shanna Greene Benjamin and Dr. Janaka Bowman Lewis

Categories African American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Women's Studies
July 23, 2021

Unruly Bodies: tyranny of the visual

This week we’re sharing an excerpt from Susannah B. Mintz’s Unruly Bodies: Life Writing by Women with Disabilities to celebrate Disability Pride Month. The excerpt is titled tyranny of the visual, written by Lucy Grealy and Georgina Kleege. Earlier this month we published a recommended reading list featuring Mintz’s Unruly Bodies and other titles highlighting and sharing the experiences of… Continue Reading Unruly Bodies: tyranny of the visual

Categories Biography / Autobiography/Literature/Women's Studies
July 13, 2021

Harriet, the Moses of Her People: Preface

In celebration of Disability Pride Month, I decided to post an excerpt from one of the titles from our recommended reading list published last week. This excerpt is the preface from Sarah Hopkins Bradford’s Harriet, the Moses of Her People. The title I have given my black heroine, in this second edition of her story, viz.: THE MOSES OF HER… Continue Reading Harriet, the Moses of Her People: Preface

Categories African American Studies/Biography / Autobiography
July 7, 2021

Happy Disability Pride Month! A Recommended Reading List

If you didn’t know already, July is Disability Pride month. The celebration of Disability Pride began in 1990 and has held on strong ever since. “This annual observance is used to promote visibility and mainstream awareness of the positive pride felt by people with disabilities.” Below are a few titles that align with that point of view; shedding light on… Continue Reading Happy Disability Pride Month! A Recommended Reading List

Categories African American Studies/American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/History/Labor Studies/Sociology/Women's Studies
June 28, 2021

Princess Noire: We Knew She Was a Genius

With a few more days left to celebrate Black Music Month, we chose to post this excerpt from Nadine Cohodas’ Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone. This book and a few other titles were featured on a recommended reading list commemorating some of the incredible things black people have brought to music as a whole. John Irvin sang… Continue Reading Princess Noire: We Knew She Was a Genius

Categories African American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Music
June 25, 2021

Pauli Murray: A Child of Destiny or A Nobody Without Identity, 1910–1926

To further celebrate Pride Month, the following is an excerpt from Troy R. Saxby’s Pauli Murray: A Personal And Political Life. This book is one of five titles from a reading list we created in commemoration of Pride Month; view the entire reading list here. Pauli Murray long believed that she was born on November 20, 1910, and named Anna Pauline Murray.… Continue Reading Pauli Murray: A Child of Destiny or A Nobody Without Identity, 1910–1926

Categories African American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Gender Studies/LGBT Studies
June 22, 2021

Happy Black Music Month: A Recommended Reading List

Fresh off the heels of our JuneTeenth reading lists (Part One and Part Two) , I’m back with another celebration of black culture; Black Music Month. “Created by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, this month celebrates the African American musical influences that comprise an essential part of our nation’s treasured cultural heritage.” Black people have had a hand in basically… Continue Reading Happy Black Music Month: A Recommended Reading List

Categories African American Studies/American Studies/Biography / Autobiography/Music