Sharon Washington

In the mid-1930s, Marian Anderson was a famed vocalist who had been applauded by European royalty and welcomed at the White House. But, because of her race, she was denied the right to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. This is the story of her resulting involvement in the civil rights movement of the time.

"Bill Traylor was born into slavery in 1853 on a cotton plantation in rural Alabama, and continued to farm the land until the late 1920s when he moved to Montgomery and worked odd jobs in the thriving segregated black neighborhood. A decade later, in his late 80s, Traylor became homeless and started to draw and paint, devising his visual language to depict his memories of slavery and scenes of a radically changing urban culture, becoming one of America's...

Historian Berry resurrects the forgotten life of courageous pioneering activist Callie House (1861-1928), ex-slave, widowed Nashville washerwoman and mother of five who, seventy years before the civil rights movement, headed a demand for ex-slave reparations. House was born into slavery in 1861 and sought African-American pensions based on those offered Union soldiers, targeting taxes on seized rebel cotton (over $1.2 billion in 2005 dollars) and...

When her own business and personal relationship begins to unravel, advice columnist Dr. Hope Sutton seeks seclusion at her childhood vacation home in South Carolina.

A columnist who regularly contributes to The Nation and The Village Voice, Patricia J. Williams is also a professor of law at Columbia University and the recipient of a MacArthur "genius" award. In Open House, she shares her unique views on modern American culture and tells stories of her remarkable life. Her voice is powerful, provocative, and utterly charming.

Lexi, Jewel, Jermane, Capri, and Angel are women trying to hold on to their friendship, even while the messiness of life gets in the way. They share many things-complicated relationships with men, the stress of professional life, and closeness to God. Fortunately, their lively Sunday brunch sessions keep them on track through their whimsical adventures.

Norma L. Jarrett pens this inspirational Essence Book Club Pick about two feuding sisters who struggle to reconcile differences and renew their faith in God. Although Summer and Misa secretly share the same family curse, each handles it differently. And then one rainy night at a family reunion, an argument and an accident trigger a chain reaction that unravels years of family secrets and misunderstandings.

Award-winning journalist Elyse Singleton delivers what Essence calls "a gem-the perfect book to curl up with." Best friends Lilian and Myraleen, two African American women from rural Mississippi, travel to Europe during World War II to act as members of the Women's Army Corps. During this time of segregation and destruction, both women discover love and heartbreak, triumph and defeat.