February 1: Celebrating Black History Month 2021 with stories that center the black family, its diversity, and representation
EXPLORE
During the month of February, we collectively share and celebrate the stories and rich histories of African Americans. As part of this work, the CSW Library is sharing stories of the Black family, which feature a range of experiences that celebrate a family’s excellence, ancestors, malleability, triumphs, identity struggles, and in some cases, its direct impact on history and culture. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are 10 titles that provide access opportunities for every member of our community--from memoirs that deftly weave family experiences with racism, coming of age, and gender identity to denser, academic works that connect the family to the political.
In addition to this list, each week we will feature a work of fiction whose thematic elements bend toward the African American family in our Book of the Week series. Our hope is that you will explore one text under this theme during the month of February.
READ
Each week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by YAA GYASI
QUICK TAKE
Gifty is six years into a doctorate in neuroscience at Stanford where she’s studying the neural circuits of reward-seeking behavior in mice and attempting to alter the pathways leading to addiction and depression. Fueled by the need to understand the ills that have plagued her Ghanian immigrant family, she determinedly puts her faith in science. Still, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the pull of the evangelical church in which she was raised. Readers will be deeply moved by this story of faith, science, grief, and love.
GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUT
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.