Julius Lester

Readers learn about the lives of countless slaves and former slaves, who tell about their forced journeys from Africa to the United States, their work in the fields and houses of their owners, and their passion for freedom. Illustrations.

To be a Slave

When gambling debts and greed enter into the Butler household, Pierce Butler decides to host a slave auction and breaks his promise by selling Emma, his most-valued slave and caretaker of his children--a decision that brings about unthinkable consequences.

Day of Tears

Retells the life of the legendary African American hero who raced against a steam drill to cut through a mountain.

John Henry

Cupid, the spoiled and mischievous god of love, is attracted to and marries the beautiful mortal, Psyche, and both learn many lessons about the nature of love.

A Tale of Love and Desire

Cupid

A Retelling of 'Little Black Sambo' (Picture Puffins)

Sam and the Tigers

In a rural southern town in 1946, a white man and his son witness the lynching of an innocent black man. Includes historical note on lynching.

Guardian

When Jenna and Jeremy's father shoots and kills their artist mother, they struggle to slowly rebuild a functioning family.

When Dad Killed Mom

Becoming a Jew

Lovesong

The Complete Tales

Uncle Remus

Othello (Point Signature Editions)

I saved my brother from the soldiers, but the princess says he is hers now. Abba and Ima will never trust me again. In ancient Egypt, there lives a girl named Almah who will do anything to ensure the safety of her baby brother, Mosis. She will leave her enslaved family and assume the role of Egyptian princess. She will change her identity if it means winning health and freedom for her brother. Mosis, however, does not feel completely free. His identity has been changed against his will, and he longs to find himself. And when he does, he will do anything in his power to see that justice is served.

A Novel of Ancient Egypt

Pharaoh's Daughter

Twelve tales of African and Afro-American origin include "How God Made the Butterflies," "The Girl With the Large Eyes," "Stagolee," and "People Who Could Fly."

Black Folktales

The author chronicles his earliest encounters with faith in the figure of his father, a Black Methodist minister, his earliest recollections of the lure of Judaism, the South before the Civil Rights movement, and his conversion to Judaism

A collection of thirty-five essays of Julius Lester.

Falling Pieces of the Broken Sky

Follows the adventures of a little boy named Sam when he matches wits with several tigers that want to eat him.

A Retelling of 'Little Black Sambo'

A compilation, selected from various sources and arranged chronologically, of the reminiscences of slaves and ex-slaves about their experiences from the leaving of Africa through the Civil War and into the early twentieth century. A Newbery Honor Book.

Retells the final adventures and misadventures of Brer Rabbit and his friends and enemies.

The Last Tales of Uncle Remus

A novel of one man’s triumph and tragedy in the civil rights era—from an author who “belongs with writers like William Faulkner and Ralph Ellison” (The Washington Post). When John Calvin Marshall graduated from Harvard in 1956, he was prepared for a life of teaching and relative tranquility. But history had another plan for him—a life of hard work and sacrifice for his fellow African-Americans in a struggle for decency, humanity, and dignity. His struggle pitted him between the two women he loved, and place him in the company of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and fellow civil rights agitator Malcom X. Ultimately, it cost him his life. In fearful, exciting, and visceral terms, the author of Do Lord Remember Me, envisions a compelling character whose life and times echo those of Martin Luther King Jr. And All Our Wounds Forgiven is a compelling political fable, a tender love story about a charismatic black leaders and the two women he loved, and a “startling look into the minds and hearts of those involved in the civil rights movement” (Kirkus Reviews).

A Novel

And All Our Wounds Forgiven

Rod Brown and Julius Lester bring history to life in this profoundly moving exploration of the slave experience. From the Middle Passage to the auction block, from the whipping post to the fight for freedom, this book presents not just historical facts, but the raw emotions of the people who lived them. Inspired by Rod Brown's vivid paintings, Julius Lester has written a text that places each of us squarely inside the skin of both slave and slaveowner. It will capture the heart of every reader, black or white, young or old. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults An NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies A Booklist Editors' Choice Book

Julius Lester

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