BLACK VOICES

Storytelling is a powerful tool to educate ourselves and be a part of change in the world.

Celebrate Black History

Month with these extraordinary novels.

Take My Hand

By Dolen Perkins-Valdez

The Violin Conspiracy

By Brendan Slocumb

First and foremost a reader, she has reviewed hundreds of books on her blog www. readingandeating. com. And, more recently, this new Keys resident has also begun writing.

WATCH TIP: “On the Come Up” is on Paramount+. In this book-to-screen adaptation, talented and poetic 16-yearold Bri Jackson yearns to overcome her family struggles and make her dad’s memory proud by becoming the greatest rapper of all time. Inspiring music and lessons of the heart.

In 1973, Civil Townsend graduated from nursing school. Descended from a long line of black physicians, a rarity in post-segregation Alabama, Civil is excited to start her job at the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic. She is asked to visit patients outside the city who are not able to travel. At her first home visit, she meets two young girls named Erica and India. The Williams sisters are 11 and 13, and Civil administers a shot of Depo-Provera, a new, controversial birth control being tested. Civil does not doubt her superiors’ methods or motives, and the trusting black families do not challenge her. After months of following protocols and growing very close with these girls, Civil and other nurses begin to question why the FDA has not approved this drug and why these poor, mostly illiterate folks are being sterilized without consent. With the help of a clever attorney, these ordinary women battle the U.S. government to expose and rectify a great injustice. Inspired by true events, this incredible work of historical fiction explores the conditions of human and civil rights that our country continues to battle every day.

Playing the violin was everything to Ray McMillian. Growing up in North Carolina, Ray’s musical passion was never encouraged by his contemptuous mother, apathetic music teacher or demanding aunts and uncles. The only person in Ray’s life to champion his dreams was his gentle and loving Grandma Nora. One holiday, when the family is gathered, Nora reminds Ray he inherited his musical talent from her Pop Pop, who played the fiddle on the plantation where their family was enslaved. Ray finds the fiddle in the attic and it is given to him. While no one shows much interest, the old relic allows Ray to improve his skills and prepare for an upcoming competition. At the event, Dr. Janice Stevens offers him a music scholarship to a small university, changing his life forever. With top-notch mentorship, Ray has a brilliant career ahead. After repairing his “fiddle,” they discover it is a priceless Stradivarius. His family sees dollar signs and the people who enslaved his Pop Pop think the instrument belongs to them. A month before his most important performance, the violin disappears. Wonderful characters and a family mystery make beautiful music together.

The House Of Eve

By Sadeqa Johnson

Ruby Pearsall turns 15 years old in 1950s Philadelphia. An excellent student, Ruby is part of the We Rise program, providing underprivileged students with post-high school opportunities. Ruby dreams of becoming an ophthalmologist so she can help her grandma get her sight back. Her mother has kicked her out and she is staying with her Aunt Marie, a tough gal with a loving heart. Focused on succeeding, Ruby is rarely sidetracked. But when she meets Shimmy, the landlord's white, Jewish son, she experiences butterflies for the first time. History repeats itself when Ruby, like her own mother, becomes a pregnant teenager. Shimmy’s mother arranges for Ruby to go to a home for unwed teens in D.C., promising the We Rise scholarship upon return. In D.C., we meet Eleanor and William, both students at Howard University. Smart and hardworking, they meet in the library and fall head over heels. But Eleanor is not good enough for William Pride’s snooty parents, who are leaders of the Washington elite black families. William’s mother does everything in her power to break the couple apart. With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways, Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives.