Boston Public Library celebrates Black History Month with 'Black Is' booklist

Boston Public Library honors Black History Month with its annual “Black Is” booklist, a list of recent works concerning the African American experience compiled by staff librarians with annotations for all to enjoy.  Categories of books include international, teen, and urban fiction, and biography/memoir, expressions, and history and contemporary issues in nonfiction. Copies of the booklist will be available at all library locations this week and is available in pdf format on the BPL website.

The curated list includes authors such as actor and comedian Kevin Hart, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Imbolo Mbue, Sadeqa Johnson, Nnedi Okorafor, and more.

Previous “Black Is” booklists can be found online. Boston Public Library also celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with an annual “Latino Life” Booklist, and a “We Are Pride” booklist in June.

Programs honoring Black History Month can be viewed on the library's calendar, which include a Sidney Poitier film Series, children’s programs, lectures, and more.

Boston Public Library has a Central Library, twenty-four branches, map center, business library, and a website filled with digital content and services. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library has pioneered public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. Each year, the Boston Public Library hosts thousands of programs and serves millions of people. All of its programs and exhibitions are free and open to the public. At the Boston Public Library, books are just the beginning. To learn more, visit bpl.org.