Book News

Oprah tell-all bio by Kitty Kelley coming in April

By theGrio

4:10 PM on 01/21/2010

NEW YORK (AP) - Kelley says she devoted the past three years to examining Winfrey's life. She says she came away "full of admiration for her accomplishments and fascinated by her complexity."

Happy reading! TheGrio's holiday book wish list

By Suzanne Rust

8:37 AM on 12/17/2009

REVIEW - Do your friends really need another fruitcake this year? When in doubt, make a holiday gift more personal -- and palatable, with one of these great titles.

Paul Mooney's 'Black Is the New White' is an ode to Richard Pryor

By Michael E. Ross

9:27 AM on 12/09/2009

REVIEW - Much of the book is a tale of two dudes: Mooney is the industrious teetotaler eager for a breakthrough in the entertainment world; Pryor is the erratic genius...

Obama's half brother recalls their 'abusive' father

By theGrio

8:34 AM on 11/04/2009

GUANGZHOU, China (AP) -- President Barack Obama's half-brother has finally spoken out, discussing his new, semi-autobiographical novel...

Singer Leona Lewis punched during UK book signing

By theGrio

10:35 AM on 10/15/2009

LONDON (AP) -- A young man punched singer Leona Lewis in the head as she signed autographs and posed for photographs at a book signing session in central London

Shift in race discussion needed for our kids and our media

By Charlton McIlwain

8:50 AM on 09/22/2009

OPINION - Even the youngest among us recognize and realize the utility in making racial distinctions. Should we be concerned? If so, by what, exactly?

Why do we need white faces to sell black books?

By Courtney Young

8:01 AM on 08/14/2009

OPINION -- Controversy has erupted this week due to the cover image of Liar, a novel written by Australian author Justine Larbalestier. A piece of young adult fiction

E. Lynn Harris broke barriers for black writers, gays

By Ronda Racha Penrice

5:28 AM on 07/26/2009

News that best-selling author E. Lynn Harris had died at the age of 54 shocked his fans and friends. On tour promoting his latest novel, "Basketball Jones," about the closeted relationship of an NBA player and his long-term boyfriend, Harris was reportedly in Los Angeles meeting with Tracey Edmonds, ex-wife...

Author E. Lynn Harris dies at age 54

By theGrio via AP

4:09 PM on 07/24/2009

E. Lynn Harris, a pioneer of gay black fiction and a literary entrepreneur who rose from self-publishing to best-selling status, has died, his publicist said Friday. He was 54. Publicist Laura Gilmore said Harris died Thursday night after being stricken at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills...

Supporting African-American bookstores

By Talia Whyte

8:35 AM on 07/06/2009

It's summer, and now is the time when Americans want to catch up on their favorite authors on the beach. It has become more common these days for people to purchase their books online, at chain bookstores or, if you are really "with it," download ebooks into the Kindle. However,...

Book Review: Paule Marshall's Triangular Road

By Eisa Ulen

7:45 AM on 07/06/2009

One of the most important writers of the 2nd half of the 20th century, Paule Marshall bears witness to the artist's life in her first memoir, Triangular Road. In many ways, Marshall embodies the complex hybridism of the 20th century. The daughter of immigrant parents, she is both West Indian...

Martin Luther King's books to be republished

By theGrio via AP

5:09 PM on 06/23/2009

ERRIN HAINES Associated Press Writer ATLANTA (AP) -- Four books that have been long out of print by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will be published again under a deal with Beacon Press brokered by King's youngest son. In a statement, Dexter King called the deal "an historic partnership."...

'All black people' asked to leave Wal-Mart

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (AP) - On Sunday evening at the store, a male voice calmly announced: "Attention Wal-Mart customers: All black people leave the store now."...