The Lost Freedman’s Town of Hamburg, South Carolina by Michael S. Smith, 2021

Forty Million Dollar Slaves by William C. Rhoden, 2006

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond, 2017

To be honest, this book took me a while to get through. I had to keep putting it down for a while—it made me too emotional! The idea of housing security is something I have never even thought to be thankful for, and this book makes one realize how fleeting secure housing can be. This book also points out how race impacts housing security, making it an essential read for understanding the role race plays in our everyday lives.

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of how our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein, 2017

The Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin, 1962

This is an old book, but it’s a good one—the narrator uses iodine and tanning bulbs to “turn” his skin dark, and then he ventures out across the American South in the 1960s to see the differences. For a white man in the 1960s, it’s a novel experiment—the fact that he writes about it so honestly makes the book a great read.

March: A Series by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, 2013

This is a graphic novel series about John Lewis’s experience during the Civil Rights Movement. He covers all of the highlights—sit ins, Freedom Rides, and the march to Selma. If you look at the rest of my website, you’ll see I have a love for graphic novels. I think they are essential reading for adults and children alike. If you want a quick and engaging reminder of the important parts of the Civil Rights Movement, do yourself a favor and find this series.

The Third Option by Miles McPherson, 2018

One of my dearest Pastor friends introduced me to this book during the summer of 2020. He and I were hosting a “Socially Distanced but not Socially Unaware” book club, and this was his suggestion. The premise of the book is that “Sunday is now the most segregated day of the week” and he approaches the racial division in the church and why the true spirit of Christianity requires believers to not only identify their blindspots and the “constant race conversation” in our heads, but also to work to prevent microaggressions, micro-insults, and racial biases.

And Grace Will Lead Us Home by Jennifer Berry Hawes

Another good book for anyone interested in South Carolina history and/or the impact of the Charleston church shooting where the shooter admitted to shooting those in the church simply because they were Black. This book explores the events leading up to the shooting, events after the shooting, and how the shooting changed the state of South Carolina and the churches involved.

The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore