21 Middle Grade Books About Racism, Activism, and the Black Experience in America

Here are 21 books that cover the experiences of Black Americans from slavery to the Black Lives Matter movement and everything in between. African American history is marked by violence, prejudice, and offensive language, so readers and their families should expect to encounter these challenging concepts in any text about race and discrimination in America. The ages listed below do not reflect reading levels, but are age-level recommendations for content. However, since every child has different experiences, backgrounds, and levels of comfort with difficult topics, families may want to click on the links below to see details and descriptions of the violence and language in each book and determine for themselves what is appropriate for each reader.