Get Out and Listen: Racial Justice Audiobooks on hoopla and Overdrive

We recently posted a suggested racial justice reading list: did you know that you can access most of these books on the go with your earbuds and hoopla or Overdrive/Libby? Many of the peaceful protesters are asking everyone simply to listen. The library is offering you an opportunity to do just that with audiobook versions of suggested titles.

The following audiobooks are always available on hoopla:

Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving

When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

The library has also acquired Overdrive Advantage copies of the titles below–Marblehead patrons get priority access to these!

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo

For more audiobooks on this topic, check out hoopla’s Conversations on Race and Overdrive’s Facing Racism collections.

Here’s your opportunity to examine fresh perspectives while getting some fresh air. Stay safe and listen up.

You’ll also be joining in the celebration of Audiobook Month with hoopla!

New to hoopla and/or Overdrive/Libby? Get access with your Marblehead library card! If you don’t currently have a card, begin here. And feel free to email the reference staff with any questions at mar@noblenet.org.

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Race Relations: Historical Resources

In light of current events, we would like to remind you that the Abbot Public Library offers a multitude of resources with current, reliable, regularly updated information, which is easily accessible and available at any time.

Salem Press (introduced in a previous post) is the latest acquired reference database, with a very large history section, where you can search for particular events or names, or just browse through American history, decade by decade, learning about critical events and influential people.

You can browse through another section, Milestones Documents of American History, to get a better understanding of the most important documents and primary sources.

In addition to browsing and searching, Salem Press offers curated content to explore current events, which is a unique feature of this database. 

To help explore and better understand current events, you can browse through selected essays on several subjects, which are, presently: race relations, social justice, violent demonstration, civil disobedience, and others.

EBSCO History Reference Center, a database which you will find listed under the EBSCOhost, offers full text from reference books, encyclopedia, leading history periodicals, and biographies. The database also has historical photos and maps, as well as archival videos to offer.

Gale Biography is a well-organized database, where you can browse or search for biographies of influential people of their time. 

All these digital databases are free and accessible with your library card through the Digital Resources page on the library blog.

The New York Times published a list of the most influential books on race and the black experience, created by Ibram X. Kendi, a professor of history at the University of Florida and a published author. Here are some of the titles mentioned in that NYT list:

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi won the national Book Award. In his deeply researched book, the author gives an account of the history of racist ideas and thoughts and shows their power through the course of American history.

The New Jim Crow was named the most influential book of the last decade and collected numerous awards, inspiring criminal justice reform activists and organizations. Its tenth anniversary edition was reprinted recently.

Dreams from My Father, published in 1995, is a memoir by Barack Obama that looks at the problem of race, class, and color.

Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award; it is also on the PBS Great American Read Top 100 list.

Beloved by Toni Morrison also won the Pulitzer and was adapted as a movie with the same title.

You can also check out the following titles from the list (click the cover image):

The ebook format
The audiobook format

All these ebooks and audiobooks are available through Overdrive/Libby with your card.

Racial Justice Reading List

In an often confusing and difficult time of upheaval, we at the Abbot Public Library are committed to providing resources to expand your knowledge and become better informed on current events and social issues.

If you are seeking books on the topic of racial justice, please use this list as a primer to put the headlines into context. All items can be accessed — free with your library card — through our digital collections:

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi (and for young adults, Stamped — Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi)

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & asha bandele