16 books about Black history you can read for free from the San Antonio Public Library

Good reads about the history of Black Americans

San Antonio Public Library's list of Black history books (SAPL)

The San Antonio Public Library offers tens of thousands of books — old fashioned print and virtual eBooks — for Bexar County residents to read for free: all you need is a library card.

This February, in honor of Black History Month, the San Antonio library has compiled a lineup of more than a dozen titles about Black history in the United States.

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See the full list and reserve the books here.

From 500-year timelines of African-Americans to biographies of some of the most influential Black Americans, including Harriet Tubman, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks and Barack Obama, the list offers a wide range of topics and subjects.

Two of the most recently published pieces on the list are Michelle Obama’s 2018 best-seller Becoming and the 2019 photo essay celebrating Black history titled The Undefeated.

Two of the titles on the list squarely focus on Carter G. Woodson, known as the “Father of Black History.

One book, Stamped From the Beginning, by Ibram X. Kendi, uses the logline “The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.”

Other titles focus on Black athletes, lawmen and members of the military.

See the full list and reserve the books here.

Find more content like this on our Black history page.


About the Authors
Kolten Parker headshot

Kolten Parker is Manager of Content and Coverage at KSAT. He moved into the role in 2024, after five years of leading the digital team. Kolten is an award-winning journalist and a proud Texas State Bobcat. He's a triathlete who loves the outdoors and sports. When not working, he likes to hang out with his wife and travel.

Andrew Wilson headshot

Andrew Wilson is a digital journalist and social media producer at KSAT.

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