busboys books

What We Read This Month (July)

Looking for your next good read? Well you’re in luck…Busboys and Poets Books is full of busy little readers! Ellie, Bookstore Supervisor at 5th and K: It’s been a rough month for my attention span, so out of all of the books I started, I finished only two – Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain and The … Continued

art image

Busboys and Poets Book Review: Set the World on Fire

In this substantial entry into the history of Black radical politics, Keisha N. Blain uncovers the legion of Black women that made waves in the growing Black nationalist and Garveyite movements of the early Twentieth Century. Black nationalism, which promotes the establishment of a Black nation state as the answer to racial oppression, first gained … Continued

patrick pride

Busboys and Poets Book Review: Anger is a Gift

Mark Oshiro’s contemporary YA fiction is an incredibly moving story about community, about love, and about taking a stand against prejudice and violence, even when it seems completely hopeless, and it is especially difficult to read. Especially for someone like me, caught up in my own privilege and ignorant of the struggles faced by people … Continued

Busboys and Poets Book Review: Young, Gifted, and Black

Busboys and Poets Book Review: Young, Gifted, and Black

Bearing the same name as Nina Simone’s iconic song, “Young, Gifted, and Black” explores the lives of 52 black people, both past and present, who have helped shaped different aspects of black culture. As author Jamia Wilson explains in the foreword, “this book is a love letter to our ancestors and the next generation of … Continued

Busboys and Poets Book Review: Home.Girl.Hood.

Busboys and Poets Book Review: Home.Girl.Hood.

There are rare literary moments when you can truly see an author shine beyond what they have set for you on the page. A sort of kinesthesia takes place as the characters and their stories move in such a compelling way that all five of your senses can’t help but be engaged and feel truly … Continued

Busboys and Poets Books Review: Jim Brown, Last Man Standing

Busboys and Poets Books Review: Jim Brown, Last Man Standing

In clear, fluid prose, Dave Zirin chronicles the life of legendary Cleveland Browns running back, Jim Brown, from his childhood in St. Simons Island, Georgia, raised by three women, through his NFL and Hollywood acting careers, to his cultural impact as a Black Power icon in the 1960s and beyond. Zirin reveals a complicated picture … Continued

Busboys and Poets Book Review: We’re Going to Need More Wine

Busboys and Poets Book Review: We’re Going to Need More Wine

The following is a guest post by Busboys and Poets customer Dr. Donna Oriowo. To read the complete post, please visit her website. Here is a little disclosure about me, I don’t generally like autobiographies. I find that they can be terribly dull and full of pomp. I know I read The Last Black Unicorn … Continued

What to read: Celebrating National Poetry Month at Busboys and Poets

What to read: Celebrating National Poetry Month at Busboys and Poets

April in DC – a time to welcome the sun, greet the cherry blossoms and relish the city’s many parks in bloom. April is also National Poetry Month, and being home to a vibrant literary community, DC celebrates every year with a diverse offering of events, readings and books to savor. Here at Busboys and … Continued

Busboys and Poets Book Interview: Mamta Jain Valderrama

Busboys and Poets Book Interview: Mamta Jain Valderrama

Busboys and Poets Books is excited to have social justice author, Mamta Jain Valderrama coming to Busboys 14th & V to discuss her debut novel, A Girl In Traffick, based on true stories of human organ trafficking. In advance of the upcoming event, bookstore supervisor Kenlynn Nelson interviewed Mamta about her writing and thoughts on … Continued

Busboys and Poets Book Review: An American Sickness

Busboys and Poets Book Review: An American Sickness

We’ve all been in that situation, or know someone who has. You find yourself for whatever reason in need of medical attention: a surgery, an exam, etc. And after you leave, you receive the bill. But the bill is far larger than you anticipated and you have no idea why. Elizabeth Rosenthal knows why. An … Continued

Busboys and Poets Book Review: Pansy Boy

Busboys and Poets Book Review: Pansy Boy

Captivating, touching, and sincere, “Pansy Boy” tells the story of a thoughtful young boy who is tormented by his classmates because they perceive him as being different. With whimsical, thoughtful rhymes and a mixture of colorful imagery painted against a grayscale canvas, author and illustrator Paul Harfleet shows us how a seed planted by hate … Continued

A Girls Guide to Joining the Resistance Book Review

A Girls Guide to Joining the Resistance Book Review

Emma Gray’s tiny book of feminist resistance promises to be a guide to doing more and doing good in a world that seems to have turned against women all together. The book is extremely readable and well-put together, starring personal anecdotes, interviews with amazing activists, and step-by-step guides made to help us as readers do … Continued