Top 5 books about freedom fighters

Crusade for Justice

by Ida B Wells

An intimate autobiography of Wells’ life as a teacher, journalist, mother and civil rights activist. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and spent her life crusading for equality for women and African-Americans.

An Address Delivered at the African Masonic Hall in Boston, Feb 27, 1833

by Maria Stewart

This speech is a rousing call to courage from a female abolitionist who lived in the Antebellum era. Stewart is the first American woman to speak to an audience of both men and women, black and white.

Breach of Peace

by Eric Etheridge

The latest edition of this classic book provides a stunning glimpse into the faces of The Freedom Riders; the young men and women – black and white – who joined together to challenge the Mississippi state segregation laws.

Unbought & Unbossed

by Shirley Chisholm

This offers an empowering, autobiographical look into Shirley Chisholm’s rise from Brooklyn to becoming the first African-American Congresswoman. Her story will leave you inspired.

The Warmth of Other Suns

by Isabella Wilkerson

This multiple award-winning story of African-American immigration is a miraculous achievement! It follows the lives of three freedom fighters, including Ida Mae Gladney who, in 1937, left the oppression of sharecropping in Mississippi and set out for Chicago. This book captures both the discipline and drive of Black America and the sober realities of racism.

The Record Keeper by Agnes Gomillion is out now (Titan £8.99)