Selected Works

historical fiction
A freed girl becomes a heroine during the Reconstruction era.
In The Captive, Kofi is kidnapped in Africa and enslaved in New England.
nonfiction
"...There is fine reading here for both research and pleasure..." -School Library Journal

Books

African Princess: The Amazing Lives of Africa's Royal Women
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African Princess: The Amazing Lives of Africa's Royal Women.
The six African princesses and queens described here represent the rich cultural heritage of this ancient land...Their dramatic stories contain lessons for our own lives. Each chapter opens with a splendid original illustration by award winning illustrator, Laurie McGraw.

View a wonderful video by fourteen year old Nia Imani, entitled "The Royal Story." Nia wrote and performed the song after reading African Princess. Nia's song and video is an uplifiting tribute to Black women around the world and is an inspiration to all young girls and women. Nia Imani has been performing since she was six years old and starred in the Broadway musical, "The Lion King." Enjoy the work of this talented young lady.

Nia has also started a foundation to spread the message that every child is special--Every Child's A Star Foundation.


"The Royal Story"
View video by Nia Imani
I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly

"Bury Me Not in a Land of Slaves": African Americans in the Time of Reconstruction

The Captive

Obi and Easter build a new life

The Heart Calls Home
"...a story of courage and hope." -Booklist

This is the last book in a trilogy beginning with the novel,Which Way Freedom and continuing in Out From This Place. Set in South Carolina, both of these novels follow Obi and Easter as they free themselves from slavery during the Civil War and meet the challenges of living as freed people during the beginning of Reconstruction.
In The Heart Calls Home, Obi and Easter struggle to overcome many obstacles during the difficult period of Reconstruction after the Civil War.



Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence: The Story of New York's African Burial Ground, by Joyce Hansen and Gary McGowan
"...this is an unusual and outstanding book of history and archaeology." -Children's Literature

Through archaeological findings in an almost forgotten 18th century, New York City African burial ground, a people whose history was almost lost in time, is rediscovered.