Ebony book shelf

This is the 40th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which helped change the social and racial map of the South and America. An indispensible text in appraising that seminal event, which started on December 1, 1955, and continued for 12 months, is the first-person account by Martin Luther King Jr., Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. Originally published in 1958, the paperback book--available from HarperCollins --costs $12.

The Words Of Martin Luther King Jr. (Newmarket Press, $12.95 cloth, $7.95 paper) is a collection of quotations from speeches and sermons, selected by Coretta Scott King.

Rosa Parks, "the mother of the Montgomery Bus Boycott," assembles a selection of her insights, thoughts and observations in Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation (Zondervan, $12.90).

African Americans And The Living Constitution (Smithsonian, $14.95), a book of essays exploring the role of the U.S. Constitution in the fight for racial equality, edited by John Hope Franklin and Genna Rae McNeil.

Speak My Name: Black Men on Masculinity and the American Dream (Beacon Press, $24), an anthology, edited by Don Belton.

The National Medical Association Demands Equal Opportunity: Nothing More, Nothing Less (Charro Book Company, Inc., $29.50), an account of significant events affecting the NMA during its 100-year history, by Dr. Charles H. Wright.

Killing Rage: Ending Racism (Henry Holt, $20), 23 essays on race and racism from a Black feminist perspective, by bell hooks.

Living Hell: The Dilemma of African-American Survival (Zondervan Publishing, $12.99), a series of sermons, edited Mose Pleasure Jr. and Fred C. Lofton

Dori Sanders' Country Cooking Recipes and Stories from the Family Farm Stand (Algonquin Books, $18.95), a medley of 100 recipes and family tales, by Dori Sanders.

The Essential Literature Guide: Published in Association with the Schomburg Center (Visible Ink Press, $17.95), a guide to authors, works and literary movements in Black literature, edited by Roger M. Valade III.

Freedom & Justice: Four Decades of the Civil Rights Struggle as Seen by a Black Photographer of the Deep South (Mercer University Press, $39.95), a book of photographs depicting episodes and figures from the Civil Rights Movement, by Cecil J. Williams.

Smart Money Moves for African Americans (G.P. Putnam's Sons, $21.95), a financial blueprint to security and economic well-being, by Kelvin E. Boston.

Ain't Gonna Be The Same Fool Twice (Hyperion, $19.95), the second novel featuring Jean (Stevie) Stevenson, by April Sinclair.

Jump Up And Say! A Collection of Black Storytelling (Touchstone Books, $13), a book of African-American tales.

I Love Being The Enemy: A Season on the Court with the NBA's Best Shooter and Sharpest Tongue (Simon & Schuster, $23), an autobiography, by Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller with Gene Wojciechowski.

Juba This And Juba That: 100 African American Games for Children (Fireside Books, $10), a collection of authentic cultural games, by Darlene Powell Hopson and Derek Hopson with Thomas Clavin.