The October issue of Booklist Reader is live now. Be sure to check out the new digital library patron–facing magazine featuring diverse readers’ advisory recommendations for readers of all ages. Available to all now through January 2022.

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Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World
by Wil Haygood

​Like Black history, Black film is indisputably entwined with American history. Haygood (Tigerland, 1968–1969, 2018) emphasizes this point from the start of this captivating chronicle of a century as he juxtaposes the adulation which greeted D. W. Griffith’s racist Birth of a Nation and Oscar Micheaux’s torturous crawl towards authentic Black film.

Core Collection: TV Backstories
​by Donna Seaman

Television has been an integral part of American society and consciousness since its inception, evolving with, mirroring, and propelling changing perspectives and advances. The books below offer insights into the creation and influence of an array of mainstream shows.

Core Collection: Art School Electives
by Maggie Reagan

Here, we’ve collected a sampling of essential fiction and nonfiction titles, across age ranges, in support of some of the most common arts-education classes found at American schools. Whatever creative path you’re interested in pursuing, you’ll find something to complement it here.

The Shelf Care Interview: Dave Scheidt and Miranda Harmon

In this episode of the Shelf Care Interview, Sarah Hunter talks with Dave Scheidt and Miranda Harmon, creators of Mayor Good Boy.

Listen Up: As Seen on TV
by Heather Booth

Who hasn’t listened to an audiobook and wondered, “Where have I heard that voice before?” Many actors maintain a healthy balance of on- and off-screen work. Here are some standouts tagged for their television and film roles and role in a recommended audiobook. 

Top 10 Arts Books for Youth: 2021
by Julia Smith

Singing, dancing, photography, fashion—these are just a few of the powerful tools of expression in this year’s best books on the arts, reviewed in Booklist between October 15, 2020, and October 1, 2021.

Top 10 Art Books: 2021
by Donna Seaman

Biographies and memoirs occupy many of the slots on the list of the best art books reviewed in Booklist over the past 12 months, including portraits of queer artists and artists of color confronting harsh discrimination; here, too, is a deep history of music and a chronicle of a reality-TV franchise.