This seems like the most relevant post to convey this news: I was quoted in the St. Louis Beacon this week on Is Black History Month still necessary? The debate continues. My contributions are pretty lame, but they apparently needed someone to give the two clichés: “African American history is American history” and “Every month is black history month.” I’m pleased that our Diversity Book Club got a bit of call out there.

To celebrate Black History Month, Alexis at Reflections of a Bookaholic and the women of Mocha Girls Read are hosting the Black History Month Blog Hop.

The first of several events is the Black History Month Blog Hop Giveaway. Check that link for lots of participants giving away books by black authors, about black characters, or regarding black history.

I am giving away a gently-used paperback of The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed, which won both a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize. This is a thick, scholarly book, daunting at first glance. But, I led our book group’s discussion of this and we all agreed that it’s surprisingly readable. That’s probably why it won all of those awards.

The Hemingses of Monticello are the descendants of Elizabeth Hemings, an enslaved woman who gave birth to Sally Hemings. The father of Sally was also the father of her half-sister Martha Wayles who would become Martha Jefferson. Through examining the lives of this family, we learn about the evolving nature of slavery in Virginia, the relatively enlightened but oddly problematic role of race in France, and the day to day life of Thomas Jefferson and those around him at Monticello and Washington, D.C.

To enter to win The Hemingses of Monticello, simply leave a comment on this post. I’ll ship internationally. Entries close at midnight CST on February 7. Good luck!

Edited to add: This giveaway is closed, won by: Alex W!