I was going to just do a African Religion book list, but I figured I would combine some working lists. I havent had the chance to type out my entire book collection or all the notes that I have been passed on books. This list constitutes my experiences only for the most part. I have read about 98% of this list. The rest are the recommendations that I trust from other avid readers that are pan-african and african spiritualists. When I get the rest of my own collection in typed form I will add it and then I will try to share the rest of the recommendations I have gotten over the years.

yes..this is mostly contemporary titles. i cant find my classics list, and i wasnt about to try to type them all out today. lol

The African-Centered Person's Book List

African Religion by Practitioners 25

Ifa Will Mend Our Broken World. Wande Adimbola
Spirit of Intimacy: Ancient Teachings in the Ways of Relationships. Sobonfu Some
Yoruba World of Good and Evil. Conrad Mauge
Olorisa: A Handbook of Yoruba Religion. Oba Oseijiman Adefunmi
Introduction to African Religion. John Mbiti
Metu Neter Vol. 1/2. Ra Un Nefer Amen
Iwa-Pele: Ifa Quest the Search for the Source of Santeria and Lucumi, Falokun Fatunmbi
Awo: Ifa & the Theology of Orisha Divination, Awo Fa'Lokun Fatunmb
The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts, Baba Ifa Karade, Ifa Karade
Ancestors: Hidden Hands, Healing Spirits for Your Use and Empowerment, Ra Ifagbemi Babalawo
Imoye: A Definition of the Ifa Tradition, Baba Ifa Karade
Black Gods - Orisa Studies in the New World by John Mason
Tradition and Transformation, Koleoso Karade
Ojise: Messenger of the Yoruba Tradition, Baba Ifa Karade
The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts, Baba Ifa Karade
Awo Obi: Obi Divination in Theory and Practice, Baba Osundiya
Fundamentals of the YORUBA RELIGION (Orisa Worship), Chief Fama
Sixteen Mythological Stories of Ifa (Ita Merindinlogun), Chief/Ms FAMA
The Sacred Ifa Oracle, Afolabi A. Epega (Translator), Philip John Neimark (Introduction)
Ifa: An Exposition of Ifa Literary Corpos, Wande Abimbola
Ijo Orunmila, Fasina Falade
The Adventure of Obatala Part 1/2, Ifayemi Elebuibon
Oya: In Praise of an African Goddess, Judith Gleason
Akan Protocol: Remembering the Traditions of the Ancestors, Nana Akua Kyerewaa Opokuwaa
Tell My Horse : Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica, Zora Neale Hurston

African Religion by Observers 8

Introduction to African Religion. John Mbiti
Flash of the Spirit: African and Afro-American Art and Philosophy, Robert Farris Thompson
Osun Seegesi: The Elegant Deity of Wealth, Power, and Femininity, Diedre L. Badejo
Secrets of Voodoo, Milo Rigaud
Vodou: Visions and Voices of Haiti, Phyllis Galembo, Gerdes Fleurant
Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought, Henry John Drewal
Beads, Body, and Soul: Art and Light in the Yoruba Universe, Henry John Drewal
Gelede: Art and Female Power Among the Yoruba (Traditional Arts of Africa), Henry John Drewal

African History/Politics/Sociology 17

Echoes of the Darkland: Themes of an African Eden. Dr. Charles Finch
Introduction to African Civilizations, John G. Jackson
African People in World History (Black Classic Press Contemporary Lecture), John Henrik Clarke
Malcolm X: The Man and His Times, John Henrik Clarke
Yurugu: An African-Centered Critique of European Cultural Thought and Behavior, Marimba Ani
From Plan to Planet. Life studies: The Need for African Minds and Institutions. Haki Madhubuti
Destruction of Black Civilization. Chancellor Williams
Black Student's Guide to Positive Education. Zak Kondo
Afrocentricity. Dr. Molefi Asante
Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery, Na'Im Akbar
Community of Self, Na’im Akbar
Let The Circle Be Unbroken. Marimba Ani
How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America, Manning Marable
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, Walter Rodney
Fulcrums of Change:African Presence in Early America. Jan Carew
Community of Self. Naim Akbar
Earthquakes and Sun Rise Missions: Poetry and Essays of Black Renewal 1973-1983, Haki R. Madhubuti

African Fiction w/ Allusions to African Spirituality 2

The River Between. Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
Two Thousand Seasons. Ayi Kweh Armah

East Indian 2

Be as You Are. Sri Ramana Maharshi
Meditation and Life. Swami Chininayanda

Native American 3

Black Dawn, Bright Day. Sun Bear
The Sacred Tree: Reflections on Native American Spirituality. The Four Worlds Development Project
Native Healer. Medicine Grizzlybear Lake


Health 3

Healthy Foods and Spiritual Nutrition Handbook. Keith Wright
Vegetarianism Made Simple and Easy: A Primer for Black People. Zak Kondo
Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine. Daniel Mowry

ifasehun, this is a great list. I'd like to share it with the new Book Club, if I may.

Respect,
Queenie

go for it. when i have time i will add more.

Yesss ... this is wonderful, thank you Ifasehun.

:heart:

Destee

...good list....might I add somemore....

Health
Drugs Masquerading As Foods: Deliciously Killing American-Afrikans and All Peoples, by Suzar
The Spirit of Intimacy: Ancient African Teachings in the Ways of Relationships, by Sobonfu Some

History
African Presence in Early Europe, by Ivan Van Sertima
Ancient Egypt the Light of the World, by Gerald Massey
Black Athena:, by Martin Bernal
Blacked Out Through Whitewash:, by Suzar
Black Spark, White Fire: Did African Explorers Civilize Ancient Europe?, by Richard Poe
Black Women in Antiquity, by Ivan Van Sertima
Exiled Egyptians: The Heart of Africa, by Moustafa Gadalla
From Babylon to Timbuktu:, by Rudolph R. Windsor
Gerald Massey's Lectures, by Gerald Massey
Kush, the Jewel of Nubia:, by Miriam Ma'At-Ka-Re Monges
Lies My Teacher Told Me : Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, by James Loewen
Precolonial Black Africa:, by Cheikh Anta Diop
Sex and Race:, by J. A. Rogers (series)
Stolen Legacy:, by George G. M. James
The African Origin of Civilization:, by Cheikh Anta Diop
The Story of the Moors in Spain, by Stanley Lane-Poole
They Came Before Columbus, by Ivan Van Sertima

Religion
Moses and Akhenaten: The Secret History of Egypt at the Time of the Exodus, by Ahmed Osman
The African Origin of Modern Judaism: From Hebrews to Jews, by Jose V. Malcioln
The Historical Jesus and the Mythical Christ: Separating Fact from Fiction, by Gerald Massey
The Truth About Black Biblical Hebrew-Israelites (Jews: The Worlds Best Kept Secret), by Ella J. Hughley

Science / Medicine
Melanin: A Key To Freedom, by Richard, M.D. King
Melanin: The Chemical Key To Black Greatness, by Carol Barnes
The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics, by George Gheverghese Joseph
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography, by Simon Singh

Psychology / Philosophy / Socialogy
Awakening the Natural Genius of Black Children, by Amos N. Wilson
From ****** to Gods:, by Akil (series)
Metu Neter Vol.1: The Great Oracle of Tehuti and the Egyptian System of Spiritual Cultivation, by Ra Un Nefer Amen
Metu Neter Vol.2: Anuk Ausar, The Kamitic Initiation System, by Ra Un Nefer Amen
Mis-Education of the Negro, by Carter G. Woodson
The Goddess Blackwoman: Mother of Civilization, by Akil
The Isis Papers (Yssis Papers/Keys to the Colors), by Frances Cress Welsing
The Wretched of the Earth, by Frantz Fanon

Various
From the Browder File: 22 Essays on the African American Experience, by Anthony T. Browder


....check'em all out on amazon.com....

Akil was the one of the first Black authors that I read . His book titled "From N..... to Gods" was extremely educational and also very humorous, I highly recommend it (especially to younger people). I would also like to add "The United Independent Compensatory Code/System/Concept" by Neely Fuller Jr. I am currently reading that now and it has some very interesting concepts. Its closely associated with the "Isis Papers" by Francis Cress Welsing. By the way has anyone read this book (the United Independent Compensatory Code etc..) if you have please let me know what you think(you can PM me if you like)
Peace..

Great lists all!...

Mahogany, I read The United Independent Compensatory Code/System/Concept several years ago...purchased it at a lecture I attended by Dr. Francis Cress-Welsing and Neely Fuller. I consider it a "must have." (Btw, the correct spelling of the author of ****** To Gods is "Akil.")

Here is a booklist for those interested in astrology, metaphysics and the occult:

THE LIGHT OF EGYPT, Thomas Burgoyne, vols. I & II, Sun Books

STAR NAMES, Their Lore And Meaning, Richard Hinckley, Dover Publications

ISIS UNVEILED, Mme. Helena Blavatsky, vols. I & II

HEBREW ASTROLOGY, Sepharial, Sun Books

ALAN OKEN'S COMPLETE ASTROLOGY, which contains: AS ABOVE, SO BELOW; THE HOROSCOPE, THE ROAD AND ITS TRAVELERS; ASTROLOGY: EVOLUTION AND REVOLUTION, Bantam Books, Inc.

Contemporary Astrology, Jerry Williams, Para Research, Inc.

THE MODERN TEXTBOOK OF ASTROLOGY, Margaret E. Hone, L.N. FOWLER & CO. LTD.

ANCIENT HINDU ASTROLOGY FOR THE MODERN WESTERN ASTROLOGER, James T. Braha, Hermatician Press

ASTROLOGY, THE DIVINE SCIENCE, Marcia Moore and Mark Douglas, Arcane Publications

THE MYSTICS OF ISLAM, Reynold A. Nicholson, Routledge and Kegan Paul, Ltd.

THE GREAT PYRAMID DECODED, Peter Lemesurier, Element Books

Zolar's Encyclopedia of ANCIENT and FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE, Arco Publications, Inc.

THE ASTROLOGER'S HANDBOOK, Frances Sakoian & Louis Acker, Harper & Row Publishers, Inc.

ASTROLOGICAL PATTERNS, The Key to Self-Discovery, Frances Sakoian & Betty Caufield, Harper & Row Publishers, Inc.

The A to Z Horoscope Maker and Delineator, Llewellyn George, Llewellyn Publications

THE ONLY WAY TO...LEARN ASTROLOGY, vols. I, II & III, ACS Publications

THE RISING SIGN, Jeanne Avery, Doubleday & Co., Inc.

The Astrological Houses, The Spectrum of Individual Experience, Dane Rudhyar, Doubleday & Co., Inc.

ASTROLOGY FOR MILLIONS, Grant Lewi, Llewellyn Publications

The Scientific Basis of Astrology, Michel Gauquelin, Stein and Day Publishers

A HANDBOOK FOR THE HUMANISTIC ASTROLOGER, Michael R. Meyer, Anchor Press/Doubleday

ABOUT THIS THREAD (pretty please)

by the way - i am trying to create a thread of books for african-centered people here. the books doesnt necessarily have to be written by an african - but it's core message should be congruent, complimentary or similiar to message expounded by african centered politics, culture and spirituality.

-- this forum is full of plenty of non-african centered thoughts, messages etc. please do not use this thread in the same way. that isnt fair considering that the MAJORITY of the threads in the spirituality forum are NOT african-centered.

-- in addition, if you have any good spirituality titles please add those first. anything that is AFRICAN-CENTERED.

african centered friendly books ONLY. most of the titles mentioned thus far fall in that category, but a few dont. please start new book threads for these.


Nelly Fuller, The United Independent Compensatory Code/System/Concept - I read it, but I am not entirely comfortable with it. Mostly because it doesnt have any African nature to it. Its essentially a western militant stance that still draws heavily from the eurocentric political ideologies.

Also to date, I know of not one black political movement or organization that has made real practical use of it. That is out of all the organizations I have been affiliated with or come to know - not one has been able to successfully transfer the bulk of the recommendations in that book into a workable ideology or component of an existing one for their group. Which is key. We are practical people, so we need to SEE these books become tools, not good reference books.

Frantz Fanon - anything by him is good, but difficult reading. And it should be read in tandem with something spiritual. Fanon is absolutely devoid of anything spiritual in his writings and he postulated actions that need spirit behind them to fully succeed. This is my chief criticism of African independence movements and the OAU - they are using eurocentric metholodies to gain independence from europeans! Which is why the OAU has been such a dismal failure - and why some countries have had more coups in the last twenty years than other countries have had presidents! Fanon is the "man", but he needed God (the center of reality for an African) in his life.

Gerald Massey - anything is good reference material. But the best of his work has been captured and updated in more recent works - in decidely more readable form. Same goes for some of our own scholars which havent been mentioned like J.A. Rogers (who has also married to a white woman sadly enough!) Rogers and Masey were historical genuises for their time, but their works contain lapses that have since been corrected, expanded upon etc... So they should be read with a discerning eye.

An old favorite that has remained fairly current are the works of Drusila Dundee. They are hard to find. I only see her stuff at old libraries. I think UB&US publish her writings on occasion - not sure though.

I just finished reading the series "From N!GGAS TO GOD'S by Akil," and I have to say that it changed me. It set my mind to only reading books that will take me back where I came from. It motivated me to only buy books (Like They Came Before Columbus by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima) that build you up, and teach you at the same time.

Now I am finishing Stolen Legacy (Dr. George "G.M." James) and just beginning to read Know Thy Self (Dr. Na'im Akbar).

CD

ABOUT THIS THREAD (pretty please)

by the way - i am trying to create a thread of books for african-centered people here. the books doesnt necessarily have to be written by an african - but it's core message should be congruent, complimentary or similiar to message expounded by african centered politics, culture and spirituality.

-- this forum is full of plenty of non-african centered thoughts, messages etc. please do not use this thread in the same way. that isnt fair considering that the MAJORITY of the threads in the spirituality forum are NOT african-centered.

-- in addition, if you have any good spirituality titles please add those first. anything that is AFRICAN-CENTERED.

african centered friendly books ONLY. most of the titles mentioned thus far fall in that category, but a few dont. please start new book threads for these.


Nelly Fuller, The United Independent Compensatory Code/System/Concept - I read it, but I am not entirely comfortable with it. Mostly because it doesnt have any African nature to it. Its essentially a western militant stance that still draws heavily from the eurocentric political ideologies.

Also to date, I know of not one black political movement or organization that has made real practical use of it. That is out of all the organizations I have been affiliated with or come to know - not one has been able to successfully transfer the bulk of the recommendations in that book into a workable ideology or component of an existing one for their group. Which is key. We are practical people, so we need to SEE these books become tools, not good reference books.
Frantz Fanon - anything by him is good, but difficult reading. And it should be read in tandem with something spiritual. Fanon is absolutely devoid of anything spiritual in his writings and he postulated actions that need spirit behind them to fully succeed. This is my chief criticism of African independence movements and the OAU - they are using eurocentric metholodies to gain independence from europeans! Which is why the OAU has been such a dismal failure - and why some countries have had more coups in the last twenty years than other countries have had presidents! Fanon is the "man", but he needed God (the center of reality for an African) in his life.

Gerald Massey - anything is good reference material. But the best of his work has been captured and updated in more recent works - in decidely more readable form. Same goes for some of our own scholars which havent been mentioned like J.A. Rogers (who has also married to a white woman sadly enough!) Rogers and Masey were historical genuises for their time, but their works contain lapses that have since been corrected, expanded upon etc... So they should be read with a discerning eye.

An old favorite that has remained fairly current are the works of Drusila Dundee. They are hard to find. I only see her stuff at old libraries. I think UB&US publish her writings on occasion - not sure though.

I agree. Good lists so far.

I just finished reading the series "From N!GGAS TO GOD'S by Akil," and I have to say that it changed me. It set my mind to only reading books that will take me back where I came from. It motivated me to only buy books (Like They Came Before Columbus by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima) that build you up, and teach you at the same time.

Now I am finishing Stolen Legacy (Dr. George "G.M." James) and just beginning to read Know Thy Self (Dr. Na'im Akbar).

CD

I have recently ordered and read this book - "From N!GGAS TO GOD'S by Akil," and you're correct - wonderful read! very enlightening.. this book is aimed, and correctly so, at Black Youth. The movers and shakers of this era. get a copy!