Young Black King is a book that encourages young African American boys to love themselves. The author hopes to inspire young African American boys to seek out their true history. When they discover how rich their history really is the sky will become the limit.

The world is full of successful black men who aren't always recognized. This is a book of letters to Young Black Kings from fellow Black Kings about the struggles of their lives, how they overcame them and how each of them arrive at a common objective, success. It offers encouragement along with true testimonies. It shows Young Black Kings that they have the power to overcome any situation and succeed. It shows them that not only will they go through obstacles, they will grow through obstacles.

Born into an African American sharecropping family in 1880s Kentucky, Jimmy Winkfield grew up loving horses. The large, powerful animals inspired little Jimmy to think big. Looking beyond his family's farm, he longed for a life riding on action-packed racetracks around the world. Like his hero, the great Isaac Murphy, Jimmy "Wink" Winkfield would stop at nothing to make it as a jockey. Though his path to success was wrought with obstacles both on the track and off, Wink faced each challenge with passion and a steadfast spirit. Along the way he carved out a lasting legacy as one of history's finest horsemen and the last African American ever to win the Kentucky Derby. The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby brings to life a vivacious hero from a little-known chapter of American sports history. Readers are transported trackside to witness the heart-pounding story of a vibrant young man chasing down his dream.

This is the journey of 12-year-young Dexter Powell Jr. who fell into a food addiction that led to events that derailed Dexter's life. One bad decision and an act of violence committed on a dreary afternoon cost him everything, in one instant.

This Book is for my Young Black Kings. You are the future, be proud of who you are. Embrace your culture, never change, stay true to yourself. You are kings, and the world is yours. You have every right to express who you are. Never Shy away from your greatness; you come from a line of great people past and present. Embrace your greatness. Own it because you are Young Black Kings Stand Up!

Winner of the Michael L. Printz Medal ★“King’s narrative concerns are racism, patriarchy, colonialism, white privilege, and the ingrained systems that perpetuate them. . . . [Dig] will speak profoundly to a generation of young people who are waking up to the societal sins of the past and working toward a more equitable future.”—Horn Book, starred review “I’ve never understood white people who can’t admit they’re white. I mean, white isn’t just a color. And maybe that’s the problem for them. White is a passport. It’s a ticket.” Five estranged cousins are lost in a maze of their family’s tangled secrets. Their grandparents, former potato farmers Gottfried and Marla Hemmings, managed to trade digging spuds for developing subdivisions and now they sit atop a million-dollar bank account—wealth they’ve refused to pass on to their adult children or their five teenage grandchildren. “Because we want them to thrive,” Marla always says. But for the Hemmings cousins, “thriving” feels a lot like slowly dying of a poison they started taking the moment they were born. As the rot beneath the surface of the Hemmings’ white suburban respectability destroys the family from within, the cousins find their ways back to one another, just in time to uncover the terrible cost of maintaining the family name. With her inimitable surrealism, award winner A.S. King exposes how a toxic culture of polite white supremacy tears a family apart and how one determined generation can dig its way out.

Some look at you and see a thug, some look at you and see an ordinary kid, but when you look at yourself you should see a KING! Someone who is FEARLESS, KIND and MERCIFUL. Young black kings need a way to openly express themselves, this journal was designed to help young boys become comfortable with doing just that. Let this journal be a great way for them to write their inner thoughts and interact with some included writing prompts. It is a place to express your feelings, emotions, write down your creative thoughts, or keep record of your goals and accomplishments. There are special pages enclosed to help keep track of your notes, your favorite quotes and affirmations, passwords, and we have shared a few of our favorites with you.