For African American boys and the people who teach and love them, a guide to books that will create pride and a desire to learn.Spirited Minds is a unique resource containing lively, informative descriptions of more than one hundred outstanding works of literature. With selections for readers of all ages, these works of fiction, poetry, biography, autobiography, folktales, drama, and history celebrate the African American male experience from childhood to adulthood. The selections have been made with the input of scholars, teachers, librarians, and young readers themselves, and original scratchboard illustrations appear throughout.Here are works by the great writers and heroes of African American life: Langston Hughes, Walter Mosley, Malcolm X, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Frederick Douglass, Richard Wright, and many more -- annotated and made accessible to the audience that needs them. For parents, teachers, mentors, and others, this is the key to unlocking a rich cultural heritage for African American males and helping them become lifelong readers. It is an invaluable companion for learning and inspiration.