Non-Fiction Books on the African-American Middle, Upper, and Elite Class

1.
Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class
Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class 3.74 avg rating — 1,943 ratings
2.
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years 4.17 avg rating — 14,167 ratings
3.
Negroland
Negroland 3.62 avg rating — 7,833 ratings
4.
Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and the Making of the Black Middle Class
Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and the Making of the Black Middle Class
by: Larry Tye
4.08 avg rating — 421 ratings
5.
Black Bourgeoisie: The Book That Brought the Shock of Self-Revelation to Middle-Class Blacks in America
Black Bourgeoisie: The Book That Brought the Shock of Self-Revelation to Middle-Class Blacks in America 4.11 avg rating — 356 ratings
6.
The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities
The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities 4.08 avg rating — 333 ratings
7.
Black Titan: A. G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire
Black Titan: A. G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire 4.33 avg rating — 252 ratings
8.
Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires
Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires 3.93 avg rating — 3,774 ratings
9.
Black Faces in High Places: 10 Strategic Actions for Black Professionals to Reach the Top and Stay There
Black Faces in High Places: 10 Strategic Actions for Black Professionals to Reach the Top and Stay There 4.28 avg rating — 36 ratings
10.
Blue-Chip Black: Race, Class, and Status in the New Black Middle Class
Blue-Chip Black: Race, Class, and Status in the New Black Middle Class 3.97 avg rating — 92 ratings
10.
First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America's First Black Public High School
First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America's First Black Public High School 3.85 avg rating — 231 ratings
12.
Building Atlanta: How I Broke Through Segregation to Launch a Business Empire
Building Atlanta: How I Broke Through Segregation to Launch a Business Empire 4.23 avg rating — 75 ratings
13.
In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement
In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement 4.54 avg rating — 416 ratings
14.
In the Black: A History of African Americans on Wall Street
In the Black: A History of African Americans on Wall Street really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 23 ratings
15.
The Herndons: An Atlanta Family
The Herndons: An Atlanta Family 3.71 avg rating — 7 ratings
16.
Air Traffic: A Memoir of Ambition and Manhood in America
Air Traffic: A Memoir of Ambition and Manhood in America 3.54 avg rating — 373 ratings
16.
John Merrick a Biographical Sketch: Durham, North Carolina's Black Wall Street
John Merrick a Biographical Sketch: Durham, North Carolina's Black Wall Street really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating
18.
Black Society
Black Society 4.38 avg rating — 8 ratings
19.
Black Picket Fences: Privilege and Peril among the Black Middle Class
Black Picket Fences: Privilege and Peril among the Black Middle Class 3.95 avg rating — 294 ratings
20.
History of the Black Dollar
History of the Black Dollar 4.06 avg rating — 104 ratings
21.
Market Women: Black Women Entrepreneurs: Past, Present, and Future
Market Women: Black Women Entrepreneurs: Past, Present, and Future it was ok 2.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
22.
The Anatomy of a Corporate Lynching
The Anatomy of a Corporate Lynching 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings
23.
Aristocrats of Color: The Black Elite, 1880–1920
Aristocrats of Color: The Black Elite, 1880–1920 4.07 avg rating — 28 ratings
24.
From Bourgeois to Boojie: Black Middle-Class Performances
From Bourgeois to Boojie: Black Middle-Class Performances really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 9 ratings
24.
Starting From Scratch: The Humble Beginnings of a Two Billion-Dollar Enterprise
Starting From Scratch: The Humble Beginnings of a Two Billion-Dollar Enterprise 4.33 avg rating — 12 ratings
26.
Aaron McDuffie Moore: An African American Physician, Educator, and Founder of Durham's Black Wall Street
Aaron McDuffie Moore: An African American Physician, Educator, and Founder of Durham's Black Wall Street 4.71 avg rating — 7 ratings
27.
Bitcoin & Black America
Bitcoin & Black America 3.99 avg rating — 107 ratings
28.
The New Black Middle Class
The New Black Middle Class 3.18 avg rating — 11 ratings
28.
The Wealth Choice: Success Secrets of Black Millionaires
The Wealth Choice: Success Secrets of Black Millionaires 4.35 avg rating — 492 ratings
30.
To Live an Antislavery Life: Personal Politics and the Antebellum Black Middle Class (Race in the Atlantic World, 1700–1900)
To Live an Antislavery Life: Personal Politics and the Antebellum Black Middle Class (Race in the Atlantic World, 1700–1900) 3.88 avg rating — 8 ratings
30.
John Hervey Wheeler, Black Banking, and the Economic Struggle for Civil Rights
John Hervey Wheeler, Black Banking, and the Economic Struggle for Civil Rights 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings
32.
Sense of Place: Birminghams Black Middle-Class Community, 1890-1930
Sense of Place: Birminghams Black Middle-Class Community, 1890-1930 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings
32.
Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First Black Millionaire
Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First Black Millionaire 3.58 avg rating — 309 ratings
34.
The Black Professional Middle Class: Race, Class, and Community in the Post-Civil Rights Era
The Black Professional Middle Class: Race, Class, and Community in the Post-Civil Rights Era 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
34.
Pennies to Dollars: The Story of Maggie Lena Walker
Pennies to Dollars: The Story of Maggie Lena Walker 3.89 avg rating — 9 ratings
36.
The Fruits of Integration: Black Middle-Class Ideology and Culture, 1960-1990
The Fruits of Integration: Black Middle-Class Ideology and Culture, 1960-1990 liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating
36.
A White-Collar Profession: African American Certified Public Accountants since 1921
A White-Collar Profession: African American Certified Public Accountants since 1921 4.25 avg rating — 16 ratings
38.
Black Freemasonry and Middle-Class Realities (University of Missouri Studies ; V. 69)
Black Freemasonry and Middle-Class Realities (University of Missouri Studies ; V. 69) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
39.
The Elite of Our People: Joseph Willson's Sketches of Black Upper-Class Life in Antebellum Philadelphia
The Elite of Our People: Joseph Willson's Sketches of Black Upper-Class Life in Antebellum Philadelphia 4.14 avg rating — 7 ratings
40.
Philadelphia's Black Elite: Activism, Accommodation, and the Struggle for Autonomy, 1787-1848
Philadelphia's Black Elite: Activism, Accommodation, and the Struggle for Autonomy, 1787-1848 3.78 avg rating — 9 ratings
40.
Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre: The Creation and Destruction of America’s Wealthiest African American Neighborhood
Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre: The Creation and Destruction of America’s Wealthiest African American Neighborhood 3.89 avg rating — 84 ratings
42.
The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis (Volume 1)
The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis (Volume 1) 3.78 avg rating — 9 ratings
42.
Black Wall Street: The History of the Greenwood District Before the Tulsa Race Riot
Black Wall Street: The History of the Greenwood District Before the Tulsa Race Riot 4.12 avg rating — 75 ratings
44.
The Other Brahmins: Boston's Black Upper Class, 1750-1950
The Other Brahmins: Boston's Black Upper Class, 1750-1950 really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings
44.
The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street
The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street 4.33 avg rating — 246 ratings
46.
African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision
African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision 4.18 avg rating — 76 ratings
46.
Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch
Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch 3.95 avg rating — 3,652 ratings
48.
Leading the Race: The Transformation of the Black Elite in the Nation's Capital, 1880-1920
Leading the Race: The Transformation of the Black Elite in the Nation's Capital, 1880-1920 liked it 3.00 avg rating — 3 ratings
48.
History of Black Business: The Coming of America's Largest African-American Owned Businesses
History of Black Business: The Coming of America's Largest African-American Owned Businesses it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
50.
The Sweet Hell Inside: The Rise of an Elite Black Family in the Segregated South
The Sweet Hell Inside: The Rise of an Elite Black Family in the Segregated South 4.04 avg rating — 154 ratings
51.
Represent: Art and Identity Among the Black Upper-Middle Class
Represent: Art and Identity Among the Black Upper-Middle Class 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
52.
Dorothy West's Paradise: A Biography of Class and Color
Dorothy West's Paradise: A Biography of Class and Color 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings
53.
The Senator and the Socialite: The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty
The Senator and the Socialite: The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty 3.95 avg rating — 206 ratings
54.
Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America
Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America 3.40 avg rating — 316 ratings
55.
Finding Martha's Vineyard: African Americans at Home on an Island
Finding Martha's Vineyard: African Americans at Home on an Island 4.11 avg rating — 57 ratings
56.
Charlotte Hawkins Brown and Palmer Memorial Institute: What One Young African American Woman Could Do
Charlotte Hawkins Brown and Palmer Memorial Institute: What One Young African American Woman Could Do 4.71 avg rating — 7 ratings
57.
Disciplining Women: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Black Counterpublics, and the Cultural Politics of Black Sororities
Disciplining Women: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Black Counterpublics, and the Cultural Politics of Black Sororities 3.91 avg rating — 33 ratings
58.
Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?: How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion-Dollar Business Empire
Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?: How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion-Dollar Business Empire 4.51 avg rating — 726 ratings
59.
One Blood: The Death and Resurrection of Charles R. Drew
One Blood: The Death and Resurrection of Charles R. Drew 4.21 avg rating — 19 ratings
60.
Growing Up in Washington, D.C.
Growing Up in Washington, D.C. 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings
61.
Faith in Their Own Color: Black Episcopalians in Antebellum New York City
Faith in Their Own Color: Black Episcopalians in Antebellum New York City it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings
62.
The Ditchdigger's Daughters: A Black Family's Astonishing Success Story
The Ditchdigger's Daughters: A Black Family's Astonishing Success Story 4.19 avg rating — 1,099 ratings
63.
The Spirit Of A Place Called Meharry: The Strength Of Its Past To Shape The Future
The Spirit Of A Place Called Meharry: The Strength Of Its Past To Shape The Future really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
64.
Nineteenth Century Memphis Families of Color 1850 1900
Nineteenth Century Memphis Families of Color 1850 1900 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
65.
The Black Elite: Still Facing the Color Line in the Twenty-First Century
The Black Elite: Still Facing the Color Line in the Twenty-First Century 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings
66.
Opting Out: Losing the Potential of America's Young Black Elite
Opting Out: Losing the Potential of America's Young Black Elite 4.20 avg rating — 15 ratings
67.
Black Ice: A Memoir
Black Ice: A Memoir 3.59 avg rating — 938 ratings
68.
Daring to Educate: The Legacy of the Early Spelman College Presidents
Daring to Educate: The Legacy of the Early Spelman College Presidents 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings
69.
In Search of the Talented Tenth: Howard University Public Intellectuals and the Dilemmas of Race, 1926-1970 (Volume 1)
In Search of the Talented Tenth: Howard University Public Intellectuals and the Dilemmas of Race, 1926-1970 (Volume 1) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings
70.
Paul R. Williams: Classic Hollywood Style
Paul R. Williams: Classic Hollywood Style 4.22 avg rating — 18 ratings
71.
Paul R. Williams Architect
Paul R. Williams Architect 4.40 avg rating — 20 ratings
72.
Balm in Gilead: Journey of a Healer
Balm in Gilead: Journey of a Healer 4.13 avg rating — 100 ratings
73.
The Works of William Sanders Scarborough: Black Classicist and Race Leader
The Works of William Sanders Scarborough: Black Classicist and Race Leader 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
74.
The Autobiography of William Sanders Scarborough: An American Journey from Slavery to Scholarship (African American Life Series)
The Autobiography of William Sanders Scarborough: An American Journey from Slavery to Scholarship (African American Life Series) 4.40 avg rating — 53 ratings
75.
The Elite of Our People: Joseph Willson’s Sketches of Black Upper-Class Life in Antebellum Philadelphia
The Elite of Our People: Joseph Willson’s Sketches of Black Upper-Class Life in Antebellum Philadelphia really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings
76.
Brooklyn's Promised Land: The Free Black Community of Weeksville, New York
Brooklyn's Promised Land: The Free Black Community of Weeksville, New York 3.83 avg rating — 18 ratings
77.
Bourgeois Blues: An American Memoir
Bourgeois Blues: An American Memoir 3.76 avg rating — 33 ratings
78.
Bourgeois Radicals: The NAACP and the Struggle for Colonial Liberation, 1941–1960
Bourgeois Radicals: The NAACP and the Struggle for Colonial Liberation, 1941–1960 really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 16 ratings
79.
Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures 3.96 avg rating — 112,029 ratings
80.
Manliness & Its Discontents: The Black Middle Class & the Transformation of Masculinity, 1900-1930
Manliness & Its Discontents: The Black Middle Class & the Transformation of Masculinity, 1900-1930 3.55 avg rating — 29 ratings
81.
Black Business in the New South: A Social History of the NC Mutual Life Insurance Company
Black Business in the New South: A Social History of the NC Mutual Life Insurance Company 4.14 avg rating — 7 ratings
82.
Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun
Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun 4.10 avg rating — 21 ratings
83.
Alpha Phi Alpha: A Legacy of Greatness, the Demands of Transcendence
Alpha Phi Alpha: A Legacy of Greatness, the Demands of Transcendence 4.58 avg rating — 19 ratings
84.
A Black Man's Journey from Sharecropper to College President: The Life and Work of William Johnson Trent, 1873-1963
A Black Man's Journey from Sharecropper to College President: The Life and Work of William Johnson Trent, 1873-1963 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
85.
Roberta's Boys: Four Pitts Brothers of Macon, GA
Roberta's Boys: Four Pitts Brothers of Macon, GA it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
86.
Privilege and Prejudice: The Life of a Black Pioneer
Privilege and Prejudice: The Life of a Black Pioneer 4.30 avg rating — 10 ratings
87.
The Little Professor of Piney Woods
The Little Professor of Piney Woods
by: Beth Day
4.57 avg rating — 14 ratings
88.
The Original Black Elite: Daniel Murray and the Story of a Forgotten Era
The Original Black Elite: Daniel Murray and the Story of a Forgotten Era 4.03 avg rating — 250 ratings
89.
Black Detroit: A People's History of Self-Determination
Black Detroit: A People's History of Self-Determination
by: Herb Boyd
3.76 avg rating — 335 ratings
90.
Staking a Claim: Jake Simmons, Jr. and the Making of an African-American Oil Dynasty
Staking a Claim: Jake Simmons, Jr. and the Making of an African-American Oil Dynasty 4.14 avg rating — 14 ratings
91.
Hopes and Expectations: The Origins of the Black Middle Class in Hartford
Hopes and Expectations: The Origins of the Black Middle Class in Hartford 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
92.
Under the Knife: How a Wealthy Negro Surgeon Wielded Power in the Jim Crow South
Under the Knife: How a Wealthy Negro Surgeon Wielded Power in the Jim Crow South 3.86 avg rating — 7 ratings
93.
A Lawyer's Life
A Lawyer's Life 4.30 avg rating — 176 ratings