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BLACK CULTURE, HOMESCHOOLING, TRAVEL (AND OTHER THINGS FROM MY SWEET, IMPERFECT LIFE)
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I’m Amber
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My name is Amber O’Neal Johnston, and I started this website to document and discuss the joys and trials of raising my kids to love themselves and others.
The Latest Posts
Why Black History Month Still Matters
It’s Black History Month, and with it comes an opportunity to celebrate, reflect, and press forward. But every year, I see conversations resurface...
The Heart of Soul School: How the Books Were Chosen
When I set out to create Soul School, I knew this would not be just another booklist. This collection of stories had to be different. I wanted to...
The Urge to Tell Our Stories
Storytelling has always been at the heart of Black American culture and life. Through song, poetry, dance, and prose, we’ve told the world who we...
Introducing Crafted: A Black History Guide for Families
As we approach Black History Month, I'm thrilled to share Crafted, a family guide on “African Americans and Labor.” This year's theme invites us to...
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: A Life-Changing Encounter with History and Truth
Books aren’t a magical cure for every challenge or hardship. They can’t erase pain, mend relationships, or fix systemic problems. But what...
Starting a Mama Culture Book Club
Creating a Mama Culture book club is more than just organizing a group of mothers to read together; it’s about fostering a sense of community,...
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Picture Books Aren’t Just for Little Kids
Picture books aren't just for little kids. Some of the best books my family has read are illustrated children’s books intended for a young audience...
Book Club Notes: Nic Blake and the Remarkables
My Tweeners book club (4th and 5th grade boys and girls) recently read Nic Blake and the Remarkables by Angie Thomas, and everyone loved it. The...
Book Club Notes: Talkin’ About Bessie
Our 4th and 5th-grade book club recently wrapped up a meeting on Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman, an illustrated...
Book Club Notes: Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
I run a homeschool book club in my local community, and we recently read Clayton Byrd Goes Underground. We have five different age groups meeting in...
NEW! A Place to Belong Paperbook
I'm thrilled to announce that A Place to Belong is now out in paperback with a gorgeous new cover! The new edition is lighter-weight and more...
Delighting in the Days by Wild+Free
I'm excited to be featured in Delighting in the Days, a new 132-page book of some of Wild+Free's best articles on childhood over the past few years....
Books & Things: Agreeing to Disagree
I’ve made a point not to disparage curricula, books, services, or products that fellow homeschool moms have created for this community. In fact,...
Including #OwnVoices Books
Q: Amber, how do you feel about books featuring Black characters or people written by non-Black authors? My answer: Writer Corinne Duyvis...
7 Benefits of Launching a Kids’ Book Club
When I launched Heritage Book Club nearly seven years ago, I had no idea that it would grow to be such an incredible blessing to my family and...
Stories From Modern Day Africa
For world history and geography studies, I like for my kids to read plenty of stories from modern-day Africa. I've shared picture books and chapter...
20th-Century Black History Books
These 20th-Century Black History Books cover a period of history during which segregation tightened and racial oppression escalated across the...
Early Chapter Books Featuring Black Girls
I love books about Black history, including biographies and historical fiction. It's important for our children to learn about the past tragedies...
Morning Time Plans (1900s)
These morning time plans cover the subjects and activities that we'll do together as a family. Some things are done daily; others are one to three...
Black American Fiction (1900s)
Most of the titles in this booklist of Black American fiction are truly historical fiction, taking readers to a past time and place. However, a...
Topical Nonfiction Black History Books (1900s)
I rely heavily on topical nonfiction Black history books in our school lessons. As mentioned in my post on Infusing Black History into a Traditional...
African American Biographies & Memoirs (1900s)
African American biographies and memoirs are critical components of our history lessons. In my book A PLACE TO BELONG, I write, "Biographies help us...