Underground Books: Home
Pamela Hadley “Relationship Dynamics”
Discussion and Book Signing
Relationships are everywhere, and they are a part of everyone’s life no matter who you are. The Bible highlights three relationship types. These relationship types can be found in Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-9, they are, the marital relationship, family relationship, and working relationship. In this book, Relationship Dynamics you’ll learn how relationships are made to work, flow, operate effectively and successfully through the application of God’s Word and His design for relationships. God is a God of order and His design for relationships is no exception.
Children’s Storytime
Come join us on the last Saturday of each month from 12-1pm for Children’s Story time at Underground Books (2814 35th St.) hosted by the River City Road Runners.
The free event is catered to children ages 3-10 and includes a book reading and an organized arts and crafts project. Kids also receive a free book!
Parents are welcome to attend and participate with their children.
Please visit our upcoming events section for future dates, or contact the bookstore for more information.
Paulette Harper and Donna Moses “Arise from the Ashes”
Discussion and Book Signing
Arise from the Ashes, are stories of hope from seven women from all walks of life. These women who have gone through the fire, walked in places that others dare not tread, but women who are not ashamed of their scars and willing to bare it all.
They share their journey of going from trials to triumph and pain to purpose. Arise from the Ashes is filled with inspiration, wisdom and life’s lessons from women
who have endured personal pain and have come through empowered, encouraged and victorious.
Genre: Non-Fiction, Inspiration
Art Talk
With Jeleana Johnson
Black Is Beautiful by Jeleana Johnson
Come and see this amazing selection of hand made quilts!
Art talk – Saturday, March 30, from 5-7 pm moderated by Milton 510 Bowens.
Medical Speaker Series
Part 2 of 4
Join local medical experts for part 2 of a 4 FREE community medical speaker series.
Part 2 of this series will focus on common blood disorders including Sickle Cell Anemia. Learn what Sickle Cell Anemia is, what causes it and what we can do about this serious disease. It is hereditary and most common among African-Americans.
Suzette Harrison and Sheryl Lister “Birthday Bid” & “The Reluctant Bid”
Discussion and Book Signing
Suzette Harrison and Sheryl Lister
“Birthday Bid” & ”The Reluctant Bid”
Saturday, April 13 from 2 – 4 pm
Robin Ayers – Unspoken Languages: Making Your Beliefs Speak For You
Discussion and Book Signing
A feel-good book that ignites the unspoken language of belief to live the life you desire and deserve! Robin Ayers shares real life stories of her own and she references experiences of others to show the power of belief that we’ve all been born with. Have you ever felt stuck in your life? Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have it all while others struggle to find their way? The answer is simply that all things begin with belief. What do you believe about yourself and the capabilities that you have.
Oak Park Block Party
The entire neighborhood is invited out for this free block party event in the new Esther’s Park located on 3th Ave / 34th Street.
Come join the festivities that includes a BBQ Cookout, jump house, face painting and a whole lot more!
All ages invited!
“Paint and Sip” with Ebony London
By Underground Books
“Harmony”
I am in harmony with myself.
I am in harmony with you.
I am in harmony with us.
At this painting event, you will paint three figures, standing side-by-side, with flowing garments. You will spend time customizing the figure’s gender, skin tone, hair color/texture and the figure’s clothing design & colors.
Cost: $35
Visit Underground Books to reserve your seat!!
Children’s Storytime
Come join us on the last Saturday of each month from 12-1pm for Children’s Story time at Underground Books (2814 35th St.) hosted by the River City Road Runners.
The free event is catered to children ages 3-10 and includes a book reading and an organized arts and crafts project. Kids also receive a free book!
Parents are welcome to attend and participate with their children.
Please visit our upcoming events section for future dates, or contact the bookstore for more information.
Katrina Bell McDonald “Marriage in Black”
Discussion and Book Signing
Marriage in Black: The Pursuit of Married Life among American-born and Immigrant Blacks
The Source of Self-Regard
By Toni Morrison
The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations
On the Come Up
By Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral…for all the wrong reasons.
The Truths We Hold: An American Journey
By Kamala Harris
From one of America’s most inspiring political leaders, a book about the core truths that unite us, and the long struggle to discern what those truths are and how best to act upon them, in her own life and across the life of our country.
Never Shut Up: The Life, Opinions, and Unexpected Adventures of an NFL Outlier
By Marcellus Wiley
Ex-NFL player, gentleman scholar, and Fox Sports personality Marcellus Wiley sucks you into a world of inner-city violence, Ivy League intrigue, and pro-football escapades that’s one part touching, one part hilarious, and all parts impossible to put down.
Sweet Home Cafe
A Celebration of African American Cooking
A celebration of African American cooking with 109 recipes from the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Sweet Home Café
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics
by Donna Brazile, Yolana Caraway, Leah Daughtry and Minyon Moore
The four most powerful African-American women in politics share the story of their friendship and how it has changed politics in America.
Last Stop on Market Street
by Matt de la Peña (Author), Christian Robinson (Illustrator)
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal
A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
A New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of 2015
A Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book of 2015
Carmela Full of Wishes
by Matt de la Peña (Author), Christian Robinson (Illustrator)
An Instant New York Times Bestseller!
In their first collaboration since the Newbery Medal- and Caldecott Honor-winning Last Stop on Market Street, Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson deliver a poignant and timely new picture book that’s sure to be an instant classic.
Under Fire
by April Ryan
Veteran White House reporter April Ryan thought she had seen everything in her two decades as a White House correspondent. And then came the Trump administration.
In Under Fire, Ryan takes us inside the confusion and chaos of the Trump White House to understand how she and other reporters adjusted to the new normal. She takes us inside the policy debates, the revolving door of personnel appointments, and what it is like when she, as a reporter asking difficult questions, finds herself in the spotlight, becoming part of the story.
An American Marriage
By Tayari Jones
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB 2018 SELECTION
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2018 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION
“A moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple.” —Barack Obama
“Haunting . . . Beautifully written.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Brilliant and heartbreaking . . . Unforgettable.” —USA Today
“A tense and timely love story . . . Packed with brave questions about race and class.” —People
The Sun Does Shine
By Anthony Ray Hinton
The Instant New York Times Bestseller
A powerful, revealing story of hope, love, justice, and the power of reading by a man who spent thirty years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit.
“An amazing and heartwarming story, it restores our faith in the inherent goodness of humanity.”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
My Love Story
By Tina Turner
Tina Turner—the long-reigning queen of rock & roll and living legend—sets the record straight about her illustrious career and complicated personal life in this eye-opening and compelling memoir.
From her early years in Nutbush, Tennessee to her rise to fame alongside Ike Turner to her phenomenal success in the 1980s and beyond, Tina candidly examines her personal history, from her darkest hours to her happiest moments and everything in between.
Born a Crime
By Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away.
Barracoon: The Story of the Last Black Cargo”
By Zora Neale Hurston
A major literary event: a never-before-published work from the author of the American classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God which brilliantly illuminates the horror and injustices of slavery as it tells the true story of the last known survivor of the Atlantic slave trade — illegally smuggled from Africa on the last ”Black Cargo” ship to arrive in the United States. In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, to interview ninety-five-year-old Cudjo Lewis.
The Hate U Give
Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
John Woman
By Walter Mosley
A convention-defying novel by bestselling writer Walter Mosley, John Woman recounts the transformation of an unassuming boy named Cornelius Jones into John Woman, an unconventional history professor―while the legacy of a hideous crime lurks in the shadows.
“Shade” A Tale of Two Presidents
By Pete Souza
From Pete Souza, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Obama: An Intimate Portrait, comes a powerful tribute to a bygone era of integrity in politics.
As Chief Official White House Photographer, Pete Souza spent more time alongside President Barack Obama than almost anyone else. His years photographing the President gave him an intimate behind-the-scenes view of the unique gravity of the Office of the Presidency—and the tremendous responsibility that comes with it.
Becoming
Michelle Obama
Becoming is the autobiographical memoir of former United States First Lady Michelle Obama published in 2018. Described by the author as a deeply personal experience, the book talks about her roots and how she found her voice, as well as her time in the White House, her public health campaign, and her role as a mother.
Behold the Dreamers: A Novel
By Imbolo Mbue
A compulsively readable debut novel about marriage, immigration, class, race, and the trapdoors in the American Dream—the unforgettable story of a young Cameroonian couple making a new life in New York just as the Great Recession upends the economy
New York Times Bestseller • Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award • Longlisted for the PEN/Open Book Award • An ALA Notable Book
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
An Oak Park Speaker Series Special Edition
Underground Books and The Guild Theater are proud to present Rev. Al Sharpton on Monday, March 18, 2019.
With over 40 years of experience as a community leader, politician, minister and advocate, the Rev. Al Sharpton is one of America’s most-renowned civil rights leaders. Sharpton’s highly visible career began at the tender age of four when he preached his first sermon.
A Little Dirt Never Hurt Anyone
Since the beginning of Sacramento Charter High School in 2003, biology students have had the opportunity to be involved in St.
Reading Makes Your World BIG!
Each year PS7 Elementary hosts a Family Literacy Night. The night is full of fun literacy games that families can play on their own at home with their scholars, and families have the opportunity to visit the Scholastic Book Fair. This year, PS7 made the event BIGGER and BETTER than ever! With the hope of exposing scholars to a plethora of cultures and diverse reads, the theme was #ReadingMakesYourWorldBIG! …and a BIG week it was!
Dragons Reign through Intense Season
The 2018-19 basketball season has unfortunately come to an end, but it definitely did not go away quietly. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams fought until the end of this grueling season that lasted from October to March.
Zoologists in Training!
PS7 Middle School scholars had the opportunity to learn all about animals in their science classes with the Sacramento Mobile Zoo Program. Scholars attended a one-hour lesson with the Sac Zoo on the PS7M campus, in which they learned about four different animals. They had the opportunity to learn about the history of the animal, how it came to be at the Sac Zoo, and even pet each animal. Our scholars had a great time expanding their knowledge about different animals and were eager to learn more.
Sac High Scholars Dive into the Great Outdoors!
The Sac High Outdoors Club (SHOC) is an effort to introduce our students to the great outdoors where they can find the sort of beauty and peace that urban areas do not offer. So far, we’ve been to Auburn, Clementine Falls, Feather Falls, and most recently Cosumnes Preserve. At Cosumnes Preserve, we were joined by Dr. Castori and her son Sam, who identified for us bald eagles, various water birds, red winged blackbirds, Canadian geese, and many more! It was a great time and the students enjoyed hiking, seeing the Cosumnes River, and learning about the natural environment.
Rob on the Road
Oak Park's Mother Rose
Oak Park’s Mother Rose | Region Rising
Meet the matriarch of Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood who is helping our region thrive by ensuring cultural diversity. Mother Rose of Underground Books shares her store and her heart with Rob in this rare interview. Proudly sponsored by Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP.
Meeting of the Minds
By Jake Mossawir
Some neighborhoods get pushed to the side, separated (figuratively and sometimes literally) from the heart of a city and left to face growing rates of crime, poverty, unemployment, or other harmful consequences.
For too long, that was the story of the Oak Park neighborhood near downtown Sacramento, California. Through a concerted effort by a local non-profit in the community for the last 30 years, we are seeing real change and an upward trajectory. The Oak Park story provides lessons and hope for similarly situated communities across the country.
HOPE to HOPE: Educator Spotlight
Mr. Cody is one of our newest additions to the St. HOPE team! He received his B.S. in Mathematical Education from California State University, Chico and is now teaching Algebra II at Sac High.
The Guild Theater’s Fresh New Look!
The Guild Theater, originally known as the Victor Theater, was designed and completed in 1915. At that time, it featured movies and vaudeville shows for the community.
The theater eventually fell into a state of disrepair and remained vacant for many years. In 2003, St. HOPE updated and restored the Guild Theater to showcase plays, movies, live performances, and more.
PS7 Pick and Rolls with The Kings!
One of the most exciting perks of being a PS7 scholar and staff member is our community partnership with the Sacramento Kings! Throughout the basketball season, the Kings community program graciously donates tickets to different games to St. HOPE. We are then able to reward staff, scholars and families with FREE KINGS TICKETS! Who doesn’t love a Kings game?! Many times, these tickets are used to incentivize positive behavior, leadership, and perseverance. Other times, these tickets are used as rewards!
Celebrating Black History Through Health Education
On Thursday, February 21 at 6:00 pm, Underground Books will host the first of a series of conversations about health topics pertinent to the African-Americans for the benefit of Oak Park residents and the greater Sacramento community. Why? Because rarely has Virgil’s saying “The greatest wealth is health” been more pressing than it is today. Access to health care and stigma associated with medical treatment can be issues for many people, but investing in health education and promoting self-care can result in better quality of life outcomes for everyone.
Now Accepting Applications!
St. HOPE Public Schools (SHPS) is now accepting applications for the 2019-2020 academic year! With over 15 years of high-quality public education focused on getting scholars to and through college, St. HOPE is the right choice for your family. SHPS offers tuition-free, college prep charter schools located in the Oak Park community, and our scholars are prepared to excel, trained to lead, and empowered to serve. Interested in joining one of Sacramento’s highest performing charter school networks?
Hey YOU…Come to our NEW PARK!
The 3rd Avenue lot near St. HOPE’s 40 Acres Complex was once the site of Esther’s Pastry Shoppe, a two-story mixed use building constructed in 1915 that provided Oak Park residents with freshly baked goods through much of the 1900’s. By the time the historic building was acquired by St. HOPE Development Company in the late 1990’s, it was in a state of disrepair and in need of major funding before it could be restored. In 2018, the badly deteriorated building was deemed uninhabitable and was therefore demolished.
Increasing Family Participation and Encouraging Ongoing Involvement
Family involvement contributes positively to the learning experience and success of our St. HOPE scholars. We understand the importance of having clear and consistent communication channels, and engaging parents and caregivers throughout their scholars’ education – not just when there is a problem. We have been working with our St. HOPE community and are excited to see various ways family participation and engagement has increased at St. HOPE Public Schools:
Scholars Work Hard AND Play Hard!
Building scholar investment, excitement, joy and love for school is one of our number one priorities at PS7 Elementary. Our PS7 Team is committed to going above and beyond for our scholars so they have the best elementary experience possible. Each quarter, our staff plans incentives that provide our scholars with opportunities to partner with the community, and build camaraderie and teamwork with their classmates.
Christmas in Oak Park presented by: Underground Books & The Guild Theater
On December 15, Underground Books and The Guild Theater partnered to host a great Christmas event for all families from the Oak Park community.
Dance Education: Training the Whole Student
By Shawna Smith, 9th Grade Dance Instructor
Dance is not just a physical art form, it is also an academic exercise and confidence booster. How, you might ask? First, scholars must understand the science and application of the mind and body. Then, they must learn about mathematical structures of angles, counting music, shaping formations and how to travel through space and time to create transitions. Finally, they must comprehend the historical meaning behind the movements, understand sentence structure to create a story with non verbal language, and above all the importance of instilling confidence.
Meeting of the Minds
The 12th Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit convened this year in Sacramento with the purpose of spotlighting tools and best practices. Leaders from around the nation were brought together at this event held downtown and St. HOPE was fortunate enough to have been chosen to lead a workshop tour of Oak Park alongside Sacramento City Council Member, Jay Schenirer.
9th Grade Scholars Build Strong Community
9th Grade Academy scholars had the opportunity to participate in team building at UC Davis this quarter! Our scholars competed in various competitions in their advisory classes in order to strengthen their teamwork and build community, all with the ultimate goal of claiming the Dragon Cup! Our scholars had so much fun participating in team building activities on the UC Davis quad. We ended our team building activity with a picnic.