A portrait of the thriving African-American community on the island of Martha's Vineyard describes the various groups who settled in Oak Bluffs, including vacationing families, local domestics, and multi-generational professionals.

African Americans of Martha's Vineyard have an epic history. From the days when slaves toiled away in the fresh New England air, through abolition and Reconstruction and continuing into recent years, African Americans have fought arduously to preserve a vibrant culture here. Discover how the Vineyard became a sanctuary for slaves during the Civil War and how many blacks first came to the island as indentured servants. Read tales of the Shearer Cottage, a popular vacation destination for prominent blacks from Harry T. Burleigh to Scott Joplin, and how Martin Luther King Jr. vacationed here as well. Venture through the Vineyard with local tour guide Thomas Dresser and learn about people such as Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and President Barack Obama, who return to the Vineyard for respite from a demanding world.

Bloomberg • Best Nonfiction Books of 2020: "[A] tour de force." The basis of a major PBS documentary by Ric Burns, this “excellent history” (The New Yorker) reveals how the automobile fundamentally changed African American life. Driving While Black demonstrates that the car—the ultimate symbol of independence and possibility—has always held particular importance for African Americans, allowing black families to evade the dangers presented by an entrenched racist society and to enjoy, in some measure, the freedom of the open road. Melding new archival research with her family’s story, Gretchen Sorin recovers a lost history, demonstrating how, when combined with black travel guides—including the famous Green Book—the automobile encouraged a new way of resisting oppression.

“A perfect Martha’s Vineyard guidebook” from the acclaimed culinary historian and winner of the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award (Publishers Weekly). Martha’s Vineyard has long been renowned as a popular vacation destination, but few are aware of the island’s rich culinary history. The Martha’s Vineyard Table celebrates the cuisine of this seaside escape with such treats as Codfish Fritters, Stuffed Quahogs, Corn Pudding, and Cranberry-Apple Crisp. In addition to 80 recipes, Jessica Harris captures the charm of the island’s gingerbread cottages, lobster fishermen, artisan fudge shops, and farmers’ markets in her short essays on Vineyard life. For the nostalgic visitor and for those who dream of vacationing there, The Martha’s Vineyard Table brings the island to life. “It includes culinary contributions from many groups that call the Vineyard home: Jamaicans’ Codfish Fritters and Red Pea Soup with Spinners; Portuguese specialties of Kale Soup and Jagacida (a dish of linguiça, beans, and rice); African American dishes like Cornbread and Collard Green Pie; and Wampanoag-inspired Corn Pudding and Cranberry-Apple Crisp.” —Martha’s Vineyard Magazine

Martha's Vineyard has always been known as a charming seaside destination. But on this island, a cautious tour reveals darker tales that lie beneath its familiar exterior. Walk by the House of Correction, where Old Joe patrols the cells in the afterlife. Savor spirits at the Kelley House, where the ghost of the widow of a whaleman rolls Christmas ornaments across the floor and appears by the fireplace. Meander into the Victorian Inn, now The Christopher, where a honeymooning couple was spooked by towels flung on the floor and a rug that wiggled from beneath their four-poster. Local author and historian Thomas Dresser explores haunted happenings from all six island towns, as well as tales of pirates, murder and the afterlife.