James Haskins
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Brief Biography
James Haskins was born in Demopolis, Alabama, while it was segregated. Denied access to public libraries, he relied on encyclopedias purchased by his mother and assistance from a white woman to obtain books. Haskins attended the prestigious Boston Latin School and later returned to Alabama for college. While attending Alabama State University, Haskins was expelled due to his participation in the civil rights movement. He then earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Georgetown University before returning to Alabama State University for a bachelor’s degree in history. Haskins continued in higher education, earning a master’s degree in social psychology from the University of New Mexico, before beginning his teaching career at a public school in Harlem in 1966. His experiences inspired his book Diary of a Harlem School Teacher and led to a prolific career as an author, writing over one hundred nonfiction books for various age groups. Haskins was a dedicated educator and taught at the Staten Island Community College before becoming a professor of English at the University of Florida. He continued teaching and writing until his death in 2005.
Publications
Diary of a Harlem Schoolteacher. New York; Stein & Day, 1969.
Resistance; Profiles in Nonviolence. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1970.
The War and Protest. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1971.
Revolutionaries; Agents of Change. Philadelphia; Lippincott, 1971.
A Piece of the Power; Four Black Mayors. New York; Dial Press, 1972.
Profiles in Black Power. Garden City, N.J.; Doubleday, 1972.
From Lew Alcindor to Kareem Abdul Jabbar. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1972.
Jokes from Black Folks. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1973.
Black Manifesto for Education. New York; Morrow, 1973.
Religions. Philadelphia; Lippincott, 1973.
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback; a Biography. New York; Macmillan, 1973.
Adam Clayton Powell; Portrait of a Marching Black. New York; Dial Press, 1974.
Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron; the Home Run Kings. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1974.
Street Gangs; Yesterday and Today. New York; Hastings House, 1974.
Jobs in Business and Office. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1974.
Fighting Shirley Chisholm. New York; Dial Press, 1974.
Snow Sculpture and Ice Carving. New York; Macmillan, 1974.
Ralph Bunche, a Most Reluctant Hero. New York; Hawthorne Books, 1974.
Witchcraft, Mysticism and Magic in the Black World. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1974.
Your Rights, Past & Present. New York; Hawthorn Books, 1975.
The Consumer Movement. New York; F. Watts, 1975.
Dr. J.; a Biography of Julius Erving. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1975.
The Picture Life of Malcolm X. New York; F. Watts, 1975.
The Creoles of Color of New Orleans. New York; Crowell, 1975.
Always Moving On; the Life of Langston Hughes. New York; F. Watts, 1976.
The Long Struggle; the Story of American Labor. Philadelphia; Westminster, 1976.
Teenage Alcoholism. New York; Hawthorn, 1976.
A New Kind of Joy; the Story of the Special Olympics. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1976.
The Story of Stevie Wonder. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1976.
Pel'e; a Biography. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1976.
The Cotton Club. New York; Random House, 1977.
Barbara Jordan. New York; Dial Press, 1977.
The Great American Crazies. New York; Condor, 1977.
The Life and Death of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1977.
George McGinnis; Basketball Superstar. New York; Hastings House, 1978.
Voodoo & Hoodoo; Their Tradition and Craft as Revealed by Actual Practitioners. New York; Stein & Day, 1978.
Who Are the Handicapped? Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1978.
Andrew Young, Man with a Mission. New York; Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard, 1979.
James Van DerZee; the Picture-Takin' Man. New York; Dodd, Mead, 1979.
Gambling: Who Really Wins? New York; F. Watts, 1979.
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me; the Story of Diana Ross. New York; Dial, 1980.
Minding the Children: Ford Foundation Assistance to Child-Care Programs. New York; Ford Foundation, 1980.
Scott Joplin; the Search for the Man. New York; Stein & Day, 1980.
Werewolves. New York; F. Watts, 1981.
Black Theater in America. New York; Crowell, 1982.
The Child Abuse Help Book. Reading, Mass.; Addison-Wesley, 1982.
"Magic," a Biography of Earvin Johnson. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1982.
Katherine Dunham. New York; Coward-McCann, 1982.
Sugar Ray Leonard. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1982.
The New Americans; Cuban Boat People. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1982.
Bricktop. New York; Atheneum, 1983.
Donna Summer; an Unauthorized Biography. Boston; Little, Brown, 1983.
Lena Horne. New York; Coward-McCann, 1983.
The Guardian Angels. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1983.
Nat King Cole. New York; Stein & Day, 1984.
Richard Pryor, a Man and His Madness; a Biography. New York; Beaufort Books, 1984.
Space Challenger; the Story of Guion Bluford. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1984.
About Michael Jackson. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1985.
Break Dancing. Minneapolis; Lerner Publications, 1985.
Diana Ross; Star Supreme. New York; Viking Kestrel, 1985.
Leaders of the Middle East. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1985.
Double Dutch. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1985.
The Statue of Liberty, America's Proud Lady. Minneapolis, Minn.; Lerner, 1986.
Count Your Way Through China. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1987.
Count Your Way Through Russia. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1987.
Count Your Way Through the Arab World. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1987.
Queen of the Blues; a Biography of Dinah Washington. New York; Morrow, 1987.
Count Your Way Through Japan. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1987.
Mabel Mercer; a Life. New York; Atheneum, 1987.
Bill Cosby; America's Most Famous Father. New York; Walker, 1988.
Winnie Mandela; Life of Struggle. New York; Putman, 1988.
Shirley Temple Black; Actress to Ambassador. New York; Viking Kestrel, 1988.
Mr. Bojangles; the Biography of Bill Robinson. New York; William Morrow, 1988.
Count Your Way Through Africa. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1989.
India Under Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1989.
Count Your Way Through Korea. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1989.
Sports Great Magic Johnson. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow, 1989.
Count Your Way Through Mexico. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1989.
Count Your Way Through Canada. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1989.
Black Dance in America. New York; Crowell, 1990.
Count Your Way Through Germany. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1990.
Count Your Way Through India. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1990.
Count Your Way Through Israel. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1990.
Count Your Way Through Italy. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1990.
Christopher Columbus: Admiral of the Ocean Sea. New York; Scholastic, 1991.
Ella Fitzgerald: A Life Through Jazz. London; Hodder & Stoughton, 1991.
Scatman; an Authorized Biography of Scatman Crothers. New York; W. Morrow and Co., 1991.
Against All Opposition; Black Explorers in America. New York; Walker, 1992.
I Am Somebody! A Biography of Jesse Jackson. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1992.
I Have a Dream: The Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. Minneapolis, Minn.; Lerner, 1992.
The Methodists. New York; Hippocrene Books, 1992.
Thurgood Marshall: A Life for Justice. New York; Henry Holt, 1992.
The March on Washington. New York; HarperCollins, 1993.
The Scottsboro Boys. New York; Henry Holt, 1994.
Black Eagles: African Americans in Aviation. New York; Scholastic, 1995.
Get on Board: The Story of the Underground Railroad. New York; Scholastic, 1995.
Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. New York; Walker, 1996.
Black, Blue & Gray: African Americans In The Civil War. New York; Simon & Schuster, 1998.
Separate But Not Equal: The Dream and the Struggle. New York; Scholastic, 1998.
Jesse Jackson: Civil Rights Activist. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 2000.
One Nation Under a Groove: Rap Music and Its Roots. Boston; Little, Brown, 2000.
Toni Morrison: Telling a Tale Untold. Minneapolis, Minn.; Twenty-First Century Books, 2002.
Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights. Somerville, Mass.; Candlewick Press, 2005.
Joint Publications:
The Psychology of Black Language. New York; Barnes & Noble, 1973.
The Great American Crazies. New York; Condor, 1977.
He Will Lift up His Head. Washington D.C.; Developmental Disabilities Office, 1978.
Lena, a Personal and Professional Biography of Lena Horne. New York; Stein & Day, 1984.
Hippocrene U.S.A. Guide to Historic Black South: Historical Sites, Cultural Centers, and Musical Happenings of the African-American South. New York; Hippocrene Books, 1993.
From Afar to Zulu: A Dictionary of African Cultures. New York; Walker, 1995.
Bound for America: The Forced Migration of Africans to the New World. New York; HarperCollins, 1999.
Nat King Cole: The Man and His Music. Collingdale, Penn.; Diane Pub Co., 2000.
Building a New Land: African Americans in Colonial America. New York; Amistad Books, 2001.
Following Freedom's Star: The Story of the Underground Railroad. New York; Cavendish Square, 2002.
Resistance; Profiles in Nonviolence. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1970.
The War and Protest. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1971.
Revolutionaries; Agents of Change. Philadelphia; Lippincott, 1971.
A Piece of the Power; Four Black Mayors. New York; Dial Press, 1972.
Profiles in Black Power. Garden City, N.J.; Doubleday, 1972.
From Lew Alcindor to Kareem Abdul Jabbar. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1972.
Jokes from Black Folks. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1973.
Black Manifesto for Education. New York; Morrow, 1973.
Religions. Philadelphia; Lippincott, 1973.
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback; a Biography. New York; Macmillan, 1973.
Adam Clayton Powell; Portrait of a Marching Black. New York; Dial Press, 1974.
Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron; the Home Run Kings. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1974.
Street Gangs; Yesterday and Today. New York; Hastings House, 1974.
Jobs in Business and Office. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1974.
Fighting Shirley Chisholm. New York; Dial Press, 1974.
Snow Sculpture and Ice Carving. New York; Macmillan, 1974.
Ralph Bunche, a Most Reluctant Hero. New York; Hawthorne Books, 1974.
Witchcraft, Mysticism and Magic in the Black World. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1974.
Your Rights, Past & Present. New York; Hawthorn Books, 1975.
The Consumer Movement. New York; F. Watts, 1975.
Dr. J.; a Biography of Julius Erving. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1975.
The Picture Life of Malcolm X. New York; F. Watts, 1975.
The Creoles of Color of New Orleans. New York; Crowell, 1975.
Always Moving On; the Life of Langston Hughes. New York; F. Watts, 1976.
The Long Struggle; the Story of American Labor. Philadelphia; Westminster, 1976.
Teenage Alcoholism. New York; Hawthorn, 1976.
A New Kind of Joy; the Story of the Special Olympics. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1976.
The Story of Stevie Wonder. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1976.
Pel'e; a Biography. Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1976.
The Cotton Club. New York; Random House, 1977.
Barbara Jordan. New York; Dial Press, 1977.
The Great American Crazies. New York; Condor, 1977.
The Life and Death of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1977.
George McGinnis; Basketball Superstar. New York; Hastings House, 1978.
Voodoo & Hoodoo; Their Tradition and Craft as Revealed by Actual Practitioners. New York; Stein & Day, 1978.
Who Are the Handicapped? Garden City, N.Y.; Doubleday, 1978.
Andrew Young, Man with a Mission. New York; Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard, 1979.
James Van DerZee; the Picture-Takin' Man. New York; Dodd, Mead, 1979.
Gambling: Who Really Wins? New York; F. Watts, 1979.
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me; the Story of Diana Ross. New York; Dial, 1980.
Minding the Children: Ford Foundation Assistance to Child-Care Programs. New York; Ford Foundation, 1980.
Scott Joplin; the Search for the Man. New York; Stein & Day, 1980.
Werewolves. New York; F. Watts, 1981.
Black Theater in America. New York; Crowell, 1982.
The Child Abuse Help Book. Reading, Mass.; Addison-Wesley, 1982.
"Magic," a Biography of Earvin Johnson. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1982.
Katherine Dunham. New York; Coward-McCann, 1982.
Sugar Ray Leonard. New York; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1982.
The New Americans; Cuban Boat People. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1982.
Bricktop. New York; Atheneum, 1983.
Donna Summer; an Unauthorized Biography. Boston; Little, Brown, 1983.
Lena Horne. New York; Coward-McCann, 1983.
The Guardian Angels. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1983.
Nat King Cole. New York; Stein & Day, 1984.
Richard Pryor, a Man and His Madness; a Biography. New York; Beaufort Books, 1984.
Space Challenger; the Story of Guion Bluford. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1984.
About Michael Jackson. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1985.
Break Dancing. Minneapolis; Lerner Publications, 1985.
Diana Ross; Star Supreme. New York; Viking Kestrel, 1985.
Leaders of the Middle East. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1985.
Double Dutch. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1985.
The Statue of Liberty, America's Proud Lady. Minneapolis, Minn.; Lerner, 1986.
Count Your Way Through China. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1987.
Count Your Way Through Russia. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1987.
Count Your Way Through the Arab World. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1987.
Queen of the Blues; a Biography of Dinah Washington. New York; Morrow, 1987.
Count Your Way Through Japan. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1987.
Mabel Mercer; a Life. New York; Atheneum, 1987.
Bill Cosby; America's Most Famous Father. New York; Walker, 1988.
Winnie Mandela; Life of Struggle. New York; Putman, 1988.
Shirley Temple Black; Actress to Ambassador. New York; Viking Kestrel, 1988.
Mr. Bojangles; the Biography of Bill Robinson. New York; William Morrow, 1988.
Count Your Way Through Africa. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1989.
India Under Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1989.
Count Your Way Through Korea. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1989.
Sports Great Magic Johnson. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow, 1989.
Count Your Way Through Mexico. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1989.
Count Your Way Through Canada. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1989.
Black Dance in America. New York; Crowell, 1990.
Count Your Way Through Germany. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1990.
Count Your Way Through India. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1990.
Count Your Way Through Israel. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1990.
Count Your Way Through Italy. Minneapolis; Carolrhoda Books, 1990.
Christopher Columbus: Admiral of the Ocean Sea. New York; Scholastic, 1991.
Ella Fitzgerald: A Life Through Jazz. London; Hodder & Stoughton, 1991.
Scatman; an Authorized Biography of Scatman Crothers. New York; W. Morrow and Co., 1991.
Against All Opposition; Black Explorers in America. New York; Walker, 1992.
I Am Somebody! A Biography of Jesse Jackson. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 1992.
I Have a Dream: The Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. Minneapolis, Minn.; Lerner, 1992.
The Methodists. New York; Hippocrene Books, 1992.
Thurgood Marshall: A Life for Justice. New York; Henry Holt, 1992.
The March on Washington. New York; HarperCollins, 1993.
The Scottsboro Boys. New York; Henry Holt, 1994.
Black Eagles: African Americans in Aviation. New York; Scholastic, 1995.
Get on Board: The Story of the Underground Railroad. New York; Scholastic, 1995.
Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. New York; Walker, 1996.
Black, Blue & Gray: African Americans In The Civil War. New York; Simon & Schuster, 1998.
Separate But Not Equal: The Dream and the Struggle. New York; Scholastic, 1998.
Jesse Jackson: Civil Rights Activist. Hillside, N.J.; Enslow Publishers, 2000.
One Nation Under a Groove: Rap Music and Its Roots. Boston; Little, Brown, 2000.
Toni Morrison: Telling a Tale Untold. Minneapolis, Minn.; Twenty-First Century Books, 2002.
Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights. Somerville, Mass.; Candlewick Press, 2005.
Joint Publications:
The Psychology of Black Language. New York; Barnes & Noble, 1973.
The Great American Crazies. New York; Condor, 1977.
He Will Lift up His Head. Washington D.C.; Developmental Disabilities Office, 1978.
Lena, a Personal and Professional Biography of Lena Horne. New York; Stein & Day, 1984.
Hippocrene U.S.A. Guide to Historic Black South: Historical Sites, Cultural Centers, and Musical Happenings of the African-American South. New York; Hippocrene Books, 1993.
From Afar to Zulu: A Dictionary of African Cultures. New York; Walker, 1995.
Bound for America: The Forced Migration of Africans to the New World. New York; HarperCollins, 1999.
Nat King Cole: The Man and His Music. Collingdale, Penn.; Diane Pub Co., 2000.
Building a New Land: African Americans in Colonial America. New York; Amistad Books, 2001.
Following Freedom's Star: The Story of the Underground Railroad. New York; Cavendish Square, 2002.
Themes
James Haskins wrote nonfiction books for both children and adults. He wrote about topics such as the Black American experience, history, and contemporary culture.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Haskins, James, “James Haskins,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 20, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/597.