HBCU Made

A Celebration of the Black College Experience

By: Ayesha Rascoe

Narrated by: Ayesha Rascoe, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Brandon Gilpin, Nichole Perkins, April Ryan, Karen Chilton, Adam Lazarre-White

In this joyous essay collection edited by NPR's Ayesha Rascoe, celebrities and other alumni provide testimonials about their experience attending historically Black college universities–which shaped their lives and made them who they are today.

With a diverse set of contributors, including Oprah Winfrey, Stacey Abrams, and Branford Marsalis, HBCU Made celebrates the experience of going to a historically Black college or university. In moving essays, a wide range of alums share their accounts of how they chose their HBCU, their first days on campus, the dynamic atmosphere, and how they were shaped by their rigorous training.

A collection that brims with insight and school spirit, HBCU Made is a perfect gift for each generation of prospective students and graduates to come.

Critic reviews

“Ayesha Rascoe is a tour de force, bringing the readers' hearts and mind into the experience of attending an HBCU. This collection of essays is a moving testament to the power of HBCUs and how they shaped remarkable lives and helped foster great talent. I felt transported to these campuses experiencing these raw, honest, funny, hopeful, and inspiring stories.”
—Paula Patton, actress and producer

“One of my greatest life regrets is not attending an HBCU. I was accepted to Howard, the Mecca, when I graduated high school in 1989, but due to family concerns was unable to attend. This glorious book by Ayesha Rascoe reinforces everything I dreamed the experience would be. If only I had a Time Machine! #ShouldHaveBeenABison”

—Yvette Nicole Brown, actress

“If you know firsthand the joy, the pride, and the promises fulfilled on an HBCU campus, you will smile in recognition. If you don’t, this collection of essays is a wonderful introduction to that HBCU magic!”

—Beverly Daniel Tatum, President Emerita, Spelman College and author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

"Warm testimony about critically important experiences."

—Kirkus Reviews

"A nostalgic, jubilant ode to HBCUs, their breathtaking histories and devoted alumni. HBCU MADE gives clarity and scope to the impact these historical institutions have made in the lives of some of our nation’s brightest and most dignified talents."

—Wayetu Moore, author of The Dragons, the Giants, the Women

"NPR host Rascoe’s powerful collection of essays… presents a resounding rebuttal to doubters, revealing the unique joys, challenges, frustrations, and rewards of the HBCU experience… Essential reading for our cultural moment. YAs thinking about college will find these perspectives on HBCUs illuminating."—Booklist

The various accounts from students about how and why they selected their HBCU

I enjoyed this book immensely. The students were very vivid in their accounts of their experiences at various HBCUs. Having gone to and graduated from Howard University, I was particularly impressed with and shared in the students’ experiences. Thanks for sharing