Outward Dreams: Black Inventors and Their Inventions (Vintage Paperback) by J. Haskins

The art of invention knows no color. But in the early days, patents for new inventions were not available to blacks. Until they were considered citizens, black inventors were ignored, or their masters took credit for their discoveries. After the Civil War, black inventors still had to fight educational disadvantages and prejudice. Their struggles and their genius come alive on these pages through the words of master storyteller Jim Haskins.