25 Must-Read Books by Black Authors
Romance, memoir, sci-fi, poetry and more round out this list.
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Many of us don't choose our books by the author alone. Sure, there are some that are just can't-miss (here's looking at you, Jasmine Guillory). But most of us instead look for genres we like, storylines that intrigue us or even pretty cover art. That said, it's important to consider who's behind the books we love. According to one analysis reported by PEN America, 95% of American fiction books published between 1950 and 2018 were written by white people. The publishing industry itself isn't much better. And while some shifts have been made since 2020, there's a lot of work yet to be done to ensure that the books that make it onto our shelves, and the people who help put them there, look like the readers who need them.
By reading books that represent a more diverse array of authors, we bookworms can help make a difference. “What speaks loudest in this business and in any business are dollars,” Ibrahim Ahmad, former editorial director of the Akashic Books told PEN. “When publishers see that writers of color can sell huge quantities of books, they will invest in those books.” We already know that reading broadens our perspectives, enriches our lives and exercises our minds, but it's also just plain fun.
These are a few of our favorite books by Black authors that showcase a range of experiences and perspectives. And they're not solely books about racism, Black history or trauma because, while those matter, Black joy does too, and it's important we celebrate it.
If your favorite isn't here, let us know in the comments — maybe you'll help someone else find a new TBR too.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
This sharply original novel about love, friendship and grief will ring true for so many of us these days. Five years after losing the love of her life, Feyi's BFF, Joy, wants her to get back on the horse. But when she does, Feyi ends up with more than she bargained for. No matter what the weather's like, this one will warm you up.
Gentrification looms large for the residents of the Banneker Homes, a Harlem high rise and a vibrant community. You'll find yourself chuckling, tearing up and shaking your head along with the vividly painted characters in these stunning interwoven stories.
This is a novel about change on stages large and small, figurative and literal, as it explores the tensions between a mother's expectations and her daughters' dreams, set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing San Francisco. It will get inside your heart and break it wide open all to a soundtrack that's a character all its own.
The Melancons are powerful and prosperous, thanks to their magical caul that has healing properties. When neighbor Leila turns to them to save her baby and the deal falls through, it sets off a chain of events that will reverberate through the tight-knit clan and their Harlem community. This engrossing story is rich with mystery, page-turning tension and the powerful ways family can hold us even in toxic circumstances.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this poetic exploration of fatherhood, blackness, identity and what freedom really costs cuts right to the core of a national reckoning that's long past due. Even if you don't generally read poetry, Brown's is an excellent place to start.
You know an author's great when her name is bigger on the cover than the title, and that's definitely the case with romance queen Jasmine Guillory. Pour a glass of wine and fall head over heels with her latest, in which a vineyard owner and a former tech scion find themselves entangled.
Kindred, Fledgling, Collected Stories by Octavia E. Butler
Sometimes, sci-fi works best when it hits close to home. This collection includes two of Butler's most famous works of Afrofuturism that also turn a keen eye on the horrors of our country's history, as well as other stories that serve as a primer to one of the genre's greats.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Told through the voice of an Igbo warrior in the late 1800s, this first in a series of three explores his community's resistance to British colonialism and the European presence on the continent as a whole. It vividly captures life in a pre-colonial African village, as well as takes a hard look at the tragedy of what is lost under imperialism.
It's 1976 and three secretive siblings have been shot in the still-segregated town of West Mills, North Carolina. The authorities don't have a sense of urgency about the crime, but someone has a lot of questions for which she expects answers — Jo Wright, freshly back home from NYC and ready to take matters into her own hands. You'll find yourself rooting for the nosy self-appointed detective as she uncovers far more than she bargained for in her hunt for justice.
Hiram Walker is born into slavery, but after his mother gets sold away, he loses his memory of her but receives a mysterious power in return. When that same power saves him from drowning years later, he's spurred to escape and try and rescue his family. So starts a harrowing journey.
In this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, we get to know the boys sentenced to the cruel horrors of The Nickel Academy, a reform school based on a real one. For two of those boys, Turner and Elwood, their friendship is the only thing that keeps them going. That is, until they make a decision with long echoes and even longer ramifications.
Cataloging his life growing up as a gay Black man in the South, this coming-of-age memoir will break your heart wide open. It's a story of one man's journey, but it's also a broader examination of love and power, queerness and identity and what it means to carve out a place in the world.
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With the quivering tension that comes with anticipating a gathering storm, this National Book Award winner takes place in the days before a devastating Mississippi hurricane. Esh is 14 years old and pregnant, and her alcoholic father isn't much help as she and her brothers scrabble to survive and prepare, despite almost zero resources and a running clock.
Marlon James Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Calling all fantasy fans: This gripping epic has been called the "African Game of Thrones," in the way it honors that continent's mythology with the same sense of adventure and mystery as the popular TV series. Free tip: Order the next installment, Moon Witch, Spider King before you finish the first one, so you won't miss a thing.
In this collection of poignant short stories, Smith explores what life is like in the modern world in all its complexity, wry wit and sorrow. Moving through time and place, genre and perspective, it's like an 11-course meal in written form.
Moving back and forth through time, this exploration of class, race and the ties that bond family together introduces us to teenage Melody on the eve of her coming-0f-age ceremony. As the story unfolds, we learn the prices paid by members of Melody's family to bring them to that moment, as well as how history reaches through generations.
If you haven't already read Toni Morrison, we're going to fix that right now. This suspenseful story introduces us to Sethe, an escaped enslaved person who can't shake off the shackles of her memories. It's a heartbreaking tale of love, loss and the long arm of trauma that's also beautifully told.
Starr Carter is caught between two worlds: The poor neighborhood where she lives and her mostly-white prep school. When she witnesses the fatal shooting of her unarmed friend at the hands of police, she has to make an impossible choice between her own safety and speaking out. It's a great choice for teens, too.
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Originally published in 1937, this story follows Janie Crawford as she tries to assert her independence through three marriages. It's a classic for a reason so if you haven't read it yet, there's no time like the present.
Fans of Jasmine Guillory, Sally Thorne and Helen Hoang, have we got a romp for you. A wedding planner was left at the altar (I know, right?) and when she's offered a career-making opportunity, she's got to jump for it. One issue: She has to work with her ex-fiancee's best man. Is revenge a dish best served at work? You'll have to read to find out.
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