Must-Read Books by Black Authors

You can’t go wrong with anything by the Queen of Afrofuturism, but a good place to start is “Kindred,” one of many treasures from the godmother of science fiction. A young Black woman travels back and forth in time between 1970s California and a pre-Civil War plantation in a story that’s foundational for feminist, sci-fi/fantasy, and Afrofuturism works. The FX series adapted from Butler’s “Kindred” is now streaming on Hulu.

Escoffery, an award-winning writer and fellow at Stanford University, offers a linked story collection about a Jamaican American family struggling to overcome racism, poverty, and natural disaster — not exactly the lauded American Dream. Trelawney, the youngest son, is the most prominent character, and we see much of his family’s search for identity and belonging through his eyes. Escoffery draws readers into the rich vibes of 1970s Miami in this story of the immigrant experience.

“Friday Black” is a searing debut short story collection that delivers on style and substance. It skillfully weaves together elements of satire and magical realism with today’s most pressing, politically charged issues to create otherworldly tales that are haunting and achingly relevant. “Friday Black” was lauded as the breakout of 2018 by beloved literary giants like Roxane Gay, George Saunders, and Tommy Orange.

Celebrated by traditional critics and some high-profile ad-hoc reviewers (Barack Obama and Oprah), this stirring story is at once an examination of race and the criminal justice system and a deeply intimate portrait of two people struggling to keep their love alive as external circumstances drive them apart.

A Printz Honor Book, Thomas’ prequel to “The Hate U Give” follows our favorite character from the original novel: Maverick Carter, Starr’s father. At 17, Maverick is still navigating his way through the expectations of manhood, of his father’s legacy as a gangster, and of young parenthood. This is the origin story we’ve all been waiting for, made all the more spellbinding by narrator Dion Graham’s (“The Wire”) powerful voice.

This collection of captivating stories speaks of friendship, sibling relationships, unrequited love, and the constant challenges of being young and Black. If some of the genre’s best authors (including Justina Ireland and Nic Stone) and editor Zoboi (a National Book Award finalist) aren’t enough, dive into this audiobook to hear Bahni Turpin’s signature talent for bringing diverse voices to life.

Perry was born in Alabama, and while she’s spent much of her time in the North (she’s a professor of African American studies at Princeton and attended Harvard and Yale), her roots are in the Deep South, which she argues is the heart of the nation. Combining an insightful personal travelog with a sociological study of the South’s complicated relationship with race, “South to America” won the 2022 National Book Award for nonfiction.

Alberta King. Berdis Baldwin. Louise Little. These are the mothers who shaped the lives of America’s most iconic civil rights heroes. By passing their conviction of the inherent worth of Black people on to their sons, these women proved pivotal in the nation’s fight for equal rights. “The Three Mothers” is a celebration of Black women and a testament to the power of a mother’s love.

Capturing more than three decades of work by the acclaimed novelist, Hurston’s newest release, written during the Harlem Renaissance, shares commentary on the Black experience that’s as timely as ever. This highly anticipated collection of culturally critical essays (including a few that have never before been published) will delight her fans, and create new ones.

Trauma is a common thread for so many, from personal experience to the collective trauma of racism, climate change, and a global pandemic. Roxane Gay’s personal trauma has shaped her life and work, including her 2017 memoir about her own sexual assault, “Hunger.” In her Scribd Original, Gay unpacks the aftermath of “Hunger,” exploring the public reaction that reopened her wounds once more. The result is a skillful guide to sharing, processing, and healing from trauma through writing. “To change the world, we need to face what has become of it,” she writes. “To heal from a trauma, we need to understand the extent of it.”

During her 96 years on this earth, entertainer, activist, and humanitarian Tyson co-created the Dance Theater of Harlem, launched an award-winning career on stage and screen, married jazz legend Miles Davis, and won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. These are just a few of the true stories she shares in this inspiring memoir, narrated by Viola Davis, Robin Miles, and Tyson herself. Her influence on the way Black characters are portrayed in Hollywood set the stage for generations to come.

The late and renowned journalist Payne compiled hundreds of hours of interviews in researching this biography, all with people who knew Malcolm X personally and profoundly. It aims to paint a more accurate portrait of the civil rights activist, from his birth in Nebraska to his assassination in Harlem. “The Dead are Arising,” completed after Payne’s death by his daughter Tamara Payne, won the National Book Award in 2020 and a Pulitzer Prize for Biographies in 2021.

Griffin, professor at Columbia University and a Guggenheim fellow, unites personal memoir with a fascinating study of Black literature and art. Through her own experiences and the words of brilliant Black creators throughout history, Griffin challenges us to reexamine our role in justice, mercy, and the humanization of all.

Burnham’s eye-opening history reveals how the legal system perpetuated slavery’s legacy of brutal racial control long after being abolished. Focusing on Jim Crow from 1920–1960 and extensively researched, “By Hands Now Known” documents how racially motivated violence against Black Americans — and a complicit legal system — reinforced white supremacy as de facto law of the land. Burnham also explores the early days of the civil rights movement and its deep roots in a long history of Black Americans’ “practices of dissent and resistance.” Critics call this book “remarkable,” “searing,” and “indispensable.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Wilkerson shares the overlooked story of the Great Migration, when millions of African Americans uprooted their lives to move from the South to cities in the North, the Midwest, and out West from 1915–1970. By tracing the journeys of three people, Wilkerson makes the sweeping history accessible and riveting. President Barack Obama included “The Warmth of Other Suns” on his 2019 reading list for Black History Month.

In the aftermath of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, the white mob who destroyed the Black neighborhood of Greenwood and killed hundreds of its citizens faced no repercussions. It took 30 years for the massacre to even be acknowledged on a national level. To this day, no real accountability has been taken and no reparations have been made to Black Tulsans. Young, a Tulsa native, illuminates history with modern context and the effects of intergenerational trauma. “Requiem for the Massacre” is a historical account, a cultural criticism, and a memoir of Blackness all at once.

In a time when traveling through a segregated America was a dangerous proposition for Black people, the “Green Book” (in operation from the 1930s to the 1960s) listed the hotels, restaurants, and shops they could safely visit. “Overground Railroad” tells the stories of the business owners who bravely stood up against segregation by listing themselves in the “Green Book.” It’s also an examination of just how far we have left to go.

This collection of essays by Blay (creator of the titular viral hashtag #carefreeblackgirls) is an intelligent examination of the negative portrayal of Black women in art, music, film, the media, and more. Learn how Black women influence the same pop culture that often vilifies and stereotypes them. “Carefree Black Girls” is positive and insightful despite its indictments on our culture and the entertainment industry.

One of the most compelling overviews of the founding of slavery in America is revealed through the history of the Hemings family, who were owned by Thomas Jefferson. “The Hemingses of Monticello” shines a bright light on a little-known history, and its publication continued to break down barriers as author Gordon-Reed became the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in History.

Named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for 2021, Jenkins’ eye-opening memoir takes readers along on her stirring journey to unearth her roots. She retraces her family’s path north during the Great Migration in a narrative that’s both an intimate autobiography and a powerful history of the displacement of Black people in America.

“You hand us the fatback of a pig and we use it to make savory greens,” writes author Lewis-Giggetts. “You hand us a fledgling radio station and we turn it into a media empire. … We are alchemists.” Beautiful and heartbreaking, you’ll reach for this comforting collection of essays on how Black joy is a tool of resilience when times feel tough.