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Between 1950 and 2018, ninety-five percent of traditionally published books were written by white people. I'm not sure if publishing has gotten more diverse since this study was done, but I suspect not. Let's encourage change. Here are ten of my favorite books by Black authors. I hope you love them as much as I did.
Books By Black Authors
Home by Toni Morrison
Adult Historical Fiction
When Frank Money joined the army to escape his too-small world, he left behind his cherished and fragile little sister, Cee. After the Korean war, he journeys to his native Georgia with a renewed sense of purpose in search of his sister, but it becomes clear that their troubles began well before their wartime separation. Together, they return to their rural hometown of Lotus, where buried secrets are unearthed and where Frank learns at last what it means to be a man, what it takes to heal, and—above all—what it means to come home.
Why I recommend it: How did I make it through 12 years of college without having this book forced upon me? If you want to learn how to write, you have to read Home. The writing style is poetic because the author is able to accomplish so much with so few words. This is a tiny book that feels huge. Every sentence is necessary. My copy is only 150 pages, but I feel like I know these characters. I badly wanted them to overcome their problems. I was scared and frustrated by their ignorance. They're so real that you love them and hate them at the same time.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Adult Historical Fiction
Two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle's dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast's booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery.
One thread of Homegoing follows Effia's descendants through centuries of warfare in Ghana, as the Fante and Asante nations wrestle with the slave trade and British colonization. The other thread follows Esi and her children into America. From the plantations of the South to the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the coal mines of Pratt City, Alabama, to the jazz clubs and dope houses of twentieth-century Harlem, right up through the present day.
Why I recommend it: The writing is stunning. There are scenes that will stick with me forever, especially the ones set in prisons and mines. They’re very visceral. I like that the book doesn’t solely focus on well-known bits of history. There were a few moments where I went, “Oh, I didn’t know about that.” Then I had to do some Googling. The best historical fiction books teach me something new while keeping me entertained.
Stay With Me by
Yejide and Akin have been married since they fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage—after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and unlikely cures—Yejide is not pregnant. She assumes she still has time—until her family arrives on her doorstep with a young woman they introduce as Akin's second wife. Furious, shocked, and livid with jealousy, Yejide knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant, which, finally, she does—but at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine.
Why I recommend it: Have you ever read a book that left your brain empty? I don’t have words to describe how I felt about this novel. All that’s in my head right now is a high-pitched screech. I never thought I’d be riveted by a book about marriage and the pressure that society puts on couples to have children, but that’s what happened. I was listening to the audiobook at work and getting irritated when I had to pause the book for job stuff. I needed to know what happened next! I was invested in Yejide’s story. She badly wants to be a mother, but everything keeps going wrong. The problems just make her more and more desperate. It's a book I'll never forget.
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
Why I recommend it: It’s about a husband and wife who are both kind of awful. They have affairs and make other questionable choices. Then, the husband is sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and the wife starts wondering if she really wants to stay married to him. Maybe his prison sentence is the perfect opportunity to change her life.
Every character in this book feels like a real person. I love how involved the main characters’ families are in their lives. The family members have opinions about the characters’ marriage, and they don’t keep those opinions to themselves! There’s so much drama. This is a novel where you hate everybody, but you feel bad for them at the same time.
Not So Pure And Simple by Lamar Giles
Young Adult Contemporary Fiction
Del has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten. And now, during their junior year, she’s finally available. So when Kiera volunteers for an opportunity at their church, Del’s right behind her. Though he quickly realizes he’s inadvertently signed himself up for a Purity Pledge. His best friend, Qwan, doesn’t believe anyone is worth this long of a long game. But Del’s not about to lose his dream girl.
And that’s where fellow pledger Jameer comes in. He can put in the good word, but with other boys circling Kiera like sharks, Del needs to make his move now. However, with all his plotting and scheming, Del never really stops to think: What does Kiera want? No matter, though—once he gets the girl, he’s sure all will sort itself out. Right?
Why I recommend it: I had tons of fun reading this book. It’ll make you smile, and then it’ll make you cringe with second-hand embarrassment. The author tackles a bunch of difficult topics related to sex education. I wish every teenager had the opportunity to read this novel. We need to encourage young people to have conversations about consent and honesty in their relationships. Getting a girlfriend shouldn't require this much scheming!
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Young Adult Contemporary Novel-In-Verse
A gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he?
As the elevator stops on each floor, someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows.
Why I recommend it: The plot of Long Way Down reminds me of A Christmas Carol, but it’s set in a modern, inner-city apartment building. Most of the story takes place on an elevator. Yep, a 300-page elevator ride. (I swear it’s not as boring as it sounds!) A teenager’s brother is murdered, and the teen sets out to get revenge. When he steps into the elevator in his apartment building, a ghost gets on with him. The elevator stops at every floor, and a new ghost gets on at each stop. That’s when the Christmas Carol vibes start. The ghosts force the teen to confront his choices and reevaluate his decision to commit murder. It’s a thoroughly modern ghost story! And, best of all, it never gets preachy or heavy-handed! The author treats his (deeply flawed) characters with compassion and lets the readers draw their own conclusions.
How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon
Young Adult Contemporary Fiction
When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white.
In the aftermath of Tariq's death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. Day by day, new twists further obscure the truth.
Tariq's friends, family, and community struggle to make sense of the tragedy, and to cope with the hole left behind when a life is cut short. In their own words, they grapple for a way to say with certainty: This is how it went down.
Why I recommend it: This is a story about perspective. A black teenager is murdered on the street by a white adult. The crime is witnessed by a bunch of people, but no one can agree on what actually happened. The witnesses are all friends of the victim or the shooter. What the witnesses think happened is influenced by their opinions of the people involved. It’s complicated, layered, and very realistic.
King And The Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction
Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family.
It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy—that he thinks he might be gay. "You don't want anyone to think you're gay too, do you?"
But when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies. As King's friendship with Sandy is reignited, he's forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother's death.
Why I recommend it: This book perfectly captures the confusion and drama of teenage friendships.
Here's a story for you: When I was in high school, my friend told everyone in our friend group that he's gay. I already suspected he was gay, so when he told me, my response was, "Okay, whatever." I thought that would be everybody's response.Reader, it was not. Friends I had for most of my life suddenly became vicious. They wouldn't speak to our gay friend anymore. Then they stopped talking to me because I didn't stop talking to him. To them, I was gay by association. I was completely blindsided and caught in the middle.
This book understands all that messiness.
Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Adult Memoir
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.
Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.
Why I recommend it: This memoir is brilliant. Each chapter reads like a short story about an incident from Trevor Noah’s childhood. I’m not entirely sure how he survived to adulthood. Between South Africa’s cruel laws and the trouble he brings on himself, he shouldn’t be alive.
This book is both accessible and insightful. I learned about South Africa in school, but a memoir made it real for me. You feel like you’re there with the author while he’s being thrown out of a moving car or (accidentally) burning down a white family’s home. While you’re reading about the author’s personal experiences, you’re also learning about South Africa’s history, culture, and flawed legal system. It’s a compelling book.Even if you’ve never seen Trevor Noah’s comedy shows, you should read this book. I promise you’ll be entertained while learning a lot.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Adult Memoir
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms.
Why I recommend it: I was surprised at how much I could relate to this memoir. From the outside, it seems like I’d have nothing in common with Michelle Obama. She’s wealthy and famous. I’m broke, and being famous involves way too much human contact for me. Michelle spent her life in various cities. I narrowly avoided getting trampled by a deer in the middle of nowhere while listening to Michelle Obama’s audiobook.
But, our lives do overlap a bit. Michelle writes about the pressure she puts on herself to succeed. She always feels like she has to keep achieving more, and more, and more. That’s how she became a lawyer. She wasn’t passionate about the law. She became a lawyer because lawyers were “successful” in her mind. When she actually started practicing law, she discovered she hated it.
You've got some really good ones that I enjoyed: Born a Crime; Becoming; Long Way Down; and especially Homegoing. Powerful reads!
ReplyDeleteBack again. I meant to say that I hope your job is safe, I know there have been major cuts to the National Parks.
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