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Black History Month Reads 📚
16
items This is a list of books I've read or would like to read. We should be celebrating black authors every month, but here's a list of where to start
Sections
4
Fiction
Memoirs & Non-fiction
Essays & Poetry
My TBR
Fiction
Top fiction recs from classic and contemporary authors
Octavia E Butler is one of my favorite authors. There's something about the way she writes that sucks me in so quickly. This is a sci-fi/historical fiction book about a modern-day black woman who gets pulled back in time to the antebellum south to s...
Kindred - Octavia E. Butler: Books
An epic tale of a family lineage dating back to their ancestors' village in Africa through the present day. Non-linear timeline that meets in the middle
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
This is on my list because of the way James Baldwin writes. The story itself is of a white man and an Italian man and their relationship. James Baldwin is a writer who should continue to be celebrated.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
I loved this book. It is a YA novel about a girl who is "too black" to fit in at school and "acts too white" to fit in at home but finds her voice in spite of it all. It takes place during the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 and ...
The Hate U Give
I really loved this novel, the relationships, the way it was written, everything
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Memoirs & Non-fiction
Thought-provoking stories from the people who lived them
This was an emotional read for me. There's a saying that goes, people who experience racism and trauma shouldn't have to teach those who haven't. Reading this book is a way people can self-educate and gain more understanding
Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement
It's been a little bit since I've read this, but the thing that resonates with me today is the power behind a name
I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
This book was heavy and upsetting but worth the read. Not everything can nor should be comfortable
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents: Wilkerson, Isabel
I love this book, however, I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook! It feels like a conversation with an old friend. This came out during the popularity of Parks and Rec, but the show is briefly mentioned the rest is about Retta's life outside the show
So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y'all Don't Even Know: Retta: 9781250109347
Essays & Poetry
Collections to evoke emotions
I'm a better woman from reading these essays. Strong, powerful, and introspective. If you're looking for books that cover intersectional feminism start here
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Amazing 👏 Read the physical book and then listen to the audiobook. The author narrates and it's nice to see how I interpreted the writing vs how she meant it to be heard
Call Us What We Carry: Poems
This book was written in the 60s but is so relevant to today. It is two "letters," written on the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and asks Americans to attack the terrible legacy of racism in this country.
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
My TBR
Books that I haven't read, but that are on my "To Be Read" list
I recently read the adaptation of Kindred that this author and artist did and it was beautiful! I cant wait to read this one too. The graphic novel of Kindred was similar to a movie version in that it had some parts missing, so I'll probably read the...
Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation
I somehow got a rare, signed copy of this book during a book swap event and it's been on my tbr ever since. I'm hesitant to start it because it's the first in a series and I'm in the middle of a different one at the moment.
It's a feminist fantasy ...
The Gilded Ones (Deathless, #1) by Namina Forna
This is another excuse of "it's the first in a series and I'm already reading a series" I will read this book in 2026 😅
The Legendborn Cycle #1 - Tracy Deonn
One of my StoryGraph challenges this year is a genre challenge and one of the prompts is "A biography about a black historical figure". I chose this book to fulfill that prompt, mainly because Bell Hooks is one of my best friend's favorite authors an...
bell hooks: The Last Interview: and Other Conversations ...