Many titles by Black authors, especially Black women and LGBTQ+ authors, find their works marginalized among writers of privileged backgrounds at modern booksellers. Similarly, the novels we all know and cherish, from the childhood series that shaped our taste, to the timeless classics we read in school, and the books promoted by the latest crop of influences, lack diversity (and sometimes literacy). They tell the same indistinguishable stories of people who have lived and loved in a world that not only systemically benefits them, but will stop at nothing to uphold their historical place of unjustifiable salience. Since the contemporary literary world has failed to highlight Black stories, here is a list of six fine-tuned books by Black authors that belong in the hands of every reader and at the heart of every bookshelf.
Looking for: A long-established American classic. Something that cannot help but spark erudite and pithy discussions everywhere you take it.
The book: The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison tells of a young man’s experience being African American during the early 20th century, and how the people he interacts with never see him.
From the book’s first lines, the unnamed narrator’s nimble yet forthright tone is nothing short of captivating, drawing readers into a world of desperation and deep thought with radical transparency. The novel encompasses nearly six hundred pages of visceral imagery, describing everything from mundane subway rides to resounding political rallies – and it is still not enough. Yet, the thoughts, questions, and perspective this book gives readers on the subject matter are nothing short of eye-opening and priceless. There is a reason it is required reading for many college literature courses.
Notes: The Invisible Man is an absolute must-read, provided one has the time and energy.
Looking for: An anthology of quick-yet-impact poems. A book that is concise and thought-provoking, paired best with morning coffee or afternoon tea. Not too heavy, yet not so light it is forgettable.
The book: My House is one of Nikki Giovanni’s several collections of contemporary poems. At the forefront of the Black Arts Movement, Giovanni’s poems center around the Black familial love as well as gender and sexuality. Her contemporary, freeform verse perfectly balances warmhearted humor with uncompromising devotion with an unstoppable, page-turning force. Absolutely not forgettable.
Notes: Nikki Giovanni grew up Cincinnati, Ohio, and has taught at Ohio State University.
Looking for: An elegant and uplifting biography. Something educational but not pedantic.
The book: Civil Rights Queen by Tomiko Brown-Nagin is the first full-length biography of Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman appointed as a federal judge. Brown-Nagin’s writing provides a polished and passionately-researched account of Motley’s struggles for racial and gender equality across the American legislative and legal landscapes. It is lavishly informative and far from condescending or tiresomely didactic. Each and every page is overflowing with elevating, inspiring facts.
Notes: Constance Baker Motley won nine civil rights victories before the U.S. Supreme Court. Find out more about her extraordinary life and accomplishments in this thought-provoking account.
Looking for: A richly illustrated personal story, yet not a “graphic novel.” Something you can fall into, finish in an afternoon, and find that you are still thinking about it days later.
The book: Jason Reynolds’s Ain’t Burned All the Bright is a young adult picture book and poem follows a Black family through the Covid-19 pandemic. The young adult narrator struggles with the anxiety of his father’s health as well as the trauma of systemic racism in the news. The poem that flows through innovative art touches upon every emotion associated with the pandemic with a good measure of sensitivity and deep understanding.
Notes: As said, this book depicts the Covid-19 pandemic (quite realistically). If you do not feel comfortable returning to that time, this book may be best avoided during this part of your healing journey.
Looking for: A deeply-researched account of niche medical history…as well as inspiration for women (and anyone and everyone, honestly) to achieve their dreams.
The book: Twice as Hard by Jasmine Brown recounts the vital stories of nine pioneering Black women physicians that have been erased from American medical history. Brown’s novel features true stories of Black healthcare workers from the Civil War to the 21st century, and never fails to make history engrossing and riveting. It accounts for inspiration for women, without omitting their lived struggles and tangible emotional experiences along the long (yet always worthwhile) path to success.
Notes: Jasmine Brown is a medical student herself (and a Rhodes Scholar).
Looking for: The history not taught in schools. A collection of articulate (yet not verbose) essays to answer all the questions you may have after reading The 1619 Project.
The book: Ta-Nehisi Coates, in We Were Eight Years in Power, laments the end of multiracial democracy to the return of white rule in the American South during the Reconstruction era through numerous annotated essays. Coates’s essays underscore an essential part of history that is not talked about in classes and bring to light an underlying current of systemic racism in the U.S. government.
Notes: Several of the essays were originally written for The Atlantic magazine during the Obama administration, and thus touch upon the sullen echoes of history in contemporary American politics, especially reactions to Black bureaucratic leadership.
