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The world is growing tired of stories solely written by old, White men. More people are calling for novels from Black authors.
A recent online discussion calls for the best books written by a Black author. Here are the top results.
How Long Til Black Future Month by NK Jemison
How Long Til Black Future Month is set in New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of New Orleans, but from the perspective of a parallel universe hoping to learn from our mistakes. It’s recommended most to fans of sci-fi and fantasy.
Jackie Kay’s Poetry Collections
Readers suggest any poetry collection written by Jackie Kay. Red Dust Road comes most recommended. There is also a play, which is equally spectacular.
Wild Seed by Octavia Butler
Wild Seed is a fantasy novel that follows Doro and Anyanwu, two immortals whose love story spans from 17th-century Nigeria to 19th-century United States. Doro is all-powerful, fearing no one until Anyanwu, a healer and shape-shifter.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Born a Crime chronicles Noah’s childhood in South Africa during apartheid as the biracial (which is to say illegal) child of a Black woman.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
No list of amazing Black authors to read would be complete without at least one mention of James Baldwin.
A staple on queer reading recommendation lists as well, Giovanni’s Room follows the affair between David, a newly engaged American ex-pat, and Giovanni during 1950s Paris. David has a dark night of the soul after his fiancée, Hella, finds out about his relationship with Giovanni.
Kindred by Octavia Butler
On Dana’s 26th birthday, she leaves the sunshine and warmth of 1976 California and is sent back in time to Maryland at the height of the American slave trade. She must survive the physical and psychological horrors of slavery to protect one of her ancestors and ensure she’s still born.
Half an Inch of Water and The Trees, both by Percival Everett
One fan explains that Half an Inch of Water is a “short story collection all set in modern rural America. He spins such an immersive world it was hard to pull myself out of it. The book as a whole felt like staring towards a dusty horizon.”
They also recommended The Trees, which they explained was on the “booker prize shortlist last year and, in my opinion, should have won.”
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
James McBride’s Deacon King Kong is one of former President Barak Obama’s “Favorite Books” of 2021.
In September 1969, an old church deacon took a life for reasons he feels are justified. But there’s a ripple through the neighborhood, through the witnesses, and the members of the deacon’s church. Set in New York City, Deacon King Kong has been called by critics “A raucous, poignant, humanity-embracing novel.”
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
Many point out that this novel is a fabulous read.
This “electrifying novel” documents the rise and fall of (the fictional) meteoric interracial rock group Nev. Spanning from the 1970s to the 2010s, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev was named a best book of 2021 by Barack Obama, Reader’s Digest, The Washington Post, and NPR.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel follows Sethe, a former slave living in Ohio for the past 18 years. While Sethe might be living free, the memories of her life at Sweet Home, the farm where she was born into slavery, haven’t let her go.
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Salvage the Bones spans the course of 12 days as Hurricane Katrina bombards the Gulf of Mexico. But in Ward’s novel, the story focuses on Mississippi, which critics promise will expand your “understanding of Katrina’s devastation beyond the pictures of choked rooftops in New Orleans.”
A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib
One reader provided a few titles as suggestions. The first was “Anything by Hanif Abdurraqib. His essays and poetry are incredible – he’s such a poignant, thoughtful, beautiful writer.”
They added, “If you’re interested in the history of Black music, check out A Little Devil in America or Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest.”
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marion James
A Brief History of Seven Killings is fiction but built on Jamaica’s very real, tumultuous history at the end of the 20th century.
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Published in 1952, Ellison’s Invisible Man follows a nameless narrator growing up in the segregated South and his journey to becoming the chief spokesperson of the Harlem branch of “the Brotherhood.”
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Angelou leads readers through her childhood with her brother, Bailey, growing up with her grandmother in a small Southern town. At the age of eight, Angelou discloses she was brutally attacked — a trauma that would echo through her life, haunting her into adulthood.
Source: Reddit.
Maya (she/they) is a queer entertainment and culture journalist. They cover interviews, reviews, roundups, news, and more. She loves horror, history, and creativity. They hope their writing both entertains readers and inspires them to think critically. Her favorite pastimes include needle felting, gaming, and drawing.
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