8 Books by Black Authors in Honor of Black History Month 8 Books by Black Authors to Add to Your Reading LIst

2/3/2021

8 Books by Black Authors in Honor of Black History Month

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We have all learned a lot over the last year, but I will be the first to admit that I have so much more to learn.

At the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, a lot of individuals in the United States, and even the world opened their eyes to the underrepresentation of Black people in countless industries, and several different areas of everyday life.

Like many other individuals, I started making a conscious effort to shop at small businesses, and whenever possible to support black owned businesses. I made an effort to listen to the black voices of my peers, and in the media. Ordering a cake? Find a black owned bakery. Looking for jewelry, support black entrepreneurs. Searching for black creators for our news, podcasts, and even the books we read, we made a mindful decision to begin uplifting the voices of black people.

Masses of citizens began to ask questions, and companies from every corner of the sphere, such as Condé Nast & Bon Appetit, Amazon, L’Oréal and even Disney were pressured to start better representing the members of the black community. Calling for a higher percentage of senior executives to be made up of the underrepresented groups, asking for higher and equal pay for black employees, and ensuring that black owned businesses in every sector of the market are being evenly represented.

During these months many people were also faced with quarantine, and the numerous ‘stay at home orders” due to the covid-19 pandemic – and to pass the time a lot of people turned to reading.

In June of 2020, Amistad launched the #BlackoutBestsellersList campaign on social media, encouraging readers all over the globe to “blackout” the Bestsellers list with all black authors in the top ten slots.

“To demonstrate our power and clout in the publishing industry, June 14 – June 20, we encourage you to purchase any two books by Black Writers. Our goal is to Blackout Bestseller lists with Black Voices.”

Several outlets such as Refinery29, Oprah, The Guardian all wrote articles about the movement last year, and in an effort to continue uplifting the voices of black authors. I jumped on this bandwagon instantly, since I love a good reason to buy a bunch of books, and I also had just recently built a bookshelf with my dad that needed filling…

In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to share some awesome reads by black authors that I have completed over the last year. Some thrillers, some tearjerkers, race studies, and even some sci-fi… a little for everyone.

If you haven’t heard of the website Bookshop.org, I wanted to take a quick second to tell you about this awesome website.

All the links listed below are going to take you to Bookshop.org where you can purchase books online that will directly support local bookstores.

These are affiliate links, but if do not want to use my link, no pressure! On Bookshop.org you have the option to select your favorite bookstore to donate a portion of your purchase to, or you can also let the site make a general donation to bookstores in their database.

Let me tell you guys, I have completely discontinued buying my books from Amazon, and always go to this site first, or find a second alternative. But it is so important as readers to be supporting our local bookstores, and if we do choose to purchase online, please consider choosing a black-owned bookstore for your donations on Bookshop.org this month. THANK YOU!

Now, on to the recommendations!

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

This book was such a lovely journey from beginning to end. Centered around two sisters who lose their father in a famous plane crash, and the story of how two sisters come together after not knowing the other exists their entire lives. An absolute emotional rollercoaster, and I mean, don’t we all need a little bit of that from time to time?

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

This book you are going to find on probably every book list that I write for a while.. because I am obsessed! I cannot get over the way that Oyinkan Braithwaite tells her story in this novel. The chapters are short, sometimes - usually - only one page long, and the pace of the narrative is fantastic. The story is stated pretty clearly in the title alone, centered around a sister who is constantly cleaning up after her little sister’s messes, except in this case they are dead bodies.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

One of the many books on this list that I need a sequel for. This book creates a universe where time travel exists, but on an even more sophisticated scale, ‘multiverse’ travel. It introduces this idea that we all exist as ourselves on an infinite number of other planets throughout the universe. It follows the main character as she services the futuristic machines and finds answers to her identity across the multiple earths that she has existed, and not yet died. It really makes you think, trust me.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

This is a narrative story based on true events about two young boys who attend a horrifying reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. It is a really easy way to digest some of the terrible things that were occurring to black people at the time, and also to draw some sad connections to where we still have issues in our society today. A truly eye-opening story, and a touching realization at the end that makes the entire book worth reading.

Luster by Raven Leilani

Again, I neeeed a sequel to this amazing storyline. This book had like fifty shades of grey vibes mixed with important issues black woman face, and uncovered the dark struggles of living and surviving in a city while being a student. This book does not go in the direction you think it is going to at any point during the entire storyline.

The Death of Vivek Oji

This story is another emotional rollercoaster, touching on several different hard topics. Including being transgender and battles with gender identity, and the struggles of being accepted by your family, or traditional cultural norms. A truly beautiful story that I think even people outside of the LGBTQ+ community will appreciate.

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

These last two books on the list are on my “To-Read” list. I have just started the main portion of this book last night, after finishing the preface that was added to this edition in 2020. Written before all the protests of last year, in Michelle Alexander’s preface you can hear in her voice all of the pain and suffering that black people still have to face today, and the huge fight that is still left to fight. It covers the great need for criminal justice reform in our country, and the problem with mass incarceration. Although written in 2010, this book is still a very prominent and important read for all Americans.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

According to the bestsellers lists of 2020, this one is a must read. It follows the stories of two black twin sisters in a small southern black community, and was named a best book of 2020 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, People, Time Magazine, Vanity Fair, and Glamour. If you are going to read this book or any of the other books on this list, let me know!