In honor of Black History Month, we are sharing reading recommendations by Black authors that you are sure to love. Included in this curated list of essential reading are a beloved classic read, a highly-anticipated new release, and a few selections that reflect this year’s theme, Black Health and Wellness.
The books we’ve selected are not only important stories by Black authors, but are also written by women. Each of these titles is a perfect next read as we continue to celebrate Black History Month, and look ahead to Women’s History Month in March. Read on to discover your next book club pick.
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Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (Novel, new release) In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings deal with their mother’s death and her hidden past—a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake. |
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Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (Novel, topics surrounding mental health) Transcendent Kingdom is a deeply moving portrait of a family of Ghanaian immigrants ravaged by depression, addiction and grief—a novel about faith, science, religion, and love. Exquisitely written, emotionally searing, this is an exceptionally powerful follow-up to Gyasi's phenomenal debut. |
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Yoke by Jessamyn Stanley (Memoir, topics surrounding physical health) Jessamyn Stanley’s Yoke takes readers on an autobiographical journey to self-acceptance in a series of deeply honest essays. Stanley explores everything from her path to body liberation and her struggle with imposter syndrome to the limitations she has come to see in yoga culture—consumerism, cultural appropriation, racism. Tying it all together is Jessamyn’s singular voice—funny, frank, and warm—producing a work that is a unique and compelling blend of memoir, philosophy, and self-help. |
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Rice by Nikky Finney (Poetry) In Rice, her second volume of poetry, Nikky Finney explores the complexity of rice as central to the culture, economy, and mystique of the coastal South Carolina region where she was born and raised. The poems in Rice comprise a profound and unflinching journey connecting family and the paradoxes of American history, from the tragic times when African slaves disembarked on the South Carolina coast to the triumphant day when Judge Ernest A. Finney Jr., Nikky’s father, was sworn in as South Carolina’s first African American chief justice. |
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Gumbo for the Soul: Liberating Memoirs and Stories to Inspire Females of Color edited by Donna Y. Ford, Joy Lawson Davis, Michelle Trotman Scott, and Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz (Memoir collection) This book -- a collection of memoirs written by Women of Color is shared to inspire and motivate readers. The authors of these precious, soulful stories are from across the globe and represent various backgrounds and professions. What these women have in common is their drive to tell their story. Stories of pain, discovery, strength, and stories of beginnings. Many of the experiences, as difficult as they may have been, made the women who they are today. |
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Becoming by Michelle Obama (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. |
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Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (Classic novel) One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. |
This month and every month, Bookclubs celebrates the voices of Black writers and underrepresented voices past and present. Please join us in sharing literary inspiration to honor Black History, representation, identity, and diversity, in the comments below.
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