The best books by Black Americans
Some of the first books by Black Americans were memoirs and histories of enslaved people. But thousands of titles have been published, including mysteries, science fiction and social criticism. Here are some of the top books by Black writers in the United States, an introduction to an ever-growing field.
"Up From Slavery"
"Up From Slavery"
Author: Booker T. Washington
Date published: 1901
Genre: Classic, Autobiography, Nonfiction
Booker T. Washington was an author, educator, and a post-Civil War leader in the Black community. “Up From Slavery” is his autobiography about his upbringing as an enslaved boy and how he later achieved an education.
"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"
"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"
Author: Frederick Douglass
Date published: 1845
Genre: Classic, Autobiography, Nonfiction
The famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass' memoir was written while he was living in Massachusetts and chronicles his harrowing escape from slavery in 1838, which he accomplished by posing as a free sailor and boarding a Philadelphia-bound train. The book was published to prove his history — many at the time doubted someone as educated as him could have been enslaved — and as a call to arms to abolish slavery.
"Their Eyes Were Watching God"
"Their Eyes Were Watching God"
Author: Zora Neale Hurston
Date published: 1937
Genre: Classics, Historical Fiction
“Their Eyes Were Watching God” is considered a classic work of American literature and is required reading in many high school English classes. In it, we follow the main character, Janie Crawford, as she navigates her identity over the course of three marriages. The book, which highlights an independent, strong, Black woman, went largely overlooked by men when it was first released. Out of print for three decades, it was reissued in 1978.
"Invisible Man"
"Invisible Man"
Author: Ralph Ellison
Date published: 1952
Genre: Classics, Fiction, Race
Ralph Ellison was a novelist and scholar. “Invisible Man” is an award-winning novel that explores racial divides in the United States. It won the National Book Award in 1953 and is an American classic.
"Beloved"
"Beloved"
Author: Toni Morrison
Date published: 1987
Genre: Classics, Historical Fiction
“Beloved” is the late Toni Morrison' Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a Black woman living in the United States following the Civil War. The main character was inspired by Margaret Garner, an African American woman enslaved in Kentucky who in 1856 escaped by crossing the Ohio River. Most of Morrison's books are considered classics; she was the first Black woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature.
"Native Son"
"Native Son"
Author: Richard Wright
Date published: 1940
Genre: Classics, Fiction, Race, Criminal Justice
The acclaimed “Native Son” is the story of a Black man living in poverty who commits a crime. The overwhelming theme of the novel is the despair that Black Americans constantly face. “Native Son” became a bestseller at the time of its publication in 1940. The novel was adapted into a film in 2019.
"Notes of a Native Son"
"Notes of a Native Son"
Author: James Baldwin
Date published: 1955
Genre: Essays
Novelist and essayist James Baldwin refers in his title to the Richard Wright classic. Many of Baldwin's works are worth reading; here he collects mid-century essays on civil rights, written when he was just in his 20s.
"I Almost Forgot About You"
"I Almost Forgot About You"
Author: Terry McMillan
Date published: 2016
Genre: Romance, Fiction
“I Almost Forgot About You” tells the story of a woman in her 50s who decides to change her life and finds love in the process. Author Terry McMillan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author known for novels such as “Waiting to Exhale” and “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.”
"The Souls of Black Folk"
"The Souls of Black Folk"
Author: W.E.B. Du Bois
Date published: 1903
Genre: Nonfiction, Sociology, Essays, Race, Classics
Civil rights activist, historian and sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois' classic “The Souls of Black Folk” contains essays regarding race and sociology. In this book, Du Bois also argues against ideas by Booker T. Washington of what progress should look like for Black Americans.
"Brown Girl Dreaming"
"Brown Girl Dreaming"
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Date published: 2014
Genre: Nonfiction, Poetry, Children’s
In “Brown Girl Dreaming,” Jacqueline Woodson writes poems through the lens of herself as a childhood. Raised in New York and South Carolina, Woodson navigates the contrasts of the plains and the desires of her younger self. The book earned the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. At times during her writing career, Woodson has caused some controversy for using curse words in children's books and exploring themes of sexuality.
"The Underground Railroad"
"The Underground Railroad"
Author: Colson Whitehead
Date published: 2016
Genre: Historical Fiction
Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning sixth novel is an odyssey that reveals the horrors faced by Black Americans in the pre-Civil War South while also providing an allegory for the modern day. In the story, characters Cora and Caesar take the ultimate risk and try to escape slavery. Cora ends up killing a white boy who tries to catch her, adding a new dimension of danger as the pair is hunted while taking a literal "underground railroad."
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
Author: Maya Angelou
Date published: 1969
Genre: Classic, Autobiography, Memoir
One of the most-recognized writers American literature, Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist and celebrated thinker. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” which depicts some of her childhood in St. Louis, is one of her most-acclaimed memoirs and has a standing spot on most essential reading lists.
"Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America"
"Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America"
Author: Ibram X. Kendi
Date published: 2016
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Race
“Stamped From the Beginning” is a history of racism and racist policy in the United States. The book was written by historian, writer and scholar Ibram X. Kendi. This work of historical nonfiction has received multiple awards and is a New York Times bestseller.
"The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness"
"The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness"
Author: Michelle Alexander
Date published: 2010
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Race, Criminal Justice, Politics
Michelle Alexander is a writer, professor, and activist. “The New Jim Crow” describes the harrowing history and policy of slavery, criminal justice, race and mass incarceration.
"Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance"
"Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance"
Author: Barack Obama
Date published: 1995
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir
In “Dreams From My Father,” former President Barack Obama writes a touching memoir of his life that begins when he learns of his father’s death and leads him on a journey in search of his own value as a Black man. Through his own storytelling, Obama takes readers on an exploration of human identity, race politics and class issues.
"For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf"
"For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf"
Author: Ntozake Shange
Date published: 1975
Genre: Musical
Ntozake Shange was a playwright and poet who grew up in St. Louis. “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf” was her first work and was award-winning. The play was adapted into a film “For Colored Girls” in 2010.
"The City We Became"
"The City We Became"
Author: N.K. Jemisin
Date published: 2020
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy
In “The City We Became,” science fiction author and psychologist N.K. Jemisin brings ancient magic to New York City. The novel centers around the disappearance of New York’s avatar and the coming together of five new avatars (each representing one of New York’s five boroughs) to set things right.
"Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism"
"Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism"
Author: Bell Hooks
Date published: 1981
Genre: Nonfiction, Feminism, Intersectionality
In “Ain’t I a Woman,” Hooks writes about feminist history and theory in relation to a racial experience. It is a classic work that delves into a myriad of issues that have impacted Black women, from sexism during slavery to feminism.
"The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration"
"The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration"
Author: Isabel Wilkerson
Date published: 2010
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Race
Isabel Wilkerson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. “The Warmth of Other Suns” is a history of the Great Migration, a time period when thousands of Black Americans moved from the Jim Crow South to the North in search of a better life.
"Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond"
"Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond"
Author: Marc Lamont Hill
Date published: 2016
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Race, Criminal Justice, Politics
Marc Lamont Hill is a professor, academic and writer. In “Nobody,” Lamont Hill analyzes Black deaths at the hands of the state. The book is critically acclaimed for its contemporary analysis of the ongoing issue of racialized state violence.
"The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South"
"The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South"
Author: Michael W. Twitty
Date published: 2017
Genre: Food, History, Cookbook, Memoir
In his award-winning “The Cooking Gene,” culinary historian Michael W. Twitty weaves memoir and culinary history into a rich discussion about race. Diving into the roots of Southern African American cuisine, Twitty brings readers from Africa to the United States via his own ancestry and the fascinating, complicated politics of soul food, barbecue, and other distinctly Southern styles.
"Bloodchild and Other Stories"
"Bloodchild and Other Stories"
Author: Octavia E. Butler
Date published: 1995
Genre: Science Fiction, Short Stories
“Bloodchild and Other Stories” is a collection of short stories from acclaimed science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler that were originally published in 1995, with a second edition published in 2005. It’s been said that Butler’s dark fiction functions as parables for real life. The titular story in the collection, “Bloodchild,” won the Hugo and Nebula awards; “Speech Sounds” also earned a Hugo Award.
"Between the World and Me"
"Between the World and Me"
Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Date published: 2015
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Race, Memoir
In “Between the World and Me,” Ta-Nehisi Coates pens a powerful memoir and history of race in America packaged as a letter to his teenage son about the experience of being Black in the United States.
"The Autobiography of Malcolm X"
"The Autobiography of Malcolm X"
Authors: Malcolm X, Alex Haley
Date published: 1965
Genre: Autobiography, Race, Classics
Civil rights-era activist and speaker Malcolm X's “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” chronicles the civil rights leader's upbringing and coming-of-age. The book was the result of a collaboration between Malcolm X and renowned journalist Alex Haley.
"Devil in a Blue Dress"
"Devil in a Blue Dress"
Author: Walter Mosley
Year published: 1990
Genre: Mystery, detective
Mystery writer Walter Mosley introduced a reluctant Black man into the hard-boiled detective genre. "Easy" Rawlins may not wanted to be a detective, but his creator has brought him back for decades.