Happy Black History Month! We at ELGL wanted to take some time to share some of our favorite reads from Black authors. This compilation of reads showcases books from many genres. We wanted to highlight a variety of experiences and storytelling from these amazing authors! We have books from fiction to nonfiction, science fiction, mysteries, and even horror stories. This list is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to literature that could be featured and discussed this month. We would love for you to share some of your personal reads with us too!
This book list features black authors and all books are amplifying black stories. If you choose to purchase a book, choose to purchase from a Black-owned Bookstore. Oprah Magazine put together a list of 125 Black-Owned Independent Book Stores by state.
We hope you help us celebrate Black History Month. Please feel free to share the images below. Happy Reading!
- The Classic Slave Narratives (1987), Henry Louis Gates, editor
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, Bryan Stevenson
- Our Black Year, Maggie Anderson
- Well-Read Black Girl, by Glory Edim
- Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin
- Citizen: An American Lyric, by Claudia Rankine
- Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo”, Zora Neale Hurston
- Native Son (1940) by Richard Wright
- You Should See Me in a Crown, by Leah Johnson
- The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories by Danielle Evans
- Babel-17, Samuel R. Delany
- Zone One, Colson Whitehead (or any of his non-zombie books, if you’d rather!)
- The Changeling, Victor LaValle
- Easy Rawlins mysteries, Walter Mosely
- #VeryFat #VeryBrave, Nicole Byer
- Parable of the Sower, Octavia E. Butler
- Mycroft Holmes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Old Farmer’s Road, Isaiyan Morrison
- Life on Mars, Tracy K. Smith
- Don’t Play in the Sun: One Woman’s Journey Through the Color Complex, Marita Golden
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
