• Blue font = books I REALLY want to read.
• Some of these books I have read, but not many!
• Books will either feature a black main character or be by a black author.
• Some info may be inaccurate!
• I hope this helps ♥️

MYSTERY/THRILLER
Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

• black mc - black author - child homicide - justice system

City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

• Black mc - black author - thriller - mystery - vengeance - ya contemporary

The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North

• multiple genres - SFF - thriller - invisibility

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

• family - toxic relationships - murder

HISTORICAL FICTION

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

• WW2 - women pilots - passing - biracial - WASP - black mc - black author

Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham

• Past and present - black mc - mystery

When Morning Comes by Arushi Raina
        - ya - black mc - interracial dating - apartheid - overthrow government
Balm by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

• Healing abilities - historical fantasy - Civil war - black mc - love - loss - black author

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

• Africa to America - multigenerational - literary - colonization - slave trade

Inventing Victoria by Tonya Bolden

• 1880s - wealthy black society.

SHORT STORIES/ANTHOLOGIES

Ghost Summer: Stories by Tanarive Due

• speculative fiction - horror - sci fi - fantasy - black author

A Killing in the Sun by Dilman Dila 

• Scifi fantasy - speculative - tech - apocalypse - black author - fantasy

Happiness Like Water  by Chinelo Okparanata

• mother/daughter relationships, immigration, abuse, queerness, and infidelity.

Black Enough: Stories Edited by Ibi Zoboi

• Stories of growing up black in America - diverse backgrounds
  

NONFICTION

Black Man in a White Coat: Doctor’s reflections on race and medicine by Damon Tweedy

•  race - bias - health problems - own voices

Spectacle: Asthonishing Life of Ota Benga by Pamela Newkirk

• Black man displayed in an American zoo - racism - eugenics

We are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby

• Funny, self depricating memoir - sex - friendships - life

Looking For Lorraine: the radiant and radical life of Lorraine Hansberry by Imani Perry

• biography - black writer - lesbian - activism - theatre - feminism

Dont Call us Dead

• LGBT - race - contemporary - poetry - social justice - HIV - violence - grief

Can’t Nothing Bring me Down: Chasing Myself in the race against time by Ida Keeling

• memoir of 101 year old woman who runs marathons

Eloquent Rage: a Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper

• anthology - intersectional feminism - respectability politics - black womanhood

The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clementine Wamariya

• Hunger - memoir - survival - war - cruelty - massacre - refugee camps

We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta Nahesi Coates

• essays - multiethnic democracy crushed by white supremacy - politics

Nigger by Dick Gregory (already read = 5⭐️)

• 50s black activist - racism - memoir -

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

• collection of feminist essays

The Misadventures Of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae

• Memoir - Coming of age - family - sex - diaspora - career -

Well That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist by Franchesca Ramsey

• Memoir - Activism - Mental Health

We’re Going To Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union

• Memoir - Coming of age - family - relationships - mental health - sexual assault survivor

Year Of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

• Memoir - mental health - resolutions - career

The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

• Memoir - comedy - Life lessons - family - career

You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson

• Memoir - comedy - life lessons - micro aggressions

I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual by Luvie Ajayi

• Life lessons - witty - race

ADULT CONTEMPORARY

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

• LGBT - interracial relationships - black author - romance - ace  - black mc

Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo
        - family - nigeria - tradition vs modern thinking - polygamy - black mc - black auth.

Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile

• Southern - family - inheritance

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

• literary - power - privilege - American dream

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

• Nigeria to America - dissociative identity disorder - mental illness  

Murderville #1 by Ashley and Jaquavis

• trauma - kidnapping - redemption

Sing, Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward

• magical realism - masculinity - male identity

Queenie by Candice Carty Williams

• interracial dating - destructive dating - self exploration

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guilleroy
- romance - interracial - comedy - issues interracial couples face
The Proposal by Jasmine Guilleroy
- romance - comedy

YA CONTEMPORARY

Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now by Dana L. Davis

• family - black mc - black author - death

 Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles
   -  social justice - black mc - black author - friendship - police violence
This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender

• Lgbtq - poc mc - black author - romance - interracial relationships

Wrong in All the Right Ways by Tiffany Brownlee

• Forbidden romance - foster system - Wuthering Heights Retelling - black author

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
    -  black mc - black author - mystery - family
Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert
        - musician - romance - family - black mc - black author
Pointe by Brandy Colbert
        - kidnapping - trauma - dance - friendship - black mc - black author

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
        - police violence - black mc - friendship - social justice  - black author
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
        - mystery - murder trial - black mc - black author
This Side of Home by Renèe Watson

• Twins - family/tradition - college - black mc - black author

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
        - chronic illness - black author - biracial mc - romance
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
        - deportation - romance
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

• interracial romance - private school

The Syndicate by Brick and Storm

• Financial empire - household of adopted children - secret organization  

Pride by ibi Zoboi

• pride and prejudice retelling - gentrification - afrolatin

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

• young girl discovers slam poetry - afrolatin - oppressive religious family

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

• police brutality - gifted student - MLK

The beauty that remains by Ashley Woodfolk

• lgbt - group of friends - musicians - loss

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree - Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani and Viviana Mazza
     - terrorism - Child marriage - kidnapping

Let’s Go Swimming On Doomsday by Natalie Anderson

      - child soldier - suicide bombing - spy - survival

Odd One Out by Nic Stone
      - OV, LGBTQIA - multiple perspectives - multiracial relationships

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

• culinary arts - talent

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

•  Mental health - LGBTQ

American Street by Ibi Zoboi

• Immigration - diaspora - police brutality - toxic relationships - family - relationships - Magical realism

Swing by Kwame Alexander

• Love - friendship - free verse (poetic story telling)

Solo - By Kwame Alexander

• Music - love - family

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY
Noughts & Crosses #1 by Malorie Blackman

•  dystopian - prejudice - romance - slavery - terrorism

Dawn (Xenogenesis triology) by Octavia Butler

• Aliens - apocalypse - psychological

A Killing in the Sun by Dilman Dila

• Scifi fantasy - speculative - tech - apolocalype - black author - fantasy

The Truth About Awiti by C.P. Patrick

• Spirits - natural disaster - historical fantasy - black mc - black author

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

• Fairy Tale retelling - snow white

Beasts Made of Night (Series) by Tochi Onyebucchi

• Magic - throne politics - high fantasy - Nigerian inspired - YA

Rosewater by Tade Thompson

• Trilogy - nigeria - government - alien - healing ability

Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows

• ocd/anxiety - dragons - black Mc - series - YA

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

• Fantasy - hunter - shape shifting - trilogy

Akata witch and Akata warrior by Nnedi Okorafor

• middle grade, witchcraft, albino, nigeria

The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi

• magical realism - horror - literary

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi

• queer - sci-fi - sky surgeon - space

The Changeling by Victor LaValle

• missing wife - magical realism - family - thriller

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

• magic - royalty - thievery - YA

Binti #1 by Nnedi Okorafor

• alien race - space academy - culture

The Power by Naomi Alderman

• fantasy - feminism - magical young women

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon 
      - nonbinary author. - SF - fantasy - queer, autistic MC

The Black God Drum - P. Djeli Clark
      -  space - powers over weather - fantasy - sci fi - historical fiction

Song of Blood and Stone #1 by L.Penelope

• War - magic - mission - spy

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms Trilogy by N.K Jemisin

• Disavowed gods -  throne politics - high fantasy

Broken Kingdom Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

• Survival - quest - high fantasy

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

• Civil War - Zombies - YA

A Blade So Black by L.L McKinney

• Retelling - MG/YA

The Belles By Dhonielle Clayton

• Fantasy - Sisterhood - magic - New Orleans inspired

COMICS/GRAPHIC NOVELS

Motorcrush vol 1-3

• LGBTQ - MC with a disability - action - fat rep

Afar by Leila del Duca, Kit Seaton

• Fantasy

Cyborg by David F Walker

• DC Superhero (Titans)

Superb by David F. Walker, Sheena Howard

• superhero - abilities - students

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur by Amy Reeder, Brandon Montclare, Natacha Bustos

• genius Mc - child prodigy - dinosaur sidekick

Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart Riri Williams by Brian Michael Bendis, Stegano Caselli

• genius Mc - antisocial - superhero

Vindication by MD Marie, Carlos Miko, Dema Jr, Johnathan David

• Racism - police

Self Made by Mat Groom, Eduardo Fergato

• High fantasy , Futuristic Science fiction

Prodigy by Mark Millar,

• Genius

The Destroyer by Victor LaValle

• genius - Frankenstein - technology

Saga by Brian Vaughn

• Epic - war -family - love - loss - biracial MC

Crush by Svetlana Chmakova

• MG - Coming of Age - Afro Latino MC (?) - Love - Friendship

M.F.K by Nilah Magruder

• Fantasy - Friendship

EROTICA

Nervous by Zane

• Black mc with alter ego - black author - risky behavior - love
• Note: Zane is famous for her many books on Afro American erotic fiction!

CLASSIC LITERATURE

The New Negro by Alain Locke and co

• 1920s - anthology - Harlem Renaissance - essays - poetry

Passing by Nella Larsen

• queer - multiracial - secret identity - toxic friendship -1920s

The Fire next time by James Baldwin

•  Harlem life - racial injustice - 60s nonfiction

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin.

• 1950’s - closeted gay American black man moves to Paris - love, masculinity, queer lit

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

• Bigotry - North and South Americana 1930’s

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

• Internalized racism - Midwest - Classism - Racism

Beloved By Toni Morrison

• Slavery - Magical Realism - Loss

Their Eye Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

• Identity - feminism - racism

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

• Racism in the South -femisnism -  self liberation

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

• Auto biography - prejudice - endurance -  self liberation