Great Books by Black Authors

Great books by black authors and additional authors to explore.

Fiction

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Loving Day book cover
Loving Day by Mat Johnson

Racially-mixed Warren Duffy, returning to America to claim a mansion in Philadelphia left to him by his father, encounters his daughter and they try to forge a life for themselves in a haunted house as members of a utopian mixed-race cult.

 

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An American Marriage book cover
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy, the living embodiment of the New South, are settling into the routine of their life together when Roy is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit. An insightful look into the lives of people who are bound and separated by forces beyond their control

 

Additional authors: Brit Bennett | Akwaeke Emezi | Victor LaValle | Maurice Carlos Ruffin

 

Mystery

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The Cutting Season book cover
The Cutting Season by Attica Locke

When the dead body of a young woman is found on the grounds of Belle Vie, the estate's manager, Caren Gray, launches her own investigation into Belle Vie's history, which leads her to a centuries-old mystery involving the plantation's slave quarters—and her own past.

 

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The Long Fall book cover
The Long Fall by Walter Mosley

Getting by as an old-school private investigator in spite of Manhattan's increasingly sophisticated culture, Leonid McGill finds his commitment to living a straight-and-narrow life repeatedly tested when he attempts to obtain seemingly harmless information for a high-paying client. (First in the Leonid McGill series)

 

Additional authors: Stephen L. Carter | Kellye Garrett | Rachel Howzell Hall | Blair Underwood

 

Romance

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A Princess in Theory book cover
A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

Mistaken by his betrothed as a pauper instead of a prince, Prince Thabiso, the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, decides to keep his real identity a secret as he experiences life and love with Naledi Smith.

 

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Rebel book cover
Rebel by Beverly Jenkins

Valinda Lacy's mission is to help the newly emancipated survive and flourish in post-Civil War New Orleans. When thugs destroy her school and target her, she runs for her life--into the arms of Captain Drake LeVeq.

 


Additional authors: Keisha Ervin | Cheris Hodges | Farrah Rochon | Rebekah Weatherspoon

 

Sci/Fi & Fantasy

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Black Leopard Red Wolf book cover
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Hired to find a mysterious boy who disappeared three years before, Tracker joins a search party that follows the boy's trail through ancient cities and into dense forests, and encounter creatures intent on destroying them.

 

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The Deep book cover
The Deep by Rivers Solomon

The water-breathing descendants of African slave women tossed overboard have built their own underwater society -- and must reclaim the memories of their past to shape their future in this brilliantly imaginative novella.

 

Additional authors: Octavia E. Butler | Nalo Hopkinson | N.K. Jemisin | Cadwell Turnbull

 

Short Stories

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What is Not Yours is Not Yours book cover
What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Hele Oyeyemi

The key to a house, the key to a heart, the key to a secret—Oyeyemi’s keys not only unlock elements of her characters’ lives, they promise further labyrinths on the other side.

 

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Drinking Coffee Elsewhere book cover
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer

Her impressive range and talent are abundantly evident: Packer dazzles with her command of the language, surprising and delighting us with unexpected turns and indelible images, as she takes us into the lives of characters on the periphery, unsure of where they belong.

 

Additional authors: Kathleen Collins | Edwidge Danticat | Roxanne Gay | Brian Washington

By Jennifer on June 11, 2020