35 Famous Books by Black Authors you Should Read Right Away

Americanah Book Cover by Alfred A. Knopf from Wikimedia Commons

35 Famous Books by Black Authors you Should Read Right Away

Black author narratives are interesting and inspirational. They represent diverse themes and hence speak to a wide range of readers’ preferences.  Your liking is catered for so explore the famous books by black authors on our listing. You may find your next read from the list so read on to find out more.

10 Most Famous African American Writers of All Times

Here are the 35 Famous Books by Black Authors you Should Read Right Away.

Fiction books by Black Authors

1. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Alice Walker giving a talk by Virginia DeBolt from Wikimedia Commons

This 1982 novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction in 1983. Because of its success, it was adapted into a film and musical of the same name.

In the book, Walker narrates the life of a young African-American woman called Celie raised in poverty living in isolated Georgia. Celie suffers life challenges like rape by her father, failed marriage, and separation from her children and sister Nettie.

The theme of the book is forgiveness and hope so in the end, Celie meets Shug who is a singer and magic-maker. Thus Celie finds her inner strength to face her struggles thanks to Shug’s help.

2. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

It is a 2015 science fantasy novel that won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2016. It’s the first release of the Broken Earth novel series. Afterward, The Obelisk Gate followed, and then came The Stone Sky.

The Fifth Season describes a society structured to survive nuclear winters. Conditions reach extremes as the sky is darkened due to pollution from the land. So it’s a desperate situation and survival is what matters. That is why Essun searches for her missing daughter at all costs.

3. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Brit Bennett by Emma Trim from Wikimedia Commons

A historical fiction novel published in 2020 and the second work of Brit Bennett. After its release, it became a number one fiction best-seller in The New York Times listing. Its commercial success saw HBO get the rights to develop a limited series in which Bennett was the executive producer.

The Vanishing Half is a story of the identical Vignes sisters. They run away from their hometown but one of them returns with her Black daughter. The other sister chooses to pass as a white woman. Yet both sisters have a close connection to each other even though they are separated.

Subsequently, the book tries to bring about the discussion of race. It also addresses the effects our past accounts have on our present as well as future life. Further, the book advances to paint the picture of why some people opt to take up someone else’s identity.

4. The Sellout by Paul Beatty

The novel was published in 2016 by both U.S. and UK publications. Hence in 2016, it won the Booker Prize, which is awarded to the best novel written in English and published in the UK or Ireland. Also, in the same year, it won the National Book Critics Circle Award (Fiction).

Beatty gives his book a Los Angeles setting. The main character is named “me” or “Bonbon”. He is caught up in court trials for charges of restoring slavery and segregation in his hometown of Dickens.

Bonbon blames his troubles on his upbringing especially his tenuous relationship with his father. Amidst all that, his hometown mysteriously disappears from the map. So he decides to restore the dignity of his area, Dickens by all means. This decision lands him in a Supreme Court case. The book tells the situation of racial relations in the U.S. in the modern day in the most satirical and humorous ways.

5. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

First-edition dust jacket cover of Invisible Man (1952) by E. McKnight Kauffer from Wikimedia Commons

Ellison published the novel in 1952. He addressed the social and intellectual issues faced by African Americans during the early twentieth century.

Moreover, it was the U.S. National Book Award winner for the Fiction category in 1953. It was on the 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005 list by Time magazine. Observers claim that Barack Obama’s 1995 memoir Dreams from My Father was modeled on this novel.

6. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

It was published in 1937 but had poor reception. It was later issued in 1978 and was acclaimed as influential African-American literature. In 2005 Time magazine ranked the novel among its 100 best English-language novels published since 1923.

Hurston uses a black protagonist teenage girl (Janie Crawford) in pursuit of her destiny. She falls in love but the grandmother disapproves of her choice of man and marries her off to an elderly man.

Janie keeps searching for her independence and quits three marriages in the process. Later, she gives up on marriage and returns to her home.

Find out facts about Zora Neale Hurston. 

7. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison by John Mathew Smith from Wikimedia Commons

Morrison discusses racism, incest, and child molestation subjects in her book. The book was published in 1970 and is centered in Ohio which was Morrison’s hometown.

This novel is about an African-American girl named Pecola. Her dark skin and mannerisms cause her to be dubbed “ugly”. It affects her self-esteem and makes her desire to have blue eyes which she associates with the white ladies.

8. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah Book Cover by Alfred A. Knopf from Wikimedia Commons

This literary work was published in 2013. It’s the 2013 U.S. National Book Critics Circle Award winner for fiction. The characters are Nigerian teenagers Ifemelu and Obinze who fall in love while in high school.

Ifemelu leaves her country for the U.S. to further her studies and Obinze hopes to join her but his visa is unsuccessful. He tries his luck in London and ends up as an undocumented immigrant after his visa expires.

Both face different challenges in their lives but they overcome and triumph in their respective entrepreneurial ventures. They return to their country and they consider reviving their relationship.

9. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Jesmyn Ward published her book in 2017. She focuses on addressing the different challenges faced by families using a fictional case based in Mississippi.

The book got a positive rating immediately after it hit the public domain. Thus it was listed among the 10 Best Books of 2017 according to The New York Times ranking.

10. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Author Ta-Nehisi Coates speaking at Oregon State University photo by Oregon State University from Wikimedia Commons

It was the first work of Coates, published in 2019. Hiram Walker is the main character and he has photographic memory yet can’t remember his late mother.

Walker uses his brain ability and storytelling to generate what is called a “conduction power” in the novel. Using this power he transports people via waterways across vast areas.

The book began as a leading New York Times fiction best-seller. What’s more, it was selected for the revival of Oprah’s Book Club in 2019.

11. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

This was Reid’s first work in 2019. She captures the events of a young Black woman babysitting white children. So she is wrongly accused of kidnapping one of the kids. Kiley describes the before, during, and aftermath of the situation. Additionally, it was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize.

Discover the 10 Incredibly Underrated African Authors You Need To Read Now.

12. Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Marlon James at the 2010 Brooklyn Book Festival by David Shankbone from Wikimedia Commons

This Jamaican writer draws inspiration from African history and mythology to curate an image of two kingdoms in war. What he calls the North and South kingdoms are in political tensions between themselves and their surroundings.

The potential of the book was seen by American actor, director, and producer Michael B. Jordan. He bought the rights to adapt the book into a film before its release.

13. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

The first publication of the book was in 1979. Butler was saluted as a science-fiction writer with many awards including the Hugo and Nebula awards.

Kindred according to Butler was sort of a grim fantasy and it has over time been listed as African-American literature. So it qualifies into different genres.

Dana finds herself torn between returning to her Los Angeles home and living with the plantation community (her ancestors). She desires to live in her time but finds living in the past with her ancestors just as practical, hence the dilemma.

14. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Ghanaian-American author Gyasi debuted writing with her historical fiction novel Homegoing in 2016. The story begins with a Ghanaian woman named Maame from the Asante community.

Maame is a mother of two daughters. Their names are Effia and Esi but they are half-sisters. Effia is married to the British governor in charge of a “slave castle”. Esi is taken into captivity in that same slave castle- Cape Coast Castle. Yaa shows the generations of these siblings throughout the book up to the eighth generation.

15. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson by US Embassy Sweden from Wikimedia Commons

This book was first published in 2019. Reviewers have various opinions on the book. For instance, Time magazine’s Joshunda Sanders says Woodson uses a minimalist style that says little but has a huge emotional impact on the reader. Sanders adds that the author triggers the subject of black formality, dignity, and traditions that are beyond the obvious.

16. The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

The 2021 novel has a storyline about a black woman working as the only Black person at a publishing company. This book unveils the struggles faced by black professional women in the publishing space in their quest for a successful career.

Its adaptation into a TV series is underway. Further, it was sold at an auction to Atria Publishing Group for more than $1 million.

17. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Colson Whitehead at 2011 Brooklyn Book Festival by editrrix from Wikimedia Commons

This book won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It was Whitehead’s second win after The Underground Railroad won the same award in 2017.

The story is based on the Dozier School, a reform school in Florida. The book depicts the operation of the school for over a century.  Then through university investigation, the facility’s history is uncovered.

Check out 10 African American Books You Should Read. 

18. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

Baldwin published the book in 1953. John Grimes, a teenager living in the 1930s is the protagonist. In the novel, the writer exposes the life of John’s biological parents and the hypocritical life of his religious stepfather.

The theme aims at showing the impact of Pentecostal churches on the lives of African Americans. It was listed among the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century by Modern Library in 1998. Furthermore, it was part of Time magazine’s list of 100 best English-language novels released from 1923 to 2005.

19. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

This play began on Broadway in 1959. Its title is borrowed from the poem Harlem by Langston Hughes. The play examines the impact of racial prejudice on the dreams of an African-American family. It involves a working-class family living in Chicago’s South Side during the era of the mid-twentieth century.

20. Swing Time by Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith announcing the five 2010 National Book Critics Circle finalists in fiction by David Shankbone from Wikimedia Commons

This is a story of best friends living in the same neighborhood in London. While in their twenties, their relationship breaks and they never get together again. The narrator seeks belonging and so she wonders whether that void should be filled by a best friend.

Non-Fiction Works by Black Authors

21. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

Michelle Alexander speaks at the Miller Center Forum, on December 3, 2011, by Miller Center from Wikimedia Commons

Michelle emphasizes that it’s socially unacceptable to use one’s race as a reason to shun them from society or deny them rights. On top of that, the book argues that the U.S. criminal justice system is often used for racial control. This happens in a bid to put in place the principle of colorblindness.

22. Becoming by Michelle Obama

This memoir by the former U.S. First Lady was appreciated by readers after its release in 2018. Michelle records her personal life accounts to encourage the reader.

She aims at letting her audience know they are important and they can achieve their dreams. It’s an uplifting read and full of optimism according to the reviews by most readers.

Explore Michelle Obama’s life with these, Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Michelle Obama.

23. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Hidden Figures author Margot Lee Shetterly, reads a passage from her book to an audience in 2016, by NASA/Aubrey Gemignani from Wikimedia Commons

This nonfiction work is the untold accomplishment of three black women in the Space industry. Margot Lee Shetterly, Coretta Scott King, and Laura Freeman best describe “The Power of Teamwork”.

These African-American women found themselves on the same job and they helped each other reach their potential. Shetterly describes how they looked out for each other to ensure none left their work with an error every day. Afterward, their group effort helped NASA launch men to space.

24. Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim

Edim compiled essays by black women writers into her book. It’s a good gesture of sisterhood. Some of the black women authors represented in her essay collections are Jesmyn Ward, Jacqueline Woodson, and more. To boot, Edim is the founder of the Well-Read Black Girl book club.

25. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Former U.S. President Barack Obama presenting Maya Angelou with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Office of the White House from Wikimedia Commons

This 1969 autobiography gives the record of poet and American writer Maya Angelou’s youthful years. It’s the first of a seven-volume book series.

Over and above that, Angelou’s strength in character and love for literature was her foundation for overcoming racism and trauma. This is evident throughout her book.

26. Around the Way Girl by Taraji P. Henson

Henson lets us into her life through her memoir. The American actress prides herself in winning the Golden Globe award. Further, she starred in the award-winning Hidden Figures film.

Taraji’s book is inspiring and centers on family, friends, and the effort required to will your way to success in Hollywood. Additionally, it also depicts the fulfillment one gets for living up to their beliefs or standards.

27. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

The title page of the 1845 edition of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass from Wikimedia Commons

It is a record of the Life of Frederick Douglass published in 1845. Douglass is a former slave and orator. The literary work is one of the most famous narratives penned by former slaves during Frederick’s time.

Read more about the life of Frederick Douglass with these facts here.

28. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This non-fiction work won the 2011 National Academies Communication Award. The award recognized Skloot’s work as the best creative work in educating the public on science, engineering, and medicine disciplines.

Famous Poetry books by Black Authors

29. Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

Claudia Rankine by John Lucas from Wikimedia Commons

Rankine puts together a series of lyric essays to form her poetry book. Citizen uses traditional lyric poetry style to bring out the imagery of United States racial relations.

30. The Black Unicorn: Poems by Audre Lorde

Lorde’s poems speak about everything in life. The poem collection delves into the topics of mothers, children, the strength and vulnerability of women, contemporary issues, warriors, and ancient magic.

31. Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans

Jasmine Mans touches on sensitive yet essential topics with her poetry. The poems build up into a love letter to the wandering Black girl seeking truth, healing, and identity in life.

Read more here, 15 Best Black Poets of All Times.

Short story collections

32. In Love and Trouble by Alice Walker

Walker tells the story of black women. In the different short stories, she shows how black women vary in a lot of things such as background, interests, and more. Yet their vulnerability to life has a way of binding them together.

Everyday Use is one of the most famed stories in this short story collection. It was first published in the April 1973 issue of Harper’s Magazine and has since been studied widely and often anthologized.

33. The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara

It was first published in 1972 and is narrated by a young girl called Sylvia who grew up in Harlem. She is taken on a cab ride to explore New York City with other kids from her neighborhood.

Miss Moore in the story is their neighbor and she is the one that takes the children on the trip. So they end up in the city and the kids find school supplies and a lot of things they had not seen before.

What’s more, the prices of everything to the children appear too high. That triggers Sylvia to decide to fight for herself to make it to the status of the people she saw in the city. The theme of the story is a lesson on inequality.

Young Adults (YA) books

34. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Author Tomi Adeyemi at the 2018 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, United States by Larry D. Moore from Wikimedia Commons

The Nigerian-American novelist Tomi Adeyemi published the young adult fantasy novel in 2018. She draws inspiration from novels such as Harry Potter.

Moreover, her observation of police shootings of black Americans sparked her desire to capture such issues in a book. After its release, the book was embraced with positive reviews. It was also number one on The New York Times best-seller list for young adult books.

35. The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

It is a Stonewall Book Award Winner and a Time Magazine Best YA Book Of All Time. Michael is the protagonist and he is a mixed-race gay teen. He tries to seek identity and faces the power of drag while in the university. Hence ends up as an artist and gay in a quest to embrace his uniqueness.

The list of famous books by Black authors is inexhaustible. What’s your current read? Or which is your favorite?