Thankfully, a brilliant group of contemporary African American authors is giving our foremothers the spotlight, the mic, and the flowers they deserve. These books aren’t just historical-they’re her-storical. They speak to the resilience, brilliance, and boldness of Black women whose names you need to know. Here are some works of historical fiction for teens and adults centered on Black experiences in American history.
Best fiction set in the past in which the main characters are black/African-American/British black/African, etc.
Celebrating Unsung Heroines
You may know the Harlem Renaissance, but do you know Jessie Redmon Fauset? She was the first and only literary editor of The NAACP’s Crisis Magazine and a literary queenmaker who helped launch Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Nella Larson and others.
Before Meghan Markle made headlines, there was Sarah Forbes Bonetta-a brilliant, real-life African princess dropped straight into the heart of Queen Victoria’s court. Kidnapped and enslaved as a child, Sarah is “rescued” and presented to the Queen as a living gift (yes, a gift). But Sarah isn’t just a royal accessory-she’s a linguistic prodigy, a composer and a force with a crown-worthy intellect. Bryce paints a stunning portrait of a girl caught between continents, cultures and expectations, from West Africa to Windsor Castle to Sierra Leone.
Move over, Bridgerton-Dorothy “Doll” Kirwan Thomas was building empires, sipping rum and collecting coins centuries before anyone thought to write a corset scene. Born into slavery on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, Doll bought not only her freedom but that of her mother and sister, then hustled her way to the top of colonial society. Riley spins a sumptuous tale of a woman who became one of the wealthiest landowners in the West Indies, juggling lovers, merchants and even a future king (yes, that King William IV).
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Before Gucci, Dior, or McQueen, there was Ann Lowe-the Black fashion designer behind Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress. Yep, that dress.
Titles to Explore
- The Unexpected Diva by Tiffany L. Step aside, Aretha, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield was snatching wigs with her soprano before the Civil War. Known as “The Black Swan,” Eliza was a tall, dark-skinned, full-figured opera powerhouse who didn’t fit the dainty European mold-but honey, when she sang, even the Queen of England had to stop and listen.
- Inspired by a true case that’ll make your blood boil, this story follows Civil Townsend, a young nurse in 1970s Alabama who uncovers a dark secret: Black girls being sterilized without consent.
- You’ve heard of queens in castles, but have you heard of the queen of Appalachia? Meet Louella, the real-life formerly enslaved woman who helped lead a group of freedmen and women to build the Kingdom of the Happy Land-a thriving refuge tucked in the mountains of North and South Carolina after the Civil War. Over two decades on the Montgomery Plantation, Louella learned to survive on pure hate, but when her husband William dares to dream of a different life, she finds herself leading a people toward hope.
- Meet Josephine N. Leary, a real estate mogul before it was sexy. Born into slavery, she built a property empire in North Carolina while juggling motherhood, marriage and microaggressions (before we had the word for it).
- Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, this lyrical debut follows Claudia “Cece” Washington, a student activist swept up in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
- By Randi Pink. Though they’ve attended the same schools, Isaiah never noticed Angel as anything but a dorky, Bible toting church girl. Then their English teacher offers them a job on her mobile library, a three-wheel, two-seater bike. Angel can’t turn down the money and Isaiah is soon eager to be in such close quarters with Angel every afternoon. But life changes on May 31, 1921 when a vicious white mob storms the community of Greenwood, leaving the town destroyed and thousands of residents displaced.
- By Ilyasah Shabazz. A powerful middle-grade novel about the childhood activism of Malcolm X’s wife, written by their daughter, describes how young Betty finds confidence and purpose by volunteering for the Housewives League in 1945 Detroit, learning skills and developing awareness that inspires her future as a Civil Rights icon.
- By Ta-Nehisi Coates. A Virginia slave narrowly escapes a drowning death through the intervention of a mysterious force that compels his escape and personal underground war against slavery.
- By James McBride. Fleeing her violent master at the side of legendary abolitionist John Brown at the height of the slavery debate in mid-19th-century Kansas Territory, Henry pretends to be a girl to hide his identity throughout the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.
- By Kaitlyn Greenidge. An African-American, sign-language-fluent family is hired by a private research institute-with a shocking, secret past-to teach sign language to a chimpanzee who will live as part of their household.
Here is a summary table of the books mentioned, highlighting key aspects:
| Title | Author | Main Character Focus | Historical Period/Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Unexpected Diva | Tiffany L. | Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield | Pre-Civil War |
| [Unnamed] | [Author] | Civil Townsend | 1970s Alabama |
| [Unnamed] | [Author] | Louella | Post-Civil War Appalachia |
| [Unnamed] | [Author] | Josephine N. Leary | [Not Specified] North Carolina |
| [Unnamed] | [Author] | Claudia “Cece” Washington | Civil Rights Movement |
| [Unnamed] | Randi Pink | Angel & Isaiah | 1921 Greenwood |
| [Unnamed] | Ilyasah Shabazz | Betty Shabazz | 1945 Detroit |
| [Unnamed] | Ta-Nehisi Coates | [Not Specified] | Virginia, Slavery Era |
| [Unnamed] | James McBride | Henry | 1859 Kansas Territory |
| [Unnamed] | Kaitlyn Greenidge | [Not Specified] | [Not Specified] |
Yes, yours truly wrote this one-and I poured my whole heart into honoring Hattie McDaniel, the first Black woman to win an Oscar (and the first to have to fight tooth and nail just to sit in the room). This book dives into Hattie’s journey from maid roles to movie star, and the behind-the-scenes pain that came with her spotlight.
Brace yourself. This one’s heavy-but necessary. Pheby Delores Brown is born into relative privilege as the daughter of her enslaver and a favored house slave, with the promise of freedom dangling just within reach. But that promise is shattered when she’s torn from her family and forced into the brutal reality of the (real life) Devil’s Half-Acre jail-a hellish slave-trading prison in Richmond, Virginia. There, she must navigate the violent whims of her jailer, make unthinkable choices and summon an inner strength that defies the cruelty surrounding her.
Having watched her village torched, witnessed her family killed, and been kidnapped by slave traders, Amari arrives on Mr.
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This novel dives into her life and secret love affair with W.E.B.
I poured my whole heart into honoring Hattie McDaniel, the first Black woman to win an Oscar (and the first to have to fight tooth and nail just to sit in the room). This book dives into Hattie’s journey from maid roles to movie star, and the behind-the-scenes pain that came with her spotlight.
History of African-Americans - Animation
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