In news that should surprise no one-books were really popular. In fact, New York Times reported that print sale units rose eight percent, with e-books and audiobooks seeing a small increase as well. The pandemic stripped us of group gatherings, restaurant dates, and offline shopping.
Home became our workspace and entertainment center. It was only a matter of time before our bookshelves joined the party. Whereas a lot of us may have read on our commute, reading became a way to reclaim peace and enjoy a little escapism in the midst of a chaotic year.
Still, Black women authors are responsible for some of the most compelling books to hit shelves, while also challenging systemic bias. The publishing industry is notorious for its unfair pay practices and exclusion of PoC in decision-making, as evidenced by the #PublishingPaidMe social media campaign that went viral.
Across the diaspora, Black women writers aren’t just celebrated for their prowess as novelists, but also for their strength as essayists, memoirists, and critics. From literary theorists to pop culture critiques and everything in between, writers like Toni Morrison, Toni Cade Bambara, Samantha Irby, and Zadie Smith fuse the personal and the political through their examination of the world that surrounds them.
With fervor and unwavering foresight, the recommended writers on this list are an example of why Black women’s voices should not just be championed, but also should be listened to.
Read also: Literature and African History
From the earliest days of American literature, Black women have made invaluable contributions-although their work was often discounted, criticized, or ignored. To counter this history, the online publication Zora (named for author Zora Neale Hurston) created The Zora Canon, a collection of the 100 most prominent books written by African American women.
“To our knowledge,” write the editors of Zora, “no one has ever compiled a comprehensive list specifically featuring the finest literary works produced by African American women authors. We decided to undertake that effort both to honor that still underappreciated group of writers and to provide [readers] with a handy reference guide to their work.
The books were compiled in consultation with a panel of academics, critics, authors, editors, and authorities on African American women’s literature, who each added to the final list. The result was 100 works spanning more than a century and a half in a huge variety of genres and styles, including novels, plays, poetry, memoirs, anthologies, and scholarly works.
“Taken together,” write the editors, “the works don’t just make up a novel canon; they form a revealing mosaic of the Black American experience during the time period. They’re also just great reads.
As part of our commitment to offering Universal Access to All Knowledge, the Internet Archive works to share literature from diverse perspectives-which is why we were pleased to discover that most of the books in the Zora Canon are already available in our collections. Many of them are available for checkout-all you have to do is sign up for a digital library card-while a few are in the public domain, allowing anybody to download them without limitation.
Read also: African American Urban Fiction
Here are some notable books from African American women authors:
- African American Music: An Introduction by Mellonee V. Burnim and Portia K.
- All Bound Up Together: The Woman Question in African American Public Culture, 1830-1900 by Martha S.
- All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave edited by Gloria T.
- Beyond Respectability: The Intellectual Thought of Race Women by Brittney C.
- Blue-Chip Black by Karyn R.
- Fledgling by Octavia E.
- Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y.
- Killing the Black Body by Dorothy E.
- Our Nig by Harriet E.
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia E.
- Parable of the Talents by Octavia E.
- Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in School by Monique W.
- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D.
- The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton edited by Kevin Young and Michael S.
- The Fifth Season by N. K.
- The Red Record by Ida B.
Reading is back IN. Okay, maybe it was never “out,” but there were about 4 good years where I didn’t really pick up a book. After falling back in love with reading, I now know that my hiatus was because I simply wasn’t picking up the right books. In the last few years, I’ve read a little over 60 books, many by Black women authors. And as you can expect, I was thoroughly entertained. But more than anything, I felt seen.
Here are some recommendations:
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Stay With Me by Ayobámi Adébáyo
I’ll be honest-this book moved a little slow for me in the beginning. It was one of the first books where I really had to take a deep dive into a culture and customs I didn’t quite understand. It is set in Africa, and while the couple has a westernized, made-for-movie love story, they begin to lean into cultural traditions as the main character struggles to conceive.
Read also: A Look at Leisure in South Africa
Not only does she struggle to conceive, but when she does give birth, the child doesn’t live for long. Eventually, her husband decides to take on another wife who can give him a child.
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In Every Mirror She’s Black / Everything is Not Enough by Lola Akinmade Akerstrom
Black women are not a monolith by any means, but when it boils down to it, don’t we all deal with similar experiences? The first book follows three women in Sweden, all uniquely tied to one of the area’s most influential white men. Brittany, an American love interest. Kemi, a high-powered executive, scouted to repair his company’s racial faux-pas. She’s plucked from the States where finding love felt near impossible, and dropped in a place where it seems even harder. And Muna, a Somali refugee, who gets a job cleaning the office and can’t seem to catch a break.
As you read, you begin to connect the pieces. Subtle and overt racism unfolds in love, career, and everyday interactions, coming to a head in a shocking scene. To me, this book was fabulous. I really loved the characters. I enjoyed the storylines and I ate it up.
Now, I will say… reading just one of these books will leave so much to be desired. They are really meant to be taken in as a set. Book One leaves so many unanswered questions, and so little character development. But in Book Two, we get back into it.
“Gorgeous and gripping, Hands is a poetic page-turner. You might just finish it in one sitting. Torrey Maldonado understands the kids he writes for at the deepest level.” -Adam Gidwitz, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Inquisitor’s Tale.
The author of What Lane? Graphic novels to read anywhere: DC Compact Comics collect DC’s bestselling, most iconic stories in a new size!
The first murder in 500 years. Twenty billion suspects. Discover the groundbreaking series that became a global sensation―over 2 million books sold! An instant New York Times bestseller!
Travel through time with National Book Award Finalist Kekla Magoon in a page-turning fantasy adventure about family secrets and finding the courage to plot your own life story. Since Grandpa died, Dally’s days are dull and restricted.
Miss Edmonia (a nod to American sculptor, Edmonia Lewis) and her class of elementary--aged WILDFIRES are spending the day at the art museum. Follow Kara-Clementine and Attilio as they explore the museum's collection and discover the character traits that make them special.
Beneath the endless sands of the Sahara lies a secret, one of epic proportions that, if uncovered, would shatter mankind's current perceptions of all that is past, and all that is possible.
A poignant, rousing debut book of poetry, full of life, from the former Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland, Californiawoke up no light is a Black girl’s saunter turned to a woman’s defiant strut. These are the hymns of a new generation of poetry. Young, alive, yearning.
A gripping page-turner from the celebrated author of book club favorite The Violin Conspiracy: Music professor Bern Hendricks discovers a shocking secret about the most famous American composer of all time-his music may have been stolen from a Black Jazz Age prodigy named Josephine Reed.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Blue skies, empty land-and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret. A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND INDIE BESTSELLER!
Infinity Alchemist is a spellbinding fantasy novel about a quest that leads three young alchemists toward dangerous truth, legendary love, and extraordinary power. In this poetic memoir, Nastashia Minto strips herself of who she used to be and gives readers permission to see her naked. Exploring topics of family, faith, race, sexuality, abuse, love, and identity, Minto's words dig up rootbound emotions in need of better soil.
A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK | A National Bestseller | Winner of the Ernest J. Celebrate iconic childhood joys in this love letter to summer featuring bright, sun-drenched art, from New York Times bestselling creators Renée Watson and Bea Jackson. Summer is here! No dark clouds in the sky, it's a perfect day for play. What joy will summer bring me today?
From acclaimed short fiction writer Nisi Shawl comes a brilliant alternate history set in the Congo, where heroes strive for a Utopia and endeavor to live together despite their differences.
“Absolutely charming... A Lesson in Vengeance meets The Taking of Jake Livingston in this page-turning dark academia novel about a queer Black teen who discovers the sinister history of his boarding school and the corrupt powers behind it all. One of TIME’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All TimeWinner of the L.A. “Masterfully flips the first installment on its head...
Here is a table summarizing some of the mentioned books and their authors:
| Book Title | Author | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| Stay With Me | Ayobámi Adébáyo | Fiction |
| In Every Mirror She’s Black | Lola Akinmade Akerstrom | Fiction |
| Parable of the Sower | Octavia E. Butler | Science Fiction |
| Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry | Mildred D. Taylor | Historical Fiction |
| The Red Record | Ida B. Wells | Non-Fiction |
