17 Captivating New Books by Black Authors To Read During Black History Month (And All Year Round)

‘The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store’ by James McBride

Named the Best Book of the Year by NPR, Washington Post, The New Yorker, and more, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride made quite a splash when it was published last year.

The novel tells the story of the dilapidated neighborhood of Chicken Hill, where immigrant Jews and African Americans live side-by-side and bond with the struggles of daily life. “As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive,” the description reads. 

‘The House of Eve’ by Sadeqa Johnson

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson tells two alternating and equally fascinating storylines. One lead is Ruby, a fifteen-year-old girl who’s determined to put the dire situation of her upbringing behind her and become the first person in her family to graduate college. That is, however, until her forbidden relationship with her landlord’s son Shimmy risks it all. 

The other story, which follows Howard University student Eleanor, tells the story of a hard-working student who just happens to fall in love with William Pride, the heir to one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families. Once again, her future is lying in the balance. 

“With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways, Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives,” the description reads. 

‘Maame’ by Jessica George

Maame by Jessica George tells the story of Maddie, a young woman who’s reached a rut in her daily life of continuing a job she hates and taking care of her ill father. When her mom returns from a trip to Ghana, Maddie feels energized to finally do all the “firsts” she’s been craving. “She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating,” the description reads. That is, however, until tragedy strikes and her world turns upside down yet again. 

‘Chain Gang All Stars’ by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah tells the story of Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker, the fan favorites of the Chain-Gang All-Stars, “the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly popular, highly controversial profit-raising program in America’s increasingly dominant private prison industry.” Before one fight, despite Thurwar being close to finding her freedom, she begins to rethink the harm she’s causing her adversaries, something that CAPE’s owners are obviously not a fan of. 

“Like Orwell’s 1984 and Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Adjei-Brenyah’s book presents a dystopian vision so upsetting and illuminating that it should permanently shift our understanding of who we are and what we’re capable of doing. . . .” write one Goodreads reviewer. 

‘Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?’ by Crystal Smith Paul

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul follows three Black and wealthy sisters, the St. John sisters, as they inherit a multimillion-dollar estate from silver screen icon Kitty Karr Tate. The sudden connection, of course, raises eyebrows, including from Elsie St. John herself, who then begins a mission to find out why Kitty did what she did.

“The truth behind Kitty’s ascent to stardom from her beginnings in the segregated South threatens to expose a web of unexpected family ties, debts owed, and debatable crimes that could, with one pull, unravel the all-American fabric of the St. John sisters and those closest to them,” the description reads. 

‘All the Sinners Bleed’ by S.A. Cosby

Announced as one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Year, All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby tells the fictional story of Titus Crown, the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County, Virginia. A year into the role, the town suffers two homicides that change everything. “As Titus investigates the shootings, he unearths terrible crimes and a serial killer who has been hiding in plain sight, haunting the dirt lanes and woodland clearings of Charon,” the description reads.

‘River Sing Me Home’ by Eleanor Shearer

River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer tells the heartbreaking story of Rachel, a former slave who escapes her owner after the Emancipation Act of 1834 comes into effect in Barbados. After fleeing, Rachel has one goal in mind: to find the five kids of hers that survived and were sold. “This is the story of Rachel and the extraordinary lengths to which a mother will go to find her children…and her freedom,” the description reads. 

‘Lone Women’ by Victor Lavalle

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle follows Adelaide Henry, a woman who carries a locked steamer trunk with her wherever she goes because when it opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear. After fleeing to Montana, she then becomes one of the “lone women,” aka a woman who’s taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it. “The secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory,” the description reads.

‘Family Meal’ by Bryan Washington

Family Meal by Bryan Washington follows the life of Cam, someone whose life is falling apart after the love of his life, Kai, passes away. To escape this sad reality, Cam returns to his hometown of Houston and meets his former best friend, TJ. Together, the two slowly try to understand their new dynamic. “Spanning Los Angeles, Houston, and Osaka, Family Meal is a story about how the people who know us the longest can hurt us the most, but how they also set the standard for love,” the description reads. 

‘One Summer in Savannah’ by Terah Shelton Harris

One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Haris tells the moving story of Sara Lancaster as she returns to her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, eight years after a horrifying sexual assault. During her time there, she does the best she can to keep her eight-year-old daughter, Alana, away from the Wylers, the family of the man who assaulted her. That is, however, until she crosses paths with Jacob, her assaulter’s twin brother. 

“This, my friends, is a must-read,” recommends one Goodreads commenter. 

‘The List’ by Yomi Adegoke

In this Good Morning America book club pick, The List by Yomi Adegoke tells the story of successful journalist Ola Olajide right when an anonymous list comes out involving which includes the name of her charming fiancé Michael. This List, which is filled with scandalous allegations, makes Ola doubt everything she knows about Michael and their relationship. 

“Challenging the discourse of victim blaming and online witch hunts, The List doesn’t promise any answers – and it needn’t,” writes one Goodreads reviewer. “What it does do is ask provocative questions, and does so fearlessly, unafraid to wade into the grey, murky waters of abuse and its victims, the annihilation of abusers left at risk to themselves, and unsightly acts of revenge.”

‘Leslie F*cking Jones’ by Leslie Jones

If you’re a fan of comedian and actress Leslie Jones, then her best-selling memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones, might be your next book! In the book, Jones opens up about her life, from her childhood to her rise to stardom. 

“Whether I’m talking about my childhood growing up in the South, my early stand-up days driving from gig to gig through the darkest parts of our country and praying I wouldn’t get murdered, what Chris Rock told Lorne Michaels, that time I wanted to shoot Whoopi Goldberg on SNL, and yeah, I’ll tell you all about Ghostbusters and the nudes and Supermarket Sweep and The Daily Show . . . I’m sharing it all on these pages,” Jones writes in the description. 

‘Quietly Hostile’ by Samantha Irby

Written by comedian Samantha Irby, Quietly Hostile is a collection of hilarious and witty stories about her personal life that has readers from all over cackling. “Funny, depreciating essays with keen observations, but mostly a lot of bodily humor and judgment,” writes one Goodreads reviewer. “Yes, please.”

‘Black Friend’ by Ziwe Fumudoh

In another title from a celebrity many of us know and love, Black Friend by Ziwe Fumudoh is a series of essays and short stories from the TV personality’s life. “Throughout the book, Ziwe combines pop-culture commentary and personal stories, which grapple with her own (mis)understanding of identity,” the description reads. “From a hilarious case of mistaken identity via a jumbotron to a terrifying fight-or-flight encounter in the woods, Ziwe raises difficult questions for comedic relief.”

‘Congratulations, The Best Is Over!’ by R. Eric Thomas

In another collection of essays in this list, Congratulations, The Best Is Over! by R. Eric Thomas shares “nitty, and sometimes the gritty” stories of author R. Eric Thomas as he grapples with his changing identity after moving back home to Baltimore. 

“From attending his twenty-year high school reunion and discovering another person’s face on his name badge to splattering an urgent care room with blood à la The Shining, to being terrorized by a plague of gay frogs who’ve overtaken his backyard, Thomas provides the nitty, and sometimes the gritty, details of wrestling with the life he thought he’d left behind while trying to establish a new one,” the description reads. 

‘Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America’ by Michael Harriot

In Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America, author Michael Harriot takes the sugarcoat out of American history and teaches readers about the real, factual, and racist truths that make up the United States. “It should come as no surprise that the dominant narrative of American history is blighted with errors and oversights—after all, history books were written by white men with their perspectives at the forefront,” the description reads. “It could even be said that the devaluation and erasure of the Black experience is as American as apple pie.”

‘How to Say Babylon’ by Safiya Sinclair

In another memoir on this list, How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair tells the story of a young woman whose father, concerned with Babylon (the immoral and corrupting influences of the Western world outside their home), forbids almost everything from his family, from their clothes to their friends. With time, Safiya’s frustration begins to take form. 

“Inevitably, with her rebellion comes clashes with her father, whose rage and paranoia explodes in increasing violence,” the description reads. “As Safiya’s voice grows, lyrically and poetically, a collision course is set between them.”