5 Must Read Books by Black Women
NOTE: There are NO affiliate links in this article. If you choose to purchase something from a link, I will not profit. You will get great books, though! So I would encourage you to select a few and try them out!
By this point, you’ve probably heard more than one thing about the Black Lives Matter movement. Some of it has probably been positive and realized the need for serious change in the way our society is structured. People taking a stand against what has proven to be more ugliness than most of us probably realized was there.
And some of it has probably been negative - from those people who don’t (or won’t) understand the true tragedy and magnitude of what has continued to happen to the black community for decades. I’ve seen comments that are downright hateful, and to be frank, pretty racist.
Our friends, people we know and love, have been affected on a level that most of us can’t even begin to imagine.
I don’t pretend to be an expert in race relations, and I certainly can’t claim any firsthand knowledge of the black experience. I am white, and that has extended me quite a bit of protection from daily microaggressions other people face.
What I do know is this: there is a LARGE portion of our communities that are hurting yet again. Our friends, people we know and love, have been affected on a level that most of us can’t even begin to imagine. And they are angry. And they should be. Everyone should be able to feel secure in their daily lives - that should NOT be a privilege, and unfortunately right now it is.
Change is uncomfortable.
Change is uncomfortable. Nothing changes when we are in our comfort zone, and there have been a lot of us who have been peeking out, wondering if our voices would actually make a difference. We have watched and empathized. Tried to listen and learn. But then didn’t take action on what we believed. We have been scared.
Let me rephrase that, I have been afraid to stand up.
Probably for selfish reasons. Probably because I avoid conflict that makes me emotional and angry. Probably because for my whole life I’ve been a people-pleaser: that is my comfort zone. The one where people like me.
The reality is, though, that my life is (comparatively) safe. I don’t have to worry when I go to the store, or when I get pulled over. People don’t look twice when I go into a ritzy store, or when I browse at something for a long time in the store. That’s the truth. I’m not an immediate suspect for things - in fact, I’m a person other people turn to and say “Did you see that?”
That is why it’s so important to stand up right now. I will likely mess up. I will probably offend people. I might even lose friends or future customers and clients. But this is too important for inaction.
If you are scared, too, but also realize that your voice can be powerful, let’s do it together.
I always advise people to do the thing that scares them, and I do this often myself. It helps us grow and be better. So this is me standing up scared. If you are scared, too, but also realize that your voice can be powerful, let’s do it together.
If you know me on a personal level, you know that I’m typically very apolitical. I’m never looking for a debate, and there are only a couple of issues that I feel strongly enough about to even broach the subject.
The thing about black lives is that they are not a political movement. They are HUMAN LIVES. The movement is about unnecessary and often brutal loss of precious, unique humans. It’s about protecting black citizens from violence, and changing the system that has condoned it for a long time.
I am one person, but I have a voice and a platform. Rather than using my voice to give information this week, I wanted to share some of my favorite books by black writers.
I want to take this space to amplify the powerful words of black writers who have shaped, and continue to shape, generations of readers.
Some of the best literature I’ve read (and I’ve read a lot) was written by black women. I want to take this space to amplify the powerful words of black writers who have shaped, and continue to shape, generations of readers. In the coming months, you will also see a purposeful diversification of book reviews & interviews to continue to include strong black voices.
Here are 5 of my favorite books by black women. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
ayiti by Roxane Gay
Roxane Gay, ayiti(2011)
About the Author
Brief Summary
ayiti is a collection of brief stories ruminating on the Hatian diaspora experience. With brief pieces like “The Dirt We Do Not Eat,” Gay expresses the intricacies of stereotyping and the damage of assumption. Part fictional, part non-fictional, and with a little poetry thrown into the mix, Gay’s collection brings to light the often unspoken emotion of Hatian immigrants, emigrants, and Hatian-Americans.
Favorite Passage
from “About My Father’s Accent”
“For many years, we didn’t realize our parents had accents, that their voices sounded different to unkind American ears. All we heard was home. Then the world intruded. It always does.”
Author Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rml6KQlLIsA&t=57s
Other Works
An Untamed State(2014) - Novel
Bad Feminist (2014) - Essay Collection
World of Wakanda (2016) - Novel
Difficult Women (2017) - Story Collection
Hunger (2017) - Memoir
Not That Bad (2018) - Anthology
Best American Short Stories (2018) - Guest Edited Collection
ayiti (Grove Press) (2018) - Story Collection
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison, Beloved(1988)
About the Author
Brief Summary
Beloved is a novel about former slave, Sethe, who is working to support herself and her daughter. She lives in a house haunted by her dead baby, but finds love in Paul D, another former slave. When a mystery women, Beloved, shows up, things start getting weird. Although the town has always forsaken Sethe and her house, they rally to protect her by driving Beloved out.
Favorite Passage
“She moved him. Not the way he had beat off the baby’s ghost - all bang and shriek with windows smashed and jelly jars rolled in a heap. But she moved him nonetheless, and Paul D didn’t know how to stop it because it looked like he was moving himself.”
Author Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPuQxcD2l2o
Other Works (Note, this is only a small selection of her work!)
The Bluest Eye(1970) - Novel
Sula (1973) - Novel
Song of Solomon(1977) - Novel
Jazz(1992) - Novel
Paradise(1997) - Novel
A Mercy (2008) - Novel
The Source of Self-Regard(2019) - Non-fiction Essay Collection
More comprehensive list here
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God(1937)
About the Author
Brief Summary
In this novel, Janie tells her story to friend, Phoeby, while sitting together on her porch. Janie tells of her escape from multiple loveless marriages, and a love affair ending in tragedy. The townspeople might gossip, but Janie is at peace.
Favorite Passage
“Of course he wasn’t dead. He could never be dead until she herself had finished feeling and thinking. The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall. Here was peace. She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see.”
Author Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucu9qKY20bw
Other Works (Note, this is only a small selection of her work!)
Jonah’s Gourd Vine(1933) - Novel
Mules and Men(1935) - Collection of folklore
Tell My Horse (1938) - Study of Voodoo
Moses, Man of the Mountain (1939) - Novel
Full list of published works here
Citizen by Claudia Rankine
Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric(2014)
About the Author
Brief Summary
Citizen explores themes of race and black experience in the United States through a poem with many formats. The book also features expressive images and purposeful use of color and white space to make its points.
Favorite Passage
“The sunrise is slow and cloudy, dragging the light in, but barely.
Did you win? he asks.
It wasn’t a match, I say. It was a lesson.”
Author Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upCFbREUvtk
Other Works
Nothing in Nature is Private (1994) - Poetry Collection
Plot (2001) - Poetry Collection
Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric(2004)
Si toi aussi tu m'abandonnes ballade américaine(2010) - Documentary Poetry (in French)
The End of the Alphabet (2015) - Poetry Collection
Full list of other types of published work here
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Alice Walker, The Color Purple(1982)
About the Author
Brief Summary
Celie’s life has been one hardship after another. The various traumatic events don’t stop her from faithfully writing letters to God, or her sister Nettie. Though her life started in hardship in rural Georgia, she finds unexpected love, and is ultimately able to break out of the shell of a personality others have created for her throughout her life.
Favorite Passage
“I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever was or ever will be. And when you feel that, and be happy to feel that, you’ve found It.”
Author Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoNSQsXL_CM
Other Works (Note, this is only a small selection of her work!)
Once(1976) - Poetry Collection
You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down (1982) - Story Collection
The Third Life of Grange Copeland(1988) - Novel
Meridian (1989) - Novel
By the Light of My Father’s Smile (1999) - Novel
Now is the Time to Open Your Heart (2004) - Novel
Full list of published works here
For More Recommendations:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/30/t-magazine/black-women-writers.html
https://www.ywboston.org/2018/02/14-black-women-writers-read-year-round/
https://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/10-black-authors-to-read/