Local authors suggest books for Black History Month

Across the country, conservative ideologues have targeted books by and about marginalized communities for years. Black authors have been caught in the crossfire of recent debates about how to teach the history of slavery and racism in America. Last year, a Texas school temporarily banned two books by Newbery Medal-winning author Jerry Craft, and in Virginia, parents complained about Tiffany D. Jackson’s novel “Monday’s Not Coming.”

Amid this troubling trend, it’s more vital than ever to read and support work by diverse authors. As Black History Month kicks off this week, I asked Bay Area authors to recommend their favorites.

“Forty years ago, a woman of color had to be green to get any traction with speculative fiction publishers,” said Jewelle Gomez, novelist and playwright. “Fortunately, Octavia Butler’s firm grip pried opened the gate for dozens more to follow. Not the least of those is Stephanie Andrea Allen.”

Allen is the founder BLF Press, a Black feminist publishing house, and author of “How to Dispatch a Human: Stories and Suggestions.”

“Her book is sparked by lesbian characters who defy any trope: a calculating partner who utilizes her smart security system entity to steal her lover’s baby — chilling! At the other end of the spectrum, there’s the driver who collects motorized rental scooters. She’s LOL funny, especially as she aids a group of renegade scooters making a break for freedom,” Gomez said. “These Afro Futuristic stories remind me how myopic publishers have been and how humans can be both heartbreaking and glorious.”

Novelist Monica West selected “Salvage the Bones” by Jesmyn Ward, which “stuns with poetic prose from the first page. The novel tells the story of 15-yearold Esch and her family as Hurricane Katrina barrels toward their home in Mississippi. Although the book takes place over the course of eight days — with each chapter telling the story of one day — there is nothing small about its scope,” said West, author of “Revival Season.”

“As Hurricane Katrina swirls ever closer and makes landfall, Ward brings the family to its breaking point with deft tenderness for her characters. Her beautiful, unflinching language often belies the brutality and bleakness in this world, but she never invites us to look away. Rather, Ward’s portrait of a family in turmoil asks readers to think about universal ideas like birth, life, love and family,” she added. “It’s a tightly woven, exquisitely crafted masterpiece of fiction that everyone should read.”

La Rhonda Crosby-Johnson recommends Sadeqa Johnson’s “Yellow Wife.” “I have always been drawn to literature that sheds light on the ‘peculiar institution’ of American slavery,” said Crosby-Johnson, author of “Unveiled.”

“This story takes you into the life of an enslaved 18-year-old woman, Pheby Delores Brown. She goes from living with her loving and protective mother on a Virginia plantation to becoming the mistress or ‘yellow wife’ of a slave jailer. … [Her] painstaking research into the brutality of the business of human bondage is evident in every word and provides a vivid and visceral reading experience,” Johnson continued. “I smelled the stench of the slave pens. I felt terror as Pheby learned to navigate her new life. Anyone who has not lived as chattel finds it easy to say what we would or would not have done. After reading ‘Yellow Wife’ you will never do that again.”

For novelist Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Bryan Terry’s “Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora” is “a joy-filled — and joy-inducing — book.”

“It is a truly delicious global cookbook and more. In addition to recipes, the book includes essays, history, art and even a music playlist,” said Manyika, the author, most recently, of the novel “Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun.” “From George McCalman’s stunning cover art, to Herbie Hancock’s ‘Succotash,’ to Elle Simone Scott’s vegan black-eyed pea beignets served with warm spiced sugar and green tomato jam — a literal feast for the eyes, ears and taste buds.”

“It’s a tightly woven, exquisitely crafted masterpiece of fiction that everyone should read.” Monica West on Jesmyn Ward’s “Salvage the Bones”