USA TODAY International Edition
Our must- read list likely will last you more than a month
Black history is too rich to cover in a mere month, and so too is Black literature. But if you’re looking for some fresh titles by Black authors to add to your to- be- read pile this Black History Month, we’ve got some recommendations on where to start. h We’ve curated a list of 10 recently published and critically acclaimed works of fiction and nonfiction by Black authors that speak to Black history, culture, power and beauty. h The list features titles as diverse as trailblazing actress Cicely Tyson’s heartfelt memoir released just days before her death at 96, a community Black history edited by “How to Be an Antiracist” author Ibram X. Kendi and the latest YA masterpiece from “The Hate U Give” author Angie Thomas.
1. “Just As I Am,” by Cicely Tyson ( HarperCollins, nonfiction)
This meditative, revelatory memoir is Tyson’s first. It also proved to be her last. The legendary actress and groundbreaking Black icon died at age 96 on Jan. 28, just two days after her book’s publication. It reads like a parting gift, pulling back the curtain on her youth growing up in Brooklyn and the seven- decades- long career that followed and blazed a path for Black artists everywhere. Tyson’s text is rich with lived history, as well as historical notes that provide context to past and current unrest and racial strife.
2. “Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619- 2019,” edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain ( One World, nonfiction)
The authors of “How to Be an Antiracist” and “Set the World on Fire” edit this community history of African Americans from 90 writers, which includes historical essays, short stories and personal vignettes. “An impeccable, epic, essential vision of American history as a whole and a testament to the resilience of Black people,” Kirkus Reviews says.
3. “The Prophets,” by Robert
Jones Jr. ( Putnam, fiction)
Jones’ powerful debut novel centers on a forbidden love between Isaiah and Samuel, two enslaved gay men who manage to sustain a romantic relationship on a Mississippi plantation. “‘ The Prophets’ is packed with otherworldly and supremely artful storytelling, and readers will surely get lost in a radiant romance. But most important, Jones adds to the growing body of literature that reimagines slavery,” reads a eeee review for USA TO
DAY. 4. “A Promised Land,” by Barack Obama ( Crown, nonfiction)
“Whatever you do won’t be enough, I heard their voices say. Try anyway.” That was Obama musing in Oslo, Norway, the night after the Nobel Prize awards ceremony in which he was given the Nobel Peace Prize. He was reflecting on all the work still ahead of him, all the war and strife that still needed ending. But it could serve as the log line for the whole of the first volume of his presidential memoirs, which finds the 59- year- old former president reflecting on the space between his presidential ambitions and the political reality that hampered them. He also gets candid about the racism he faced as America’s first Black president.
“A Promised Land” was USA TODAY’s bestselling book of 2020.
5. “Black Futures,” by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham ( One World, nonfiction)
This expansive compendium of work in different mediums – including photos, essays, poetry, recipes, tweets and memes – represents the radical imagination and provocative work being done by Black creators today. Morgan Parker, Solange Knowles, Ta- Nehisi Coates and Amy Sherald are just some of the voices highlighted.
“A must- own compendium illustrating the richness, joy, and power of the modern Black experience,” says a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.
6. “Concrete Rose,” by Angie Thomas ( Balzer + Bray, fiction)
Thomas revisits Garden Heights 17 years before the events of massive bestseller “The Hate U Give” in a prequel that explores Maverick Carter’s coming- ofage. When the dope- slinging son of a former gang legend finds out he’s going to be a father, he starts to learn what it means to really be a man.
“This literary DeLorean transports readers into the past, where they hope, dream, and struggle alongside beloved characters from Thomas’ ‘ The Hate U Give,’” says a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, calling it a “resounding success.”
7. “The African Lookbook,” by Catherine E. Mc
Kinley ( Bloomsbury, nonfiction)
The curator and scholar who specializes in African photography, art, textiles and fashion draws on her collection of historical and contemporary photographs of African girls and women for a striking visual history spanning decades. McKinley’s commentary pays special attention to clothing and accessories as indicators of identity and status. “Packed with arresting images and incisive analysis, this well- conceived survey tells a powerful story of African liberation,” Publishers Weekly says.
8. “Ida B. The Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells,” by Michelle Duster ( Atria/ One Signal, nonfiction)
Wells was a trailblazing investigative journalist, suffragist and crusader, and a leader in the Civil Rights movement who helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Here, Wells’ great- granddaughter pens an accessible celebration of her ancestor.
“Enriched by family history, striking illustrations, and deep knowledge of the ongoing fight for racial justice, this is a worthy introduction to Wells’ life and legacy,” says Publishers Weekly.
9. “One of the Good Ones,” by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite ( Inkyard, fiction)
A teenage Black activist and YouTuber dies in mysterious circumstances after taking part in a social justice rally and she’s valorized as a victim in the fight against police brutality. Her devastated sister Happi, bothered by the idealized way her sister is remembered, embarks on a journey to honor her in her own way, using a copy of “The Negro Motorist Green Book” as her guide.
A starred review from Kirkus Reviews calls the YA book “Close to perfection.”
10. “Finish the Fight!: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote,” by Veronica Chambers and the staff of The New York Times ( Versify/ HMH, nonfiction)
This illustrated introduction to women of color and queer women who fought to expand voting rights in America skips the famous names to shine a light on the diverse heroes often overlooked. African American, Native American, Asian American, Latinx and queer suffragists such as Mary Eliza Church Terrell, who cofounded the National Association of Colored Women, are featured alongside gorgeous portraits. A perfect introduction to the movement for young readers. A starred review from Publishers Weekly calls it “A welcome, more inclusive panorama of suffrage history.”