Black History Month Book Picks for Every Reader Type
Celebrating Black Authors Across Every Genre
February is the perfect time to discover your next favorite author. This curated collection for all reader types features Black writers crafting compelling stories across genres. From suspenseful thrillers and well-researched Black history to inspiring memoirs and swoon-worthy romantasy, these are the kinds of books you can’t put down.
This collection isn’t just a to read list for this month, but books that deserve a place on your shelf. These are books you’ll want to stay up late reading, books you’ll text your friends about, books that will make you see the world a little differently.
So, whether you are a Trendsetter looking for a best seller, a Bookworm who loves a great Pulitzer Prize winner, or a Hobbyist hungry for a new cookbook, there is a book here that is about to become your next favorite read.
By Reader Type:
- Love & Whiskey - Lifelong Learner
- Frederick Douglas: A Novel - Time Traveler
- This Thread of Gold - Leading Ladies
- One of Our Kind - Serial Reader
- Louder Than Words - Young at Heart
- A Black Girl in the Middle - Woke up This Way
- A Black Queer History of the United States - Maverick
- James - Bookworm
- Lessons for Survival - Cool Mom/Dad
- Shot Ready - Game Day Hero
- The Light We Carry - Self Starter
- Black Liturgies - Spiritual Seeker
- Our Vicious Oaths - Dragon Slayer
- Janae Sander’s Second Chance - Modern Romantic
- Death of the Author - Galactic Guru
- Happy Land - Trendsetter
- A High Price for Freedom - World Traveler
- In Deadly Company - Beach Reader
- Boom Town - Stunt Double
- American Soul - The Hobbyist
Books by Black Authors To Add to Your TBR
Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest
by Fawn Weaver
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Embark on a captivating journey with Love & Whiskey. New York Times bestselling author Fawn Weaver unveils the hidden narrative behind one of America's most iconic whiskey brands. This book is a vibrant exploration set in the present day, delving into the life and legacy of Nearest Green, the African American distilling genius who played a pivotal role in the creation of the whiskey that bears Jack Daniel's name.
Frederick Douglass: A Novel
by Sidney Morrison
Frederick Douglass was the most prominent African American of the 19th Century and Sidney Morrison has created a mesmerizing historical novel richly detailing his life and the Civil War Era.
This portrayal of Douglass distinguishes him as one of the founders of American democracy instrumental in ending the institution of slavery from which he escapes to become a fierce abolitionist, gifted orator, and newspaper publisher of The North Star. Douglass collaborates with William Lloyd Garrison, John Brown, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and the Underground Railroad, as well as Presidents Abraham Lincoln to Grover Cleveland and becomes the first African American to hold esteemed political positions such as U.S. Marshal of
This Thread of Gold: A Celebration of Black Womanhood
by Catherine Joy White
**Winner of the 2025 Zora Award for Nonfiction**
From gender adviser to the UN Catherine Joy White comes This Thread of Gold, a lyrical celebration of the history of Black women who challenged stereotypes through film, politics, activism, and beyond.
This immersive and empowering read blends history, reporting, and personal stories to weave a gorgeous tapestry from the resilience of Black women. As White writes, “Black women are not victims. Black women are alchemists, spinning gold from a life of hardship. . . . This book is dedicated solely to Black women surviving, thriving, and glowing.”
One of Our Kind
by Nicola Yoon
A hotly-anticipated and endlessly provocative new thriller of race and privilege set in an all-Black gated community from #1 New York Times best-selling author Nicola Yoon - "Brilliant...Your book club will be discussing this one for DAYS."--Jodi Picoult
Jasmyn and King Williams move their family to the planned Black utopia of Liberty, California hoping to find a community of like-minded people, a place where their growing family can thrive. King settles in at once, embracing the Liberty ethos, including the luxe wellness center at the top of the hill, which proves to be the heart of the community. But Jasmyn struggles to find her place. She expected to find liberals and social justice activists striving for racial equality, but Liberty residents seem more focused on booking spa treatments and ignoring the world's troubles.
Jasmyn's only friends in the community are equally perplexed and frustrated by most residents' outlook. Then Jasmyn discovers a terrible secret about Liberty and its founders. Frustration turns to dread as their loved ones start embracing the Liberty way of life.
Louder Than Words
by Ashley Woodfolk - Lexi Underwood
"Lexi Underwood and Ashley Woodfolk's New YA novel Louder Than Words is a new age 'Gossip Girl'" -- Teen Vogue
When Jordyn Jones transfers to Edgewood High, it's her opportunity to forget everything that happened at her old school. To forget what she and her friends did. To forget who she used to be. That was a different person -- this is a fresh start. Now she's someone new, someone better.
Except it's the very first day of school, and somehow everyone already seems to know who she is. But Jordyn soon finds a group of friends, and she even starts talking to Izaiah, a soccer star who shares her love of art. Life is good.
A Black Girl in the Middle: Essays on (Allegedly) Figuring It All Out
by Shenequa Golding
A blazingly honest essay collection from a refreshing new voice exploring the in-between moments for Black women and girls, and what it means to simply exist
"At thirty-seven years old I can say Shenequa is a big name and I'm a big, bold woman."
Shenequa Golding doesn't aim to speak for all Black women. We're too vast, too vibrant, and too complicated. As an adult, Golding begins to own her boldness, but growing up, she found herself "kind of in the middle," fluctuating between not being the fly kid or the overachiever. Her debut collection of essays, A Black Girl in the Middle, taps into life's wins and losses, representing the middle ground for Black girls and women.
Golding packs humor, curiosity, honesty, anger, and ultimately acceptance in 12 essays spanning her life in Queens, NY, as a first-generation Jamaican American.
A Black Queer History of the United States
by C Riley Snorton - Darius Bost
The first-ever Black history to center queer voices, this landmark study traces the lives of LGBTQ+ Black Americans from slavery to present day.
In this latest book in Beacon's award-winning ReVisioning History series, Professors C. Riley Snorton and Darius Bost unearth the often overlooked history of the Black queer community in the United States.
Arguing that both gender and sexual expression have been an intimate and intricate part of Black freedom struggle, Snorton and Bost present historical contributions of Black queer, trans, and gender non-conforming Americans from slavery to the present day to highlight how the fight against racial injustice has always been linked to that of sexual and gender justice.
James (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
by Percival Everett
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER - #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER - A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view - In development as a feature film to be produced by Steven Spielberg
When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.
Lessons for Survival: Mothering Against "The Apocalypse"
by Emily Raboteau
Award-winning author and critic Emily Raboteau crafts a powerfully moving meditation on race, climate, environmental justice--and what it takes to find shelter.
Lessons for Survival is a probing series of pilgrimages from the perspective of a mother struggling to raise her children to thrive without coming undone in an era of turbulent intersecting crises.
Shot Ready
by Stephen Curry
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Shot Ready is a powerful distillation of Stephen Curry's transformative philosophy of success--centered on preparation, constant improvement, creativity, connection, mindfulness, and joy--delivered in his incomparable voice and style. Stunningly designed and illustrated with more than 100 gorgeous photographs, Shot Ready is an intimate narrative and a practical blueprint for any reader who wants to unlock their own potential.
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times
by Michelle Obama
#1 NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER - In an inspiring follow-up to her acclaimed memoir Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama shares practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today's highly uncertain world.
There may be no tidy solutions or pithy answers to life's big challenges, but Michelle Obama believes that we can all locate and lean on a set of tools to help us better navigate change and remain steady within flux. In The Light We Carry, she opens a frank and honest dialogue with readers, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much?
Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress.
Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human
by Cole Arthur Riley
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A collection of prayer, poetry, and spiritual practice centering the Black interior world, from the author of This Here Flesh and creator of Black Liturgies
"A true spiritual balm for our troubled times."--Michael Eric Dyson, author of What Truth Sounds Like
For years, Cole Arthur Riley was desperate for a spirituality she could trust. Amid ongoing national racial violence, the isolation of the pandemic, and a surge of anti-Black rhetoric in many Christian spaces, she began dreaming of a more human, more liberating expression of faith. She went on to create Black Liturgies, a digital project that connects spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black memory, and the Black body.
Our Vicious Oaths
by N E Davenport
"An instant romantasy classic!" -- Katee Robert, New York Times bestselling author
Enter a new world of romantic fantasy from award-winning author N.E. Davenport--a journey of powerful magic, enemies-to-lovers, and political intrigue--as a warrior-princess and a vengeful king from rival fae courts form a fierce alliance to take down a merciless despot.
Princess of the Aether Dominion, Kadeesha wants nothing to do with fae politics. She is a warrior, first and foremost, and believes her greatest strength is leading her squadron of elite winged serpent flyers to protect her homeland. But bound since infancy to be betrothed to the Hyperion High King, ruler of all Dominions, she has no choice but to do what men have chosen for her.
Janae Sanders' Second Time Around
by Laquette Laquette
A single mom gets a second chance at love with her high school sweetheart.
Wary of love after divorce, Janae Sanders focuses on the best things in her life: her son James and her besties in the Savvy, Sexy, and Single Club. As for romance? Not today, Satan. That is, until high school heartthrob Adam Henderson crashes back into her life at their 20-year reunion. Sparks fly, but just when Janae considers dating again, the new superintendent of James' school district slashes his beloved arts program. Instead of getting her groove back, Janae gets her protest on.
Death of the Author (Deluxe Limited Edition)
by Nnedi Okorafor
THE INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER
In this exhilarating tale by New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor, a disabled Nigerian American woman pens a wildly successful Sci-Fi novel, but as her fame rises, she loses control of the narrative--a surprisingly cutting, yet heartfelt drama about art and love, identity and connection, and, ultimately, what makes us human in a compelling work of speculative fiction. The future of storytelling is here.
Disabled, disinclined to marry, and more interested in writing than a lucrative career in medicine or law, Zelu has always felt like the outcast of her large Nigerian family. Then her life is upended when, in the middle of her sister's lavish Caribbean wedding, she's unceremoniously fired from her university job and, to add insult to injury, her novel is rejected by yet another publisher.
Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
A 2026 NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction
Nikki hasn't seen her grandmother in years. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, due to a mysterious estrangement between her mother and grandmother, she's determined to learn the truth while she still can.
But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki an incredible story of a kingdom on this very mountain, and of her great-great-great grandmother, Luella, who would become its queen.
A High Price for Freedom: Raising Hidden Voices from the African American Past
by Clyde W Ford
The author and director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library Publishing Project gives voice to long silent African Americans from the past, allowing them to tell their own stories that shed new light on critical moments in the Black Freedom Struggle, challenging what we think we know about Black history.
History is at its best when new findings and perspectives challenge old ideas and notions about the past, and even overturn common wisdom.
What if a former enslaved man in Galveston, Texas, witnessed the first Juneteenth and told a completely different story from what most of us know about that day? Why were slave ships most prone to rebellion, including those carrying the most African women? How has Islam found its way into R&B, soul, jazz, and other American popular music? Who was Benjamin Banneker, really?
In Deadly Company
by L S Stratton
An incisive workplace satire and twisty murder mystery featuring a young executive assistant who realizes the peril in being diligently attentive to her boss's whims.
As the assistant of the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Nicole Underwood has plenty of tasks on her to-do list--one of which is the blowout birthday celebration for her nightmare, one-percenter boss, Xander Chambers. But when the party ends in chaos and murder and Nicole is one of the survivors, suspicion--from the investigators to the media--lands on her. Was she the reason for all the bloodshed?
Boom Town
by Nic Stone
Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl meets P-Valley in Nic Stone's adult thriller debut about two missing erotic dancers from Atlanta's most notorious gentlemen's club and the woman committed to finding them.
When Damaris "Charm" Wilburn, a new daytime dancer, is missing for her shift at Boom Town, former headliner Michah "Lyriq" Johanssen suspects something more than a "no call, no show." As Lyriq's former headline partner and lover--Felice "Lucky" Carothers--also vanished under similar circumstances, Lyriq decides she's going to find them.
American Soul: The Black History of Food in the United States - Including 40 Recipes
by Anela Malik - Renae Wilson
Delve into foodways of the United States, including testimonies from more than 30 Black chefs, restaurateurs, historians and luminaries, as well as 40 historically-rooted recipes.
Equal parts historical exploration and cookbook, this rich narrative reveals the rich and indelible contributions of the Black diaspora in shaping the footprint of American cuisine.
This illuminating narrative from Anela Malik, the voice behind the popular Feed the Malik, tracks the development of American cuisine from the days of the trans-Atlantic slave trade to modern history. This captivating journey through the culinary history of the United States includes
- Deep-rooted history from crop migration from West Africa to the chitlin' circuit of the Civil Rights Movement to the modern-day fried chicken sandwich craze.
- Voices in food, with reflections and profiles of more than 30 Black chefs and culinary luminaries including Jessica B. Harris, Cheryl Day, and BJ Dennis.
- Illustrated maps and more than 150 photographs illustrating the country's rich culinary past, regional foodways, historical rice growing regions, barbecue trends, and more
- And 40 recipes from southern skillet cornbread and macaroni and cheese to jerk pork lumpia and blackberry cobbler.
With nuance and empathy, Anela reveals the unrecognized Black roots of some of the most iconic American food traditions and provides a deeper understanding of the profound yet hidden contributions of the Black community to American cuisine.