The Greatest Reads for Black Historical past Month
Black History Month presents the best opportunity to get more familiar with Black literature. Everything from post-apocalyptic fiction to autobiographies to superhero comics has found a spot on this list.
Check out this list to learn more about black history and find some great new pieces of fiction to celebrate Black History Month.
1. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
The illustrious sci-fi writer Octavia Butler gave the world one of the most realistic-feeling pieces of dystopian fiction ever written. In a United States on the brink of collapse, Lauren and her adopted community must make the trek to Northern California to build a haven after the destruction of their walled neighborhood.
2. Every Closed Eye Ain’t Asleep
This anthology collects African-American poetry from 1945 onward to the 1990s. This book serves as an excellent overview of Black poetry, including pieces from authors Sonia Sanchez, Jay Wright, and Ishmael Reed.
3. The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power by Jared A. Ball
Focusing on the potential of “Black buying power” has been bandied as the solution to Black people’s marginalization for decades. However, Jared A. Ball, professor of Africana/Black Studies at Morgan State University, disagrees. He goes through the history of Black buying power and the myths associated with it to argue that “buying power” does not equal actual power.
4. Peepo Choo by Felipe Smith
Felipe Smith created a three-volume manga exploring the collision of American and Japanese culture. The series follows Milton, a Black American otaku who idolizes Japan and gets a harsh dose of reality about the country.
5. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass escaped slavery and became the most prolific abolitionist of the 19th century. This autobiography gives an invaluable firsthand account of the life of an enslaved American. Has any book ever seemed better suited to Black History Month?
6. Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur
From her rough childhood to her escape to Cuba, this autobiography follows the life of infamous Black liberation activist (and Tupac Shakur‘s godmother) Assata Shakur. Written as a modern-day slave narrative in the vein of Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, this book also includes excellent poetry by Shakur.
7. Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis
Angela Davis goes through the history of both women’s liberation and abolition/anti-racism movements in American history and how class issues run through them both. She examines the points at which these issues all have intersected, both in positive and negative ways.
8. Milestone Returns: Static Season 1 by Vita Ayala, CrissCross, and Nikolas Draper-Ivey
After the Dakotaverse spent years in publishing limbo, DC finally started publishing the Milestone Returns comics line in 2020. The original imprint’s most popular character, Static, got an excellent reboot that brought Virgil into the modern day.
9. Black Panther (Christopher Priest)
Many consider Christopher Priest’s run on Black Panther the definitive canon for the character. Anyone who became a fan of the character through his Marvel Cinematic Universe portrayal owes it to themselves to see T’Challa in action in this influential series.
10. Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora
The quickest way to find new Black authors for Black History Month? Look for anthologies. Dark Matter collects a century of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror fiction from black authors. It includes several writers featured on its list, plus nearly two dozen more.
11. The Comet by W.E.B. Du Bois
In a very early example of Black science fiction, W.E.B. Du Bois wrote a post-apocalyptic romance in a New York where all but two people have passed away. The story initially fell victim to criticism and censorship for its interracial pairing, but it prevailed as a celebrated piece of literature.
12. Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism by Kwame Nkrumah
As more colonized nations won their independence in the 20th century, imperial nations evolved in their methods of controlling poorer countries. Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, wrote Neo-Colonialism to describe the ways in which Western nations still imposed control and disadvantages on the African continent.
13. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Homegoing follows the legacy of two sisters: one who stayed in Gyasa and married a white governor, the other stolen away to America as a slave. We see the stories of this family generation by generation until they eventually reunite.
14. Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson
A future version of inner-city Toronto, Canada, has been abandoned by the nation, leaving its inhabitants to fend for themselves. Caught up in the schemes of the city’s criminal overlord, Rudy, Ti-Jeanne must learn to control her hereditary “seer-woman” powers that let her connect to the gods of Afro-Caribbean folklore.
15. Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem by Daniel R. Day
Dapper Dan made a name for himself as the first and most famous hip-hop fashion designer. He’s led a fascinating life, going from running numbers as a child to designing bulletproof Gucci parkas as an adult.
16. Negroes With Guns by Robert F. Williams
Robert F. Williams, former president of the Monroe, NC chapter of the NAACP, wrote the saga of the area’s Black inhabitants taking up armed self-defense during the Civil Rights Era. At one point in his life, the author had to seek refuge in Cuba after preventing a KKK-led attack on his neighborhood.
17. The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
The young Kenneth Watson and his family take a road trip down to Birmingham, Alabama, so Kenneth’s out-of-control older brother, Byron, can get straightened out by their grandmother. The journey takes a dark turn when it coincides with the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
18. Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglass
Emory Douglass’ art defined the visual identity of the Black Panthers. This book chronicles his art and its evolution as the Black Panthers’ political outlook shifted from militant self-defense to the creation of holistic community support networks.
19. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Since the newest film adaptation has been a huge hit, now’s the perfect time to read the original book. A poor black woman living in rural Georgia, Celie has spent most of her life under the control of her abusive father or her abusive husband. But she gradually learns to see her self-worth and assert herself.
20. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Nine-year-old Cassie Logan bears witness to an incredibly challenging chapter in her family’s life. During the Great Depression, her family struggles to keep ownership of their farmland as their Confederate-descended neighbors conspire to take it from them.
21. Gentleman Jigger by Richard Bruce Nugent
The lesser-known but still significant Harlem Renaissance artist Richard Bruce Nugent wrote Gentleman Jigger as a fictionalized version of his life, living and working among other influential artists of the era. Drafts and notes of this story finally came together years after his death, allowing for this lost piece of work to finally see shelves.
22. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
This piece of African literary canon takes place at the beginning of European colonization of what today is known as Nigeria. It follows Okonkwo, a leader among the fictionalized version of the Igbo people, as he watches his world “fall apart” as foreign powers change his way of life.
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