PEOPLE Picks the Best Books by Black Authors to Celebrate Black History Month

Mar. 15, 2025

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Doubleday

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Do you know the name Lizzie McDuffie? If not, Black History Month is the perfect time to learn. She served as a White House maid to Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt, later boldly appointing herself FDR’s “Secretary-On-Colored-People’s-Affairs.” As the president’s envoy to the Black community, the spunky, outspoken Lizzie advocated for her fellow Black Americans. It’s the perfect read for right now.

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‘The Nickel Boys’.

This gutting account of the horrors two boys endure after they’re unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school — based on the real-life Dozier School, an institution that operated for 111 years in Florida — will stick with you long after the last page. It’s also an Oscar-nominated film, so give it a read before or after watching the movie.

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A Black classical musician on the rise finds himself on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfather’s priceless heirloom violin after a shocking theft. And of course, it’s all happening on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world. A heart-pounding mystery that will also teach you a little something about the world of classical music.

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A conjurer named Saint frees enslaved Black people from plantations and establishes Ours, a town she makes invisible to protect its inhabitants. But when two strangers arrive, the once invincible conjurer’s powers weaken, leaving the town in danger in this captivating, complex debut.

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Amistad

This rapturously photographed book about the lifelong bond between famed designer B Michael and his famous muse, actress and activistCicely Tyson, is a love letter written in chiffon and satin. Michael first met and designed for Tyson when she was 80, forging a collaborative friendship that ensured their style had real substance, while winning accolades. It proves that kindness and friendship never go out of fashion. —Caroline Leavitt

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Harper

If you already know Gay from her previous bestsellers,Bad FeministandHunger,you’re going to devour her latest: A collection of her opinion writing from the past decade. The essays span as many topics as the news itself, including politics, civil rights and cultural conversations. Predictably, a must-read.

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G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Visiting professor Agatha Paul intends to spend a year at the University of Arkansas teaching and doing research for her next book. But she quickly becomes entangled in the lives of a dorm’s residents, including Millie, an RA with homeownership aspirations and a trio of secretive, scheming suite-mates. Low-stakes squabbles soon escalate, leading to a shocking end of the semester. A thrilling, delectable look at wealth, privilege and desire. —Carly Tagen-Dye

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Knopf

Morrison is a national treasure, so if you haven’t read any of her books, start here. This suspenseful story follows an escaped enslaved person named Sethe whose demons keep chasing her down long after she’s made it to safety. It’s a beautifully painted tale of love, loss and the lasting impact of trauma.

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Riverhead Books

It’s 1972, and Black and immigrant Jewish residents are living together on the margins of white society in this vivid fictional romp. This captivating yarn unspools around the resident’s secrets and sorrows, traditions and trials and an honest-to-goodness skeleton in a well. You’ll soon see whyBarack Obamanamed itone of his favorite books of 2023.

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Scribner

Take a harrowing journey from a Carolina plantation through the slave markets of New Orleans and on to Louisiana in this masterful work from one of our best living writers. It follows an enslaved woman named Annis who conjures the beloved memory of her late mother, lost lover and African warrior ancestors to comfort her on the trek. A gorgeously imaginative tale.

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Harry N. Abrams

Pop culture aficionados may already knowZiwefrom her frank (and frankly hilarious) interviews with celebrity guests likeAlyssa Milanoand Chet Hanks, and those who love her unapologetic style will also gobble up this book. But for anyone who isn’t familiar, Ziwe’s own introduction tells it best: “While I am a supportive friend, I am not a supporting character. I am the protagonist of my perfectly imperfect story.”

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Beacon Press

No list of Black authors, artists or thinkers would be complete without the inimitable Baldwin. While the essays in this book were written in the 1940s and ’50s, his writing on life in Harlem, the protest novel and civil rights feel just as current today.

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Little Brown and Company

If middle school English class convinced you not to read poetry, let this collection of contemporary poetry change your mind. With joyful, poignant, piercing and unfailingly beautiful work from greats like Rita Dove, Jericho Brown, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith, Terrance Hayes, Morgan Parker and Nikki Giovanni, it’ll have you dog-earing every other page.

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Kindred Fledgling

The best sci-fi addresses intimately familiar problems, even if they take place in a galaxy far, far away. This classic collection includes two of Butler’s most well-known pieces of Afrofuturism that take a fictionalized approach to the horrors of our country’s history, along with other stories that make a great introduction to Butler’s work.

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One World

Toni Morrison called this literary memoir “required reading,” and it’s also won or been nominated for just about every literary prize there is. Weaving together big questions about our country’s history and the state of things today with an intimate letter to his young son, this book is an absolute force of nature.

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Berkley

During Black History Month (and always!) it’s important to celebrate Black joy and no one does it better than Guillory. Her sexy, steamy romance novels keep her fans clamoring for more, and this series is no exception. It includes stories about a last-minute wedding invitation, two high-powered professionals trying to make room for love and lots more.

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Henry Holt and Co.

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Ballantine Books

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In a 1967 Alabama town at the tail-end of the civil rights movement, Katia Daniels runs a boys’ home. Her twin brother’s disappearance in Vietnam and a crisis with one of her wards force her to accept assistance from an old friend. A story of loss, community and hope.

source: people.com