100+ Books Written By Black Women To Add to Your Reading List
Last week I announced that for the remainder of 2019 (and beyond) I’d be more intentional about honing my craft. After all, I earned my MFA in writing almost 10 years ago and have yet to publish anything beyond these blog posts. I remember telling myself that I would be published by the time I was 30, and well, that ship sailed many a year ago. But fear not, I’m back in the saddle as they say, and what sustains me is reading the works of my fellow black women writers. Reading, and reading voraciously is the lifeblood of any would-be writer. Even if you don’t have designs on entering this field, being well-versed in the writings of black women is something we should all strive to achieve. Without further ado, I give you this list of over 100 books written by black women including selections from the following genres: fiction, children’s literature, non-fiction, poetry, cooking, and fashion.
100+ Books Written By Black Women To Add to Your Reading List
The Bluest Eye
Buy HERE
Linden Hills (Contemporary American Fiction Series)
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf
Breath, Eyes, Memory
A Small Place
Sing, Unburied, Sing
Becoming
We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True
Around the Way Girl: A Memoir
The Last Black Unicorn
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
Things I Wish I Knew Before My Mom Died: Coping with Loss Every Day
I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual
You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain
This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare
We Should All Be Feminists
Heart and Hustle: Use your passion. Build your brand. Achieve your dreams
The Turner House
Push: A Novel
Buy HERE
Milady Standard Natural Hair Care & Braiding
Ghana Must Go: A Novel
If You Love It, It Will Grow: A Guide To Healthy, Beautiful Natural Hair
Gorilla, My Love
Corregidora
A Raisin in the Sun
Calling My Name
Cannibal
The Hate U Give
American Street
Magical Negro
We Love You, Charlie Freeman: A Novel
Queen Sugar: A Novel
Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted: A Novel for Grown Ups
Brown Girl Dreaming
Careful of the Company You Keep
Kindred
The Day You Begin
Their Eyes Were Watching God
The Color Purple
The Coldest Winter Ever
The Darkest Child
Nappily Ever After: A Novel
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
The Parking Lot Attendant: A Novel
Addicted: A Novel
Salvage the Bones: A Novel
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir
This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America
Halsey Street
So You Want to Talk About Race
An American Marriage: A Novel
How Long ’til Black Future Month?: Stories
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches (Crossing Press Feminist Series)
Assata: An Autobiography
How to Slay: Inspiration from the Queens and Kings of Black Style
Buy HERE
Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets
Buy HERE
How to Love a Jamaican: Stories
Whiskey & Ribbons: A Novel
Women, Race, & Class
Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul (Gender and American Culture)
Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America
Remix: Decorating with Culture, Objects, and Soul
What I Know For Sure
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
Girl, Just Quit!: Motivation for Female Entrepreneurs and Women Searching for Their Purpose
Princess Hair
Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha)
Dread Nation
The Mothers: A Novel
Akata Witch
Monday’s Not Coming
Buy HERE
A Blade So Black
What We Lose: A Novel
Libba: The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotten
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race
In Your Hands, by Carole Boston Weatherford, Brian Pinkney
Caribbean Potluck: Modern Recipes from Our Family Kitchen
Buy HERE
My Life on a Plate: Recipes From Around the World
Buy HERE
Mae Among the Stars
Buy HERE
Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present
Buy HERE
Step Up, Step Out, and Shine
Buy HERE
Dancing in the Wings
Buy HERE
Let’s Talk About Love
Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now
The Sun Is Also a Star
Homegoing
Astrology for Happiness and Success: From Aries to Pisces, Create the Life You Want–Based on Your Astrological Sign!
Here Comes the Sun: A Novel
Resonate: For Anyone Who Wants To Build An Audience
Own Your Glow
She Would Be King: A Novel
Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist
Freshwater
White Teeth: A Novel
Whole New You: How Real Food Transforms Your Life, for a Healthier, More Gorgeous You: A Cookbook
The Seasoned Life: Food, Family, Faith, and the Joy of Eating Well
Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration
Hair Like Mine (Kids Like Mine)
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan
In Intimate Detail: How to Choose, Wear, and Love Lingerie
A Piece of Cake: A Memoir
The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir
Whoa, Baby!: A Guide for New Moms Who Feel Overwhelmed and Freaked Out (and Wonder What the #*$& Just Happened)
The Big Letdown: How Medicine, Big Business, and Feminism Undermine Breastfeeding
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty
The Street: A Novel
Blend: The Secret to Co-Parenting and Creating a Balanced Family
The Wait: A Powerful Practice for Finding the Love of Your Life and the Life You Love
Don’t Settle for Safe: Embracing the Uncomfortable to Become Unstoppable
Faithing It: Bringing Purpose Back to Your Life!
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 2: Black Girl Magic
The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America
Negroland: A Memoir
The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in the Detroit Numbers
Successful Women Think Differently: 9 Habits to Make You Happier, Healthier, and More Resilient
https://www.amazon.com/Successful-Women-Think-Differently-Healthier/dp/B01N2VPWVZ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1549733319&sr=1-1&keywords=Successful+Women+Think+Differently:+9+Habits+to+Make+You+Happier,+Healthier,+and+More+Resilient&linkCode=ll1&tag=l05f2-20&linkId=964908dd51e579cd5d4b0b8241676e62
That’s all for now! I’ll be adding new titles weekly! Feel free to share some of your fav titles in the comment section.
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