Black Voices & Culture: Non-Fiction Books for Adults

Explore our curated list of non-fiction books by Black and African American voices in celebration of Black History Month.

Updated January 10, 2024
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Writing in color : fourteen writers on the lessons we've learned
Azad, Nafiza
Paper Book
Rethink the way you approach writing in this "honest, useful craft book that all fledgling writers need" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) from fourteen diverse authors that demystifies craft and authorship based on their experiences as writers of color--perfect for fans of Fresh Ink...
Twice as hard : the stories of Black women who fought to become physicians, from the Civil War to the 21st Century
Brown, Jasmine
Paper Book
Black women physicians' stories have gone untold for far too long, leaving gaping holes in American medical history, in women's history, and in black history. It's time to set the record straight No real account of black women physicians in the US exists, and what little mention...
The diaspora sonnets
De la Paz, Oliver
Paper Book
In 1972, after Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, Oliver de la Paz's father, in a last fit of desperation to leave the Philippines, threw his papers at an immigration clerk, hoping to get them stamped. He was prepared to leave, having already quit his job and having exchanged pesos for...
Punished for dreaming : how school reform harms Black children and how we heal
Love, Bettina L.
Paper Book
NOW A NEW YORK TIMES AND A USA TODAY BESTSELLER FINALIST, LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE "I am an eighties baby who grew to hate school. I never fully understood why. Until now. Until Bettina Love unapologetically and painstakingly...
Pulling the chariot of the sun : a memoir of a kidnapping
McCrae, Shane
Paper Book
Vulture's #1 Memoir of 2023 An unforgettable, "lyrical and poignant" (The Washington Post) memoir by an award-winning poet about being kidnapped from his Black father and raised by his white supremacist grandparents. When Shane McCrae was...
The risk it takes to bloom : on life and liberation
Willis, Raquel
Paper Book
A passionate, powerful memoir by a trailblazing Black transgender activist, tracing her life of transformation and her work towards collective liberation. In 2017, Raquel Willis took to the National Women's March podium just after the presidential election of Donald Trump,...

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