Black Authors

Great reads by Black authors.

Updated February 5, 2026
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1

The undefeated
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
Winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal A 2020 Newbery Honor Book Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award The Newbery Award-winning author of THE CROSSOVER pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time...
Also available in eBook format.

2

Poemhood, our black revival : history, folklore & the Black experience: a young adult poetry anthology
McBride, Amber
Paper Book
"A rich, thoughtful anthology exploring centuries of Black poetry." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "This deep and complex assemblage of Black poetry culminates in a joyful, painful, and emotionally rich experience." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "An eclectic mix of Black...

Also available in eBook format.

3

The vanishing half : a novel
Bennett, Brit
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES * THE WASHINGTON POST * NPR * PEOPLE * TIME MAGAZINE * VANITY FAIR * GLAMOUR New York Times<...

Des jumelles inseparables choisissent de vivre dans deux mondes etrangers : celui des Blancs et celui des Noirs.

Aussi disponible en format numerique et large vision.

4

Between the world and me [kit]
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Paper Book
In the 150 years since the end of the Civil War and the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, the story of race and America has remained a brutally simple one, written on flesh- it is the story of the black body, exploited to create the country's foundational wealth, violently segregated to...
Also available in Audiobook, eBook, eAudiobook and Large Print formats.

5

The vanishing half
Bennett, Brit
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES * THE WASHINGTON POST * NPR * PEOPLE * TIME MAGAZINE * VANITY FAIR * GLAMOUR New York Times<...
Also available in eBook, eAudiobook and Large Print formats.

6

Between the world and me [kit]
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Paper Book
In the 150 years since the end of the Civil War and the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, the story of race and America has remained a brutally simple one, written on flesh- it is the story of the black body, exploited to create the country's foundational wealth, violently segregated to...

« Voila ce qu'il faut que tu saches : en Amerique, la destruction du corps noir est une tradition, un heritage. Je ne voudrais pas que tu te couches dans un reve. Je voudrais que tu sois un citoyen de ce monde beau et terrible a la fois, un citoyen conscient. J'ai decide de ne rien te cacher. ». Dans cette lettre adressée a son fils de 15 ans, Ta-Nehisi Coates revient sur la condition de l'homme noir aux Etats-Unis. Une ode a l'humanite, un cri de colere contre ce mal qui gangrene la societe americaine depuis des siecles.

Aussi disponible en format numerique.

7

The girl in the middle : growing up between black and white, rich and poor
Granofsky, Anais
Paper Book
In this poignant and timely memoir--written with the searing power of Beautiful Struggle and Born a Crime--Degrassi Junior High star Anais Granofsky contemplates the lingering impact of a childhood spent in two opposite and warring worlds. Though recognized around the world for her role as...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

8

Son of elsewhere : a memoir in pieces
Abdelmahmoud, Elamin
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR * A "funny and frank" (The New York Times) collection of essays on Blackness, faith, pop culture, and the challenges--and rewards--of finding one's way in the world, from a BuzzFeed editor and podcast host. "A memoir...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

9

The fire next time ; Nobody knows my name ; No name in the street ; The devil finds work
Baldwin, James
Paper Book
A major hardcover compendium of nonfiction by one of America's most brilliant essayists, timed to the celebration of his centenary Novelist, essayist, and public intellectual James Baldwin is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. This Everyman's...

Also available in eBook, eAudiobook, and Audiobook formats.

10

Salvage : readings from the wreck
Brand, Dionne
Paper Book
One of Literary Hub's most anticipated books of 2024. Winner of the 2025 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature. Finalist for the 2025 Zora Awards. Dionne Brand explores English and American literature, and the colonial aesthetic that shaped her sense...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

11

Rage : on being queer, black, brilliant... and completely over it
Fabian Brathwaite, Lester
Paper Book
A debut book from Entertainment Weekly writer and former Out magazine editor Lester Fabian Brathwaite, Rage is a darkly comedic exploration of Blackness, queerness, and the American Dream, at a time when creative anger feels like the best response to inequality.

Also available in eBook format.

12

Africa : the definitive visual history of a continent
Asaaju, Morenikeji
Paper Book
Immerse yourself in Africa's vast and intricate story and discover Africa's true place in world history, written and authenticated by experts of African heritage. Spanning more than 200,000 years, from the emergence of the first humans to the rise of megacities, Africa explores...

13

How to be a (young) antiracist
Kendi, Ibram X.
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times bestseller that sparked international dialogue is now a book for young adults! Based on the adult bestseller by Ibram X. Kendi, and co-authored by bestselling author Nic Stone, How to be a (Young) Antiracist will serve as a guide for teens seeking a way forward...

Also available in eBook format, and a Book Club Kit.

14

Jamaica ginger : and other concoctions
Hopkinson, Nalo
Paper Book
Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as having 'an imagination that most of us would kill for,' Nalo Hopkinson and her Afro-Caribbean, Canadian, and American influences shine in truly unique stories that are gorgeously strange, inventively subversive, and vividly beautiful. In Hopkinson's first...

Canadian author.

Also available in eBook format.

15

Victory. Stand! : raising my fist for justice
Smith, Tommie
Paper Book
On October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon...

Also available in eAudiobook format.


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