Books About BIPOC Scientists

BIPOC (pronounced BY-POCK) is an acronym that stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour. It is used when referring to lived experiences of racialized individuals.

Updated April 27, 2026
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Hidden figures : the American dream and the untold story of the Black women mathematicians who helped win the space race
Shetterly, Margot Lee
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times bestseller -WINNER OF ANISFIELD-WOLF AWARD FOR NONFICTION -WINNER BLACK CAUCUS OF AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION BEST NONFICTION BOOK -WINNER NAACP IMAGE AWARD BEST NONFICTION BOOK -WINNER NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING...
Starstruck : a memoir of astrophysics and finding light in the dark
Nance, Sarafina
Paper Book
As a child, Sarafina Nance spent nearly every evening with her father, gazing up at the flickering stars and pondering what secrets the night sky held. She dreamt of becoming an astronomer from this early age, but it wasn't long before she was told, both explicitly and implicitly, that girls just...
The boy who harnessed the wind : creating currents of electricity and hope
Kamkwamba, William
Paper Book
Now a Netflix Film, Starring and Directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor of 12 Years a Slave William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger. But William had read about windmills, and he...
My remarkable journey : a memoir
Johnson, Katherine G.
Paper Book
The remarkable woman at heart of the smash New York Times bestseller and Oscar-winning film Hidden Figures tells the full story of her life, including what it took to work at NASA, help land the first man on the moon, and live through a century of turmoil and change. In...
Written in the waters : a memoir of history, home, and belonging
Roberts, Tara
Paper Book
One woman's epic journey to trace the global slave trade across the Atlantic Ocean in this searing memoir for fans of Cheryl Strayed's Wild and Jesmyn Ward's Men We Reaped. An adventurous blend of personal and cultural history from a star National Geographic Explorer...
I contain multitudes : the microbes within us and a grander view of life
Yong, Ed
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller New York Times Notable Book of 2016 * NPR Great Read of 2016 * Named a Best Book of 2016 by The Economist, Smithsonian, NPR's Science Friday, MPR, Minnesota Star Tribune, Kirkus Reviews,...
The song of the cell : an exploration of medicine and the new human
Mukherjee, Siddhartha
Paper Book
Winner of the 2023 PROSE Award for Excellence in Biological and Life Sciences and the 2023 Chautauqua Prize! Named a New York Times Notable Book and a Best Book of the Year by The Economist, Oprah Daily, BookPage, Book Riot, the New York Public...
A brief history of everyone who ever lived : the human story retold through our genes
Rutherford, Adam
Paper Book
National Book Critics Circle Award--2017 Nonfiction Finalist "Nothing less than a tour de force--a heady amalgam of science, history, a little bit of anthropology and plenty of nuanced, captivating storytelling."--The New York Times Book Review, <...
Silk : a world history
Prasad, Aarathi
Paper Book
A Smithsonian Magazine Best History Book of 2024 A Library Journal Selection for Best Nonfiction of 2024 A Next Big Idea Book Club Must-Read for April "Aarathi Prasad's Silk: A World History is a love song to this protean material. . . . Beautiful [and] fascinating." --Wall...
Monarchs and milkweed : a migrating butterfly, a poisonous plant, and their remarkable story of coevolution
Agrawal, Anurag A.
Paper Book
The fascinating and complex evolutionary relationship of the monarch butterfly and the milkweed plant Monarch butterflies are one of nature's most recognizable creatures, known for their bright colors and epic annual migration from the United States and Canada to Mexico. Yet...
Chemistry for breakfast : the amazing science of everyday life
Nguyen-Kim, Mai Thi
Paper Book
FINALIST for the Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books "This book shows that chemistry is not just relevant to life; it's really, really interesting."--Foreword Reviews, STARRED review A perfect book for readers of The Physics of Everyday...
Cultures of growth : how the new science of mindset can transform individuals, teams, and organizations
Murphy, Mary C. (Professor)
Paper Book
Award-winning social psychologist Mary Murphy offers a groundbreaking reconsideration of individual and team success--showing how to create and sustain a growth mindset in any organization's culture. Carol Dweck's multi-million-copy bestseller Mindset transformed our view...
Shamanism : the timeless religion
Singh, Manvir
Paper Book
From a brilliant, young, Harvard-trained anthropologist and contributor to The New Yorker comes a fascinating investigation into the spiritual practice of shamanism, from its beginnings to the present moment, for readers disaffected with organized religion who seek a more personal approach...
With her own hands : women weaving their stories
Nehrig, Nicole
Paper Book
Knitting, sewing, embroidery, quilting--throughout history, these and other forms of textile work have often been dismissed as merely "women's work" and attached to ideas of domesticity and obedience. Yet, as psychologist and avid knitter Nicole Nehrig wonderfully explores in this captivating...
Quantum supremacy : how the quantum computer revolution will change everything
Kaku, Michio
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * An exhilarating tour of humanity's next great technological achievement--quantum computing--which may supercharge artificial intelligence, solve some of humanity's biggest problems, like global warming, world hunger, and incurable disease, and eventually...
The coming wave : technology, power, and the twenty-first century's greatest dilemma
Suleyman, Mustafa
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * An urgent warning of the unprecedented risks that AI and other fast-developing technologies pose to global order, and how we might contain them while we have the chance--from a co-founder of the pioneering artificial intelligence company DeepMind...
Astrophysics for people in a hurry
Tyson, Neil deGrasse
Paper Book
Over a year on the New York Times bestseller list and more than a million copies sold. The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist. What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit...
Braiding sweetgrass
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Bestseller Named a "Best Essay Collection of the Decade" by Literary Hub As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member...
The serviceberry : abundance and reciprocity in the natural world
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world....
Fear of a black universe : an outsider's guide to the future of physics
Alexander, Stephon
Paper Book
In this guide to science and society, a cosmologist argues that physics must embrace the excluded, listen to the unheard, and be unafraid of being wrong.   Years ago, cosmologist Stephon Alexander received life-changing advice: to discover real physics, he...
The alchemy of us : how humans and matter transformed one another
Ramirez, Ainissa
Paper Book
In the bestselling tradition of Stuff Matters and The Disappearing Spoon: a clever and engaging look at materials, the innovations they made possible, and how these technologies changed us. Finalist for the 41st Los Angeles Times Book Award in Science and Technology and...
Forest euphoria : the abounding queerness of nature
Kaishian, Patricia Ononiwu
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION SCIENCE + LITERATURE SELECTED TITLE * VANITY FAIR BEST BOOKS OF 2025 * TIME 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2025 "An antidote to the loneliness of our species."--ROBIN WALL KIMMERER "A master...
Starry messenger : cosmic perspectives on civilization
Tyson, Neil deGrasse
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time--war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race--in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity...
Empire of AI : dreams and nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI
Hao, Karen
Paper Book
A New York Times Notable Book * Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction * A New York Times Bestseller * Named a Best Book of the Year by Smithsonian, Scientific American, and Elle * Winner of the Porchlight Business Book Award
Revered roots : ancestral teachings and wisdom of wild, edible, and medicinal plants
Bird, LoriAnn
Paper Book
Revered Roots introduces the wisdom and uses of over 90 North American plants by an Indigenous Métisauthor and herbalist.
Is math real? : how simple questions lead us to mathematics' deepest truths
Cheng, Eugenia
Paper Book
One of the world's most creative mathematicians offers a new way to look at math--focusing on questions, not answers          Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize  A...
Joy of Abstraction An Exploration of Math Category Theory and Life
Cheng, Eugenia.
Paper Book
Mathematician and popular science author Eugenia Cheng is on a mission to show you that mathematics can be flexible, creative, and visual. This joyful journey through the world of abstract mathematics into category theory will demystify mathematical thought processes and help you develop your own...
Walking with gorillas : the journey of an African wildlife vet
Kalema-Zikusoka, Gladys
Paper Book
An Inspiring Memoir, for Fans of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Frans De Waal. In her enchanting memoir, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian, tells the remarkable story from her animal-loving childhood to her career protecting endangered mountain...
Bird brother : a falconer's journey and the healing power of wildlife
Stotts, Rodney
Paper Book
To escape the tough streets of Southeast Washington, D.C. in the late 1980s, young Rodney Stotts would ride the metro to the Smithsonian National Zoo. There, the bald eagles and other birds of prey captured his imagination for the first time. In Bird Brother, Rodney shares his unlikely...
Just visiting this planet : further scientific adventures of Merlin from Omniscia
Tyson, Neil deGrasse
Paper Book
From Neil deGrasse Tyson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, comes a spirited journey to the planets and stars, revealing the answers to many mysteries of our galaxy and beyond. In this companion volume to Merlin's Tour of...
The empowered hysterectomy : your complete handbook to diagnosis, decision, and treatment
Phillips, Kameelah
Paper Book
Are you dealing with uterine pain, heavy bleeding, fibroids, or endometriosis? Take your power and your health back with this comprehensive, inclusive and accessible guide to uterine health, and should you need it, hysterectomy.   "A much-needed resource...
The worlds I see : curiosity, exploration, and discovery at the dawn of AI
Li, Fei Fei
Paper Book
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON AI * FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOKS OF 2023 From Dr. Fei-Fei Li, one of TIME's 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL in AI, comes "a powerful plea for keeping humanity at the centre of our latest technological transformation" (...
Letters from an astrophysicist
Tyson, Neil deGrasse.
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller A luminous companion to the phenomenal bestseller Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of the world's largest online followings with his fascinating, widely accessible insights...

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