Black History Month Non-Fiction for Adults

A selection of non-fiction books that highlight the history, accomplishments and experiences of Black Canadians.

Updated January 25, 2025
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Black women who dared
Moyer, Naomi M.
Paper Book
Inspirational stories of ten Black women and women's collectives from Canadian and American history. Included are leaders and groundbreakers who were anti-slavery activists, business women, health-care activists, civic organizers and educators. Celebrate these remarkable women, some of whom you may...
Can you hear me now? : how I found my voice and learned to live with passion and purpose
Caesar-Chavannes, Celina
Paper Book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 SHAUGHNESSY COHEN PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING   In Can You Hear Me Now?, Celina Caesar-Chavannes digs deep into her childhood and her life as a young Black woman entrepreneur and politician, and shows us that effective and humane leaders...
From my mother's back : a journey from Kenya to Canada
Wane, Njoki Nathani
Paper Book
In From My Mother's Back: A Journey from Kenya to Canada, Njoki Wane introduces us to her mother, a woman of deep wisdom, and to all the richness of a life lived between two countries. A celebrated professor and award-winning teacher, she shares her journey from a Catholic girls' boarding school...
The girl in the middle : growing up between black and white, rich and poor
Granofsky, Anais
Paper Book
A moving and vivid memoir of a young girl--long before her starring role in the Degrassi series--who was always switching between worlds, wanting only to be loved When Anais Granofsky's parents meet in the early 1970s, they are foreign and fascinating to each other. Stanley is the son of a...
The hanging of Angélique : the untold story of Canadian slavery and the burning of old Montréal
Cooper, Afua.
Paper Book
Ignite: Unlock the Hidden Potential Within
De Grasse, Andre
Paper Book
Insightful, practical lessons on life, on and off the track, from an Olympic and world champion Not only is Andre De Grasse blazingly fast on the track, he's also incredibly popular with his fans. His beaming smile and magnetic personality have won over millions of people around the world....
Out of the sun : on race and storytelling
Edugyan, Esi
Paper Book
An insightful exploration and moving meditation on identity, art, and belonging from one of the most celebrated writers of the last decade.  What happens when we begin to consider stories at the margins, when we grant them centrality? How does that complicate our certainties about who...
They call me George : the untold story of black train porters and the birth of modern Canada
Foster, Cecil
Paper Book
A CBC BOOKS MUST-READ NONFICTION BOOK FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH Nominated for the Toronto Book Award Smartly dressed and smiling, Canada's black train porters were a familiar sight to the average passenger--yet their minority status rendered them...
They said this would be fun : race, campus life, and growing up
Martis, Eternity
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER A powerful, moving memoir about what it's like to be a student of colour on a predominantly white campus. A booksmart kid from Toronto, Eternity Martis was excited to move away to Western University for her undergraduate degree. But as one of the...
Until we are free : reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada
Diverlus, Rodney
Paper Book
The killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012 by a white assailant inspired the Black Lives Matter movement, which quickly spread outside the borders of the United States. The movement's message found fertile ground in Canada, where Black activists speak of generations of injustice and continue the work...
Whiteout: How Canada Cancels Blackness
Clarke, George Elliott
Paper Book
In Whiteout: How Canada Cancels Blackness, his new and essential collection of essays, George Elliott Clarke exposes the various ways in which the Canadian imagination demonizes, excludes, and oppresses Blackness. Clarke's range is extraordinary: he canvasses African-Canadian...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.