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 December 22, 2024
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Rooted : the American legacy of land theft and the modern movement for Black land ownership
Baker, Brea
Paper Book
Why is less than 1% of rural land in the U.S. owned by Black people? An acclaimed writer and activist explores the impact of land theft and violent displacement on racial wealth gaps, arguing that justice stems from the literal roots of the earth. "With heartfelt prose and...
American wings : Chicago's pioneering Black aviators and the race for equality in the sky
Smith, Sherri L.
Paper Book
From the acclaimed author of Flygirl and the bestselling author of Code Name Verity comes the thrilling and inspiring true story of the desegregation of the skies. "This beautiful and brilliant history of not only what it means to be Black and dream of...
Resist : how a century of young Black activists shaped America
Omokha, Rita
Paper Book
What do the struggles of the past teach us about the urgent challenges in our own time? Resist chronicles the inspiring story of young Black activists who have fought tirelessly at the helm for justice over the last century, from the 1920s to the Trayvon generation--how they reshaped...
We refuse : a forceful history of Black resistance
Jackson, Kellie Carter
Paper Book
An "unsparing, erudite, and incisive" (Jelani Cobb) reframing of the past and present of Black resistance--both nonviolent and violent--to white supremacy Named a Best History Book of 2024 by Smithsonian Black resistance to...
Gather me : a memoir in praise of the books that saved me
Edim, Glory
Paper Book
A "dramatic [and] ingeniously crafted" (Los Angeles Times) memoir of family, community, and resilience, and an ode to the power of books to help us understand ourselves, from the renowned founder of Well-Read Black Girl. "A beautiful portrait of a full life that...
You get what you pay for : essays
Parker, Morgan
Paper Book
In her "witty and searing" first essay collection, award-winning poet Morgan Parker examines "the cultural legacy of Black womanhood and the meaning of finding 'well-being' in a world that wasn't built for you" (Vogue). "Riveting and deeply personal . . . filled with...
Black liturgies : prayers, poems, and meditations for staying human
Arthur Riley, Cole
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A collection of prayer, poetry, and spiritual practice centering the Black interior world, from the author of This Here Flesh and creator of Black Liturgies "A true spiritual balm for our troubled times."--Michael Eric Dyson,...
The Black box : writing the race
Gates, Henry Louis, Jr.
Paper Book
A New York Times Notable Book "Henry Louis Gates is a national treasure. Here, he returns with an intellectual and at times deeply personal meditation on the hard-fought evolution and the very meaning of African American identity, calling upon our country to transcend its...
This is the honey : an anthology of contemporary Black poets
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
A breathtaking poetry collection on hope, heart, and heritage from the most prominent and promising Black poets and writers of our time, edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander. In this comprehensive and vibrant poetry anthology,...
Metaracism : how systemic racism devastates Black lives--and how we break free
Rose, Tricia
Paper Book
The definitive book on how systemic racism in America really works, revealing the vast and often hidden network of interconnected policies, practices, and beliefs that combine to devastate Black lives In recent years, condemnations of racism in America have echoed...
American Negra : a memoir
Alford, Natasha S.
Paper Book
Award-winning journalist Natasha S. Alford grew up between two worlds as the daughter of an African American father and Puerto Rican mother. In American Negra, a narrative that is part memoir, part cultural analysis, Alford reflects on growing up in a working-class family from the city of...
Night flyer : Harriet Tubman and the faith dreams of a free people
Miles, Tiya
Paper Book
A Washington Post Notable Book * One of Smithsonian Magazine's Ten Best History Books of the Year * Nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography "Though broad strokes of Tubman's story are widely known, Miles probes deeper, examining her inner life,...
My black country : a journey through country music's black past, present, and future
Randall, Alice
Paper Book
Alice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author presents "a celebration of all things country music" (Ken Burns) as she reflects on her search for the first family of Black country music. Country music had brought Alice Randall and her activist mother...
Madness : race and insanity in a Jim Crow asylum
Hylton, Antonia
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Books of the Year Amazon Editor's Pick for Best Books In the tradition of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a page-turning 93-year history of Crownsville...
Black women taught us : an intimate history of Black feminism
Jackson, Jenn M.
Paper Book
A reclamation of essential history and a hopeful gesture toward a better political future, this is what listening to Black women looks like-from a professor of political science and columnist for Teen Vogue. "Jenn M. Jackson is a beautiful writer and excellent scholar....
Playing from the rough : a personal journey through America's 100 greatest golf courses
James, Jimmie
Paper Book
A "wonderful story of passion, commitment, resilience, and determination," (Paul Gasol, former NBA All-Star) about one man's quest to become the first person to play each of America's 100 greatest golf courses in a single year, an odyssey that brings him face to face with the gulf between his...
Our hidden conversations : what Americans really think about race and identity
Norris, Michele
Paper Book
Peabody Award-winning journalist Michele Norris offers a transformative dialogue on race and identity in America, unearthed through her decade-long work at The Race Card Project. The prompt seemed simple: Race. Your Thoughts. Six Words. Please Send. The answers,...
Hell put to shame : the 1921 Murder Farm massacre and the horror of America's second slavery
Swift, Earl
Paper Book
"Hell Put to Shame is a powerfully unsettling portrait of the single most savage episode in the long decades of savagery inflicted by white southerners on their Black neighbors in the 20th century--and the methodical process that followed to erase those crimes from America's...
The survivors of the Clotilda : the lost stories of the last captives of the American slave trade
Durkin, Hannah
Paper Book
Joining the ranks of Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Zora Neale Hurston's rediscovered classic Barracoon, an immersive and revelatory history of the Clotilda, the last slave ship to land on US soil, told through the stories of its survivors--the last documented survivors...
The barn : the secret history of a murder in Mississippi
Thompson, Wright
Paper Book
The instant New York Times bestseller * Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, Slate, Vanity Fair, TIME, Buzzfeed, Smithsonian, BookPage, KCUR, and Kirkus "It literally changed my outlook on the...
Medgar & Myrlie : Medgar Evers and the love story that awakened America
Reid, Joy-Ann
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller "Medgar Evers deserves a place alongside Malcolm X and Dr. King in our historical memory. Evers, with Myrlie as his partner in activism and in life, was doing civil rights work in the single most hostile and dangerous environment in America."--from Medgar...
A passionate mind in relentless pursuit : the vision of Mary McLeod Bethune
Rooks, Noliwe
Paper Book
An intimate and searching account of the life and legacy of one of America's towering educators, a woman who dared to center the progress of Black women and girls in the larger struggle for political and social liberation When Mary McLeod Bethune died, tributes in newspapers...
Late admissions : confessions of a Black conservative
Loury, Glenn C.
Paper Book
Economist Glenn C. Loury is one of the most prominent public intellectuals of our time: he's often radically opposed to the political mainstream, and delights in upending what's expected of a Black public figure. But more so than the arguments themselves--on affirmative action, institutional...
The message
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Paper Book
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The renowned author of Between the World and Me journeys to three resonant sites of conflict to explore how the stories we tell--and the ones we don't--shape our realities. "Ta-Nehisi Coates always writes with a...
The road is good : how a mother's strength became a daughter's purpose
Aduba, Uzo
Paper Book
A powerful, timely memoir of Black immigrant identity, the story of an unforgettable matriarch, and a unique coming-of-age story by Nigerian American actress Uzo Aduba. The actress Uzo Aduba came of age grappling with a master juggling act: as one of few Black families in...

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