Black Voices & Culture: Fiction Books for Adults

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

Updated January 10, 2024
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Chain-gang all-stars
Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame
A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION * A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from...
Everything is not enough : a novel
Akinmade-Akerström, Lola
From Lola Akinmade Åkerström, international bestselling author of In Every Mirror She's Black, comes the highly anticipated second novel, focusing on the lives of three Black women as they fight their own personal struggles in one of the most egalitarian societies, Sweden. Can a...
Black girls must have it all : a novel
Allen, Jayne 1978-
In this final installment in the acclaimed Black Girls Must Die Exhausted trilogy, Tabitha is juggling work, relationships, and a newborn baby--but will she find the happy ending she's always wanted After a whirlwind year, Tabitha Walker's carefully organized plan to achieve...
The art of scandal
Black, Regina
A "wildly steamy, utterly heartwarming" debut filled with romance, artistic ambitions, political scandal, and finding love where you least expect it (Tia Williams).  Publishers Weekly Best Romance Book of 2023 · Chicago Public Library...
House of cotton
Brashears, Monica
FINALIST for the 2024 NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award * NPR BEST BOOK OF 2023 * An enchanting Black Southern gothic debut, perfect for readers of Mexican Gothic... "Fresh, haunting...In her roller-coaster ride of a gothic debut novel, Monica Brashears upends expectations at...
You never know : a novel of domestic suspense
Briscoe, Connie
"The thing I love about Connie Briscoe now is the same thing I've always loved about Connie Briscoe--she writes highly commercial, pacey, character-driven stories. She was made for domestic suspense." --Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author The revered New York...
The new naturals : a novel
Bump, Gabriel
**A 2023 NEW YORK TIMES and WASHINGTON POST Notable Book and a BOSTON GLOBE Best Book of the Year** From the Ernest J. Gaines Award-winning author of Everywhere You Don't Belong, a touching, timely novel--called "smart...
The five sorrowful mysteries of Andy Africa : a novel
Buoro, Stephen
The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Finalist Longlisted for the 2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize Named a Best of the Year Book by NPR Crackling with energy and intelligence, this debut is the "smart, subversive, funny, heartbreaking" (Kamila...
Juneteenth : a novel
Ellison, Ralph.
Shot on the Senate floor by a young Black man, a dying racist senator summons an elderly Black Baptist minister from Oklahoma to his side for a remarkable dialogue that reveals the deeply buried secrets of their shared past and the tragedy that reunites them.
Invisible man
Ellison, Ralph
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * In this deeply compelling novel and epic milestone of American literature, a nameless narrator tells his story from the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be. One of The Atlantic<...
Maame
George, Jessica 1994-
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! * A Today Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick * A February 2023 Indie Next Pick "Sparkling." --The New York Times "An utterly charming and deeply moving portrait of the joys<...
Life and other love songs
Gray, Anissa
"Musical in structure--the octaves rise when the music calls for it; truths are revealed by the invisible beats of this gorgeous, rich story" -Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club Pick) "Riveting, rhythmic, transcendent...
The love songs of W.E.B. Du Bois : a novel
Jeffers, Honorée Fanonne 1967-
An instant New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today Bestseller * AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB SELECTION * ONE OF THE ATLANTIC'S "GREAT AMERICAN NOVELS" * BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2021 * WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTION A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: New York...
The house of Eve
Johnson, Sadeqa
"Amazing...I was completely surprised by the ending of this beautifully told and written book." --Reese Witherspoon "A triumph of historical fiction" (The Washington Post), an instant New York Times bestseller, and a Reese's Book Club pick, set in 1950s...
The known world
Jones, Edward P.
From National Book Award-nominated author Edward P. Jones comes a debut novel of stunning emotional depth and unequaled literary power Henry Townsend, a farmer, boot maker, and former slave, through the surprising twists and unforeseen turns of life in antebellum Virginia, becomes...
Flipping boxcars : a novel
Kyles, Cedric 1965-
The first novel from one of the original Kings of Comedy, Cedric "The Entertainer," an engaging and entertaining crime caper that is a valentine to close-knit black families and tightly woven communities struggling to get by during the Depression and World War II. Babe is a charismatic and...
Zora books her happy ever after
McCoy, Taj
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by Entertainment Weekly · EBONY magazine · PopSugar · Paste Magazine · BuzzFeed · BiblioLifestyle · Culturess  "Taj McCoy offers readers a yummy love triangle with her latest...
Our Gen : a novel
McKinney-Whetstone, Diane
"Our Gen is warm and smart, accessible yet meaningful, a beach read with strong writing and emotional heft."--BookPage Residents of an active-living retirement community revert to lives of youthful indulgence, even as time-bomb secrets of their pasts tick toward explosion.  The...
Beloved
Morrison, Toni
Sethe, an escaped slave living in post-Civil War Ohio with her daughter and mother-in-law, is persistantly haunted by the ghost of her dead baby girl.
Every man a king
Mosley, Walter
In this highly anticipated sequel from Edgar Award-winning "master of craft and narrative," Walter Mosley, Joe King Oliver is entangled in a dangerous case when he's asked to investigate whether a white nationalist is being unjustly set up (National Book Foundation). When...
Rebecca, not Becky : a novel
Platt, Christine A. 1976-
In the vein of Such a Fun Age, a whip-smart, compulsively readable novel about two upper-class stay-at-home mothers--one white, one Black--living in a "perfect" suburb that explores motherhood, friendship, and the true meaning of sisterhood amidst the backdrop of America's all-too...
Queen of exiles : a novel
Riley, Vanessa
"You may not know Marie-Louise Christophe but once you have met her, you won't forget her. Vanessa Riley's historical novel feels timely and relevant, commemorating a time when Black women were queens." --Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author Acclaimed historical...
Burning season
Swinson, Kiki
Set your schemes A volunteer Virginia Beach firefighter, Alayna Curry faces death every day - and is proud to carry on her retired father's legacy. But with cash always tight and her long-time boyfriend Levi pressuring her to give up what she loves to make more money, she knows she needs more cash...
The color purple
Walker, Alice 1944-
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that tells the story of two sisters through their correspondence. With a new Preface by the author.
Crook manifesto : a novel
Whitehead, Colson 1969-
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of Harlem Shuffle continues his Harlem saga in a powerful and hugely-entertaining novel that summons 1970s New York in all its seedy glory. A Best Book of the Year: The New...

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