This list is designed to inspire black people to be proud of their heritage!
The Last Black Unicorn by
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From stand-up comedian, actress, and breakout star of Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish, comes The Last Black Unicorn, a sidesplitting, hysterical, edgy, and unflinching collection of (extremely) personal essays, as fearless as the author herself. Growing up in one of the poorest neighborhoods of South Central Los Angeles, Tiffany learned to survive by making people laugh. If she could do that, then her classmates would let her copy their homework, the other foster kids she lived with wouldn't beat her up, and she might even get a boyfriend. Or at least she could make enough money--as the paid school mascot and in-demand Bar Mitzvah hype woman--to get her hair and nails done, so then she might get a boyfriend. None of that worked (and she's still single), but it allowed Tiffany to imagine a place for herself where she could do something she loved for a living: comedy. Tiffany can't avoid being funny--it's just who she is, whether she's plotting shocking, jaw-dropping revenge on an ex-boyfriend or learning how to handle her newfound fame despite still having a broke person's mind-set. Finally poised to become a household name, she recounts with heart and humor how she came from nothing and nowhere to achieve her dreams by owning, sharing, and using her pain to heal others. By turns hilarious, filthy, and brutally honest, The Last Black Unicorn shows the world who Tiffany Haddish really is--humble, grateful, down-to-earth, and funny as hell. And now, she's ready to inspire others through the power of laughter.
Love in Color by
"Perfection in short story form, I am in love with every single word Bolu Babalola has written. So rarely is love expressed this richly, this vividly, or this artfully." --Candice Carty-Williams, international bestselling author of Queenie A vibrant collection of love stories from a debut author, retelling myths, folktales, and histories from around the world. A high-born Nigerian goddess, who has been beaten down and unappreciated by her gregarious lover, longs to be truly seen. A young businesswoman attempts a great leap in her company, and an even greater one in her love life. A powerful Ghanaian spokeswoman is forced to decide whether she should uphold her family's politics or be true to her heart. In her debut collection, internationally acclaimed writer Bolu Babalola retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology with incredible new detail and vivacity. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines Greek myths, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from long-erased places. With an eye towards decolonizing tropes inherent in our favorite tales of love, Babalola has created captivating stories that traverse across perspectives, continents, and genres. Love in Color is a celebration of romance in all its many splendid forms. "Babalola's writing shines"--New York Times Book Review
A Million Aunties by
American-born artist Chris is forced to reconsider his own concept of "family" during a visit to his mother's Caribbean homeland. "Alecia McKenzie's tender new novel [is] an emotionally resonant ode to adopted families and community resilience." --New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice Shortlisted for the 2020 Caribbean Readers' Awards (Best Adult Novel)! "Delightfully original, this novel centers Chris, an American who travels to his mother's homeland of Jamaica to reflect and heal after tragedy strikes. What he encounters is unexpected, complicated and, perhaps, just what he needs." --Ms. Magazine "Emotional, enthralling and heartfelt...A story of loss and the infinite types of love." --Woman's World "Have you ever not wanted a book to end? Were disappointed that the characters are gone from your life?A Million Aunties by Alecia McKenzie is one such novel that makes you yearn for more." --New York Journal of Books "A wide-ranging novel told in several voices that moves between New York, rural Jamaica, and Paris. Painting is at the heart of the book but so is family, love, heartbreak, and loss. The story pulls you in and holds you right till the end. It's strongly written with a delicate touch." --New West Indian Guide "Racial identity, nonfamilial relationships, and the restorative nature of art are all explored as McKenzie considers the possibility of regeneration of the human spirit even as we grapple with the tragedies of lost loves and changing worlds. McKenzie successfully integrates various speech patterns in Caribbean patois and a mixture of English and French as she takes readers on a hopeful journey across continents." --Booklist, STARRED review, a Best New Book of the Week "Thoroughly satisfying...This bighearted narrative of love, loss, and family is handled with grace and beauty." --Publishers Weekly, STARRED review "A Million Aunties is an exquisite novel about beauty and pain, and what binds us together. Through captivating character studies, quiet lovely writing and deceptively simple storytelling, McKenzie illuminates basic commonalities and rethinks what family and home mean." --Shelf Awareness "The beauty and brilliance of Blackness in the diaspora take centerstage in Alecia McKenzie'sA Million Aunties, showcasing the intricate textures of identity, place, and connection to survive loss." --Colors of Influence "Full of wondrous tales of how simple acts of kindness can bring us all together,A Million Aunties is a compelling book about unlikely love, friendship, and community, sprinkled with delightful surprises along the way." --Exclusive Magazine "A beautiful book for anyone who knows there is more to family than blood relations. After losing his wife, NYC artist Chris travels to his mother's hometown in Jamaica and contemplates his place in the world." --Book Culture After a personal tragedy upends his world, American-born artist Chris travels to his mother's homeland in the Caribbean hoping to find some peace and tranquility. He plans to spend his time painting in solitude and coming to terms with his recent loss and his fractured relationship with his father. Instead, he discovers a new extended and complicated "family." The people he meets help him to heal, even as he supports them in unexpected ways. Told from different points of view, this is a compelling novel about unlikely love, friendship, and community, with surprises along the way.
A Princess in Theory by
From acclaimed author Alyssa Cole comes the tale of a city Cinderella and her Prince Charming in disguise . . . Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn't have time for fairy tales...or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she's betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! As a former foster kid, she's learned that the only things she can depend on are herself and the scientific method, and a silly e-mail won't convince her otherwise. Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can't resist the chance to experience life--and love--without the burden of his crown. The chemistry between them is instant and irresistible, and flirty friendship quickly evolves into passionate nights. But when the truth is revealed, can a princess in theory become a princess ever after Selected as one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2018!
Seven Days in June by
A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK! AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Named A Best Book by USA Today * Harper's Bazaar * Oprah Daily * PopSugar * Shondaland * The Los Angeles Times * NPR * Kirkus * Marie Claire * New York Public Library * Bustle * Good Housekeeping * PureWow * CBS News * People * BuzzFeed * Reader's Digest Named A Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by CNN * Essence * Travel + Leisure * She Reads * Scary Mommy Named a Best Romance Book of 2021 by The Washington Post Seven days to fall in love, fifteen years to forget, and seven days to get it all back again... Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a reclusive, enigmatic, award‑winning novelist, who, to everyone's surprise, shows up in New York. When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks fly, raising not only their buried traumas, but the eyebrows of the Black literati. What no one knows is that fifteen years earlier, teenage Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love. While they may be pretending not to know each other, they can't deny their chemistry--or the fact that they've been secretly writing to each other in their books through the years. Over the next seven days, amidst a steamy Brooklyn summer, Eva and Shane reconnect--but Eva's wary of the man who broke her heart, and wants him out of the city so her life can return to normal. Before Shane disappears though, she needs a few questions answered... With its keen observations of creative life in America today, as well as the joys and complications of being a mother and a daughter, Seven Days in June is a hilarious, romantic, and sexy‑as‑hell story of two writers discovering their second chance at love.
You Should See Me in a Crown by
A TIME Magazine Best YA Book of All Time A Stonewall Honor Book A Reese's Book Club YA Pick Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it's okay -- Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down . . . until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen. There's nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she's willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She's smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?
By author Erna Brodber, The World is a High Hill demonstrates the multifaceted nature of the Jamaican woman, faced with all the trials the high hill of the world presents, at times a steeper climb for some more than for others. The stories are preceded with an enlightening foreword by Professor Verene Shepherd and close with an equally instructive interview with the author by Professor Carolyn Cooper.
Literature like this can be found on the Caribbean Collection database.