This Black History Month, support Black authors by adding a few great reads to your TBR pile. Whether you prefer fun and flirty romantic comedies, teeth-rattling thrillers that keep you up past your bedtime, science fiction thatâs somehow less strange than reality or historical fiction thatâs both entertainment and education, options abound for book lovers.
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We asked PEOPLE staffers for their recommendations for the best books by Black authors in fiction, nonfiction and every genre that encompasses them both. Whatever your reading diet, weâve got your February TBR pile right here.
âJamesâ by Percival Everett
This pitch-perfect riff on Huckleberry Finn is told by Jim, the enslaved man who rafts with Huck down the Mississippi. Itâs won a slew of awards since it came out in March 2024, including the National Book Award, the Kirkus Prize and shortlist honors for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Dominic Hoffmanâs audio version is also perfect, if you prefer to listen to your reads.Â
âThe Nickel Boysâ by Colson Whitehead
This gutting account of the horrors two boys endure after theyâre unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school â based on the real-life Dozier School, an institution that operated for 111 years in Florida â will stick with you long after the last page. Itâs also an Oscar-nominated film, so give it a read before or after watching the movie.
âThe Violin Conspiracyâ by Brendan Slocumb
A Black classical musician on the rise finds himself on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfatherâs priceless heirloom violin after a shocking theft. And of course, itâs all happening on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world. A heart-pounding mystery that will also teach you a little something about the world of classical music.
âGood Dirtâ by Charmaine Wilkerson
This multigenerational story of Ebby Freeman and her wealthy family is a rich history of persevering despite trauma that revolves around a destabilizing tragedy and a cherished heirloom. Jumping with ease between varying perspectives, the poetic Good Dirt is both soothing and dynamic.
âOursâ by Phillip B. Williams
A conjurer named Saint frees enslaved Black people from plantations and establishes Ours, a town she makes invisible to protect its inhabitants. But when two strangers arrive, the once invincible conjurerâs powers weaken, leaving the town in danger in this captivating, complex debut.
âMuse: Cicely Tyson and Me: A Relationship Forged in Fashionâ by B Michael
This rapturously photographed book about the lifelong bond between famed designer B Michael and his famous muse, actress and activist Cicely Tyson, is a love letter written in chiffon and satin. Michael first met and designed for Tyson when she was 80, forging a collaborative friendship that ensured their style had real substance, while winning accolades. It proves that kindness and friendship never go out of fashion. â Caroline Leavitt
âOpinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other Peopleâs Businessâ by Roxane Gay
If you already know Gay from her previous bestsellers, Bad Feminist and Hunger, youâre going to devour her latest: A collection of her opinion writing from the past decade. The essays span as many topics as the news itself, including politics, civil rights and cultural conversations. Predictably, a must-read.
âCome and Get Itâ by Kiley Reid
Visiting professor Agatha Paul intends to spend a year at the University of Arkansas teaching and doing research for her next book. But she quickly becomes entangled in the lives of a dormâs residents, including Millie, an RA with homeownership aspirations and a trio of secretive, scheming suite-mates. Low-stakes squabbles soon escalate, leading to a shocking end of the semester. A thrilling, delectable look at wealth, privilege and desire. â Carly Tagen-Dye
âBelovedâ by Toni Morrison
Morrison is a national treasure, so if you havenât read any of her books, start here. This suspenseful story follows an escaped enslaved person named Sethe whose demons keep chasing her down long after sheâs made it to safety. Itâs a beautifully painted tale of love, loss and the lasting impact of trauma.
âThe Heaven and Earth Grocery Storeâ by James McBride
Itâs 1972, and Black and immigrant Jewish residents are living together on the margins of white society in this vivid fictional romp. This captivating yarn unspools around the residentâs secrets and sorrows, traditions and trials and an honest-to-goodness skeleton in a well. Youâll soon see why Barack Obama named it one of his favorite books of 2023.
âLet Us Descendâ by Jesmyn Ward
Take a harrowing journey from a Carolina plantation through the slave markets of New Orleans and on to Louisiana in this masterful work from one of our best living writers. It follows an enslaved woman named Annis who conjures the beloved memory of her late mother, lost lover and African warrior ancestors to comfort her on the trek. A gorgeously imaginative tale.
âBlack Friendâ by Ziwe
Pop culture aficionados may already know Ziwe from her frank (and frankly hilarious) interviews with celebrity guests like Alyssa Milano and Chet Hanks, and those who love her unapologetic style will also gobble up this book. But for anyone who isnât familiar, Ziweâs own introduction tells it best: âWhile I am a supportive friend, I am not a supporting character. I am the protagonist of my perfectly imperfect story.â
âNotes on a Native Sonâ by James Baldwin
No list of Black authors, artists or thinkers would be complete without the inimitable Baldwin. While the essays in this book were written in the 1940s and â50s, his writing on life in Harlem, the protest novel and civil rights feel just as current today.
âThis Is the Honeyâ edited by Kwame Alexander
If middle school English class convinced you not to read poetry, let this collection of contemporary poetry change your mind. With joyful, poignant, piercing and unfailingly beautiful work from greats like Rita Dove, Jericho Brown, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith, Terrance Hayes, Morgan Parker and Nikki Giovanni, itâll have you dog-earing every other page.
âOctavia E. Butler: Kindred, Fledgling, Collected Storiesâ by Octavia E. Butler
The best sci-fi addresses intimately familiar problems, even if they take place in a galaxy far, far away. This classic collection includes two of Butlerâs most well-known pieces of Afrofuturism that take a fictionalized approach to the horrors of our countryâs history, along with other stories that make a great introduction to Butlerâs work.
âBetween the World and Meâ by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Toni Morrison called this literary memoir ârequired reading,â and itâs also won or been nominated for just about every literary prize there is. Weaving together big questions about our countryâs history and the state of things today with an intimate letter to his young son, this book is an absolute force of nature.
âThe Wedding Dateâ series by Jasmine Guillory
During Black History Month (and always!) itâs important to celebrate Black joy and no one does it better than Guillory. Her sexy, steamy romance novels keep her fans clamoring for more, and this series is no exception. It includes stories about a last-minute wedding invitation, two high-powered professionals trying to make room for love and lots more.
âChildren of Blood and Boneâ by Tomi Adeyemi
Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas and other Booktok hits, this one is inspired by West African legends. ZĂ©lie Adebola, remembers when OrĂŻsha was a magical place, before a tyrannical king took over. Now, sheâs got a chance to save it, herself and her people in this gripping fantasy that just might bring a little romance into play.
âI Know Why the Caged Bird Singsâ by Maya Angelou
Much like many of the other authors on this list, Angelou likely needs no introduction. This stunning memoir of a lonely childhood marred by a devastating attack and the reverberations throughout her life belongs on every reading list.
âUntetheredâ by Angela Jackson-Brown
In a 1967 Alabama town at the tail-end of the civil rights movement, Katia Daniels runs a boysâ home. Her twin brotherâs disappearance in Vietnam and a crisis with one of her wards force her to accept assistance from an old friend. A story of loss, community and hope.
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