Today’s Solutions: November 11, 2024

Earlier this week we shared some tips for reading more this year. If you’re looking for page turners that also honor Black History Month, look no further! We’ve got a list of great Black History Month reads from novels to nonfiction and everything in between. 

  1. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. This Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book is a beautiful narration of the Great Migration, the path of 6 million Black Americans out of the feudal south.
  2. Remaking Black Power by Ashley D. Farmer. This book describes the lives and challenges of Black women engaged in social justice movements and how tools from artwork to political cartoons to critical political essays are all vehicles for empowerment. 
  3. Exiles of Eden by Ladan Osman. Osman is a gripping and refreshing contemporary poet that describes the lives and struggles of Black people with raw personal honesty. 
  4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. This classic autobiography about Angelou’s childhood is a triumphant story of overcoming adversity and sheds light on the background of one of the world’s most well-known Black authors.
  5. They Were Her Property by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers. This book takes a historical dive into the often overlooked role of white women in enslavement both before and after the Civil War. 
  6. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. This unique novel takes place over the course of a short 60 seconds and offers a new perspective on the issue of gun violence in the United States. 
  7. Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim. This collection of essays emphasizes the power of storytelling and amplifies the voices of Black women from a multitude of personal perspectives. 
  8. Heavy by Kiese Laymon. This moving memoir tells the emotional story of a young African American man moving through the challenges of familial relationships, eating disorders, addiction, confusion, and abuse. 
  9. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. This New York Times Bestseller explores the role of intimacy and marriage in Black lives. 
  10. Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi. This captivating novel offers a tantalizing plot twist that will have you captivated throughout the whole read. 
  11. Magical Negro by Morgan Parker. This poetry collection is described by Buzzfeed writer Saeed Jones as “A bright black joy that I deserve and need and welcome.”
  12. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This novel follows the all too familiar experience of a Black teenager killed by a white policeman and dives into the impact these events have on relatives, friends, and communities as a whole. 
  13. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This memoir is an open letter from Coates to his son about race in America which dives deep into the way in which we construct race serves to dehumanize certain groups and the impact this has on generational trauma. 
  14. A Lucky Man by Jamel Brinkley. This National Book Award finalist is a collection of short stories that offer nuanced portraits of Black masculinity. 
  15. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis. This novel follows the interconnected stories of the children of Hattie, a woman who raised her 12 children in the midst of the Great Migration. 
  16. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. Another classic, this book is a personal narration of the experiences of a Black man in America and the systematic oppression that existed and continues to exist in our society. 
  17. Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine. This poetry collection uses intermingled text and media to offer insightful observations into the lives of Black Americans via incidents such as the backlash against tennis player Serena Williams and the shooting of Trayvon Martin. 
  18. What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah. This collection of stories follows the lives and experiences of first-generation Americans and members of the African diaspora. 
  19. Exhibiting Blackness by Bridget R. Cooks. This book explores exhibitions featuring Black artists and is a great read for anyone seeking to learn more about the history of Black artists.
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