Hi Everyone!
One of my personal reading goals this past year was diversifying the authors that I read from. So, I figured in celebration of February being black history month I would share some of my favorite and impactful reads by black authors. I have also linked to each book from a black-owned bookstore in the post. In no particular order:
- The Office of Historical Corrections- Danielle Evans
The Office of Historical Corrections is a novella and a collection of short stories ranging from 15 pages to 100 pages a story. Because of its length and the setup of this collection, it is a very accessible collection of stories that are well-written entertaining reads while simultaneously discussing very important topics relating to people of color. There was not one of the stories in this collection that I did not enjoy reading, and I would highly recommend picking up this collection!
The Office of Historical Corrections
- The Vanishing Half- Brit Bennett
This novel tells a story of two twin sisters, one who lives their life as a white passing and one who does not. Brit Bennett does an amazing job telling the story of these two sisters and the struggles that each of them experience individually. Bennett’s writing is beautiful and completely submerges you in the story. This story is so impactful and such an important one, I will never stop recommending this beautiful novel to absolutely everybody. This book fits into the genres: historical fiction, mystery, family saga, and domestic fiction. This story is one that will have you hooked from the beginning until you read the last page and close the book.
- Such A Fun Age- Kiley Reid
Such A Fun Age is about a black woman who nannies for a white family and one night at a grocery store she is accused of kidnapping the white girl that she is babysitting. The rest of the story follows the repercussions of this event and the lasting impact that this has on Emira. This novel was also one that presented such a serious topic in a very accessible and enjoyable story. This story also adds multiple perspectives to the story as we hear from the child’s mom and Emira’s boyfriend at the time. I would highly recommend picking up this book as Kiley Reid’s writing is so beautiful.
- The Hate U Give- Angie Thomas
I am sure by now if you are a fan or books or television you have more than likely heard of this book. This book is about a teenage girl who witnesses her friend’s death due to police brutality and the lasting impact that that has on her life, and while it is a very difficult subject to read about I will continue recommending it to absolutely everyone. Despite this being a young-adult book, I think that this story is impactful for people of any age who read it. The content in this novel is very serious but it is presented in a very approachable manner, opening the subject up to a variety of different audiences. Thomas’ writing is beautiful, heart-breaking, and inspiring all at the same time. If you have not read this book yet please go pick it up immediately!
Thank you for reading all of my thoughts on these books and let me know if you have read any of these books and your thoughts on them in the comments below! See you in the next post!