Black History Month holds special significance in history. It’s an annual celebration in the month of February that honours the historic, artistic, intellectual, and cultural achievements made by the Black community.
This year’s Black History Month takes on a unique significance and calls for a continued understanding of not simply the personal and professional accomplishments of Black North Americans, but also an acknowledgement of their ongoing strife and adversity.
From non-fiction anthologies and memoirs to literary fiction, these titles unpack systemic racism and will spur discussion. In honour of Black History Month this year, we’ve compiled a list of 10 notable books by Black authors.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
By Malcolm X and Alex Haley
This autobiography, published in 1965, was named one of Time’s ten most influential nonfiction books of the twentieth century. The book was co-authored by journalist Alex Haley and is based on a series of in-depth interviews he conducted between 1963 and Malcolm X’s assassination in 1965.
The life and contributions of civil rights activist Malcolm X, an African American Muslim minister who advocated for Black economic and political autonomy, are chronicled in this autobiography. In contrast to Martin Luther King Jr.’s approach of nonviolence and civil disobedience, Malcolm X advocated for Black people to use self-defence if they were confronted with opposition or resistance.
Malcolm X’s memoir does an extraordinary job of articulating the trials and tribulations of Black Americans in the 1960s, while also advocating for Black nationalism and supremacy. Haley wrote the book’s epilogue after Malcolm X’s death.
Becoming
by Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama is a role model and a great inspiration for women all across the world. She made history as the first Black woman to serve as First Lady of the United States. She continues to be a persistent and strong advocate for women, as well as a role model for young girls.
Her 2018 memoir, “Becoming,” is an honest and intimate narrative of hope, tragedy, and triumph, from the perspective of a young girl growing up in the South Side of Chicago to that of the nation’s first Black first lady. Obama is more than just a wife and former first lady, though — she is the daughter of working-class parents, a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, a lawyer, and a mother.
Her bestselling memoir candidly retells her life story and explores the complexities of motherhood, work, and relationships, while giving readers nuggets of wisdom related to finding yourself and your voice.
Frying Plantain
by Zalika Reid-Benta
Set in Toronto’s Little Jamaica, Zalika Reid-Benta’s debut short story collection is centred around Kara Davis as she navigates her Jamaican and Canadian identities. In 12 interconnected vignettes taking place from elementary school to high school graduation, Frying Plantain touches on Davis’s friendships with her predominantly white classmates, first boyfriends, visits to Jamaica and the tensions of mother-daughter relationships.
The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
“The Hate U Give” is a young adult novel, inspired by the police shooting of Oscar Grant and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The story follows Starr Carter, a 16-year-old Black girl from a low-income neighbourhood who attends an elite, predominantly white private school in an affluent part of the city. As she balances her two conflicting worlds, she becomes the primary and only witness to the death of her childhood friend, Khalil, who is shot by a white police officer.
Chronicling the internal and public battle Starr Carter must face as she learns to speak her truth and share her story despite the public judgment, “The Hate U Give” is riveting and suspenseful, and an extraordinary tale of contemporary race relations.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston
It’s set in Florida in the early 20th Century. The novel starts with Janie Crawford sharing her life story with her friend Pheoby. After the ups and downs of three marriages and a life spent living according to others’ expectations, Janie learns to find her voice and celebrate love on her own terms. Named to the Great American Read’s list of the 100 most-loved books, Their Eyes Were Watching God is often considered one of the most important books of the 20th century.
The book is about defying expectations and living for oneself. Everyone in Janie’s life wants and expects something from her. Her Nanny wants her to marry for protection, white men want to keep her down, darker-skinned African-Americans feel she should emphasize her lighter skin, and each of her husbands wants her to behave and dress in a way that suits them. But Janie remains wholly herself throughout.
The Skin We’re In
by Desmond Cole
Toronto-based activist and journalist Desmond Cole’s debut book chronicles 12 months in the struggle for Black liberation. Cole writes about the Black Lives Matter-Toronto protests, the police killing of Abdirahman Abdi in Ottawa and the trial of off-duty cop Michael Theriault and his brother Christian, who was charged with violently attacking then-teenager Dafonte Miller.
The New Jim Crow
by Michelle Alexander
Released in 2010, “The New Jim Crow” was named one of the most influential books of the last 20 years by The Chronicle of Higher Education. In this book, Michelle Alexander — a civil rights advocate, legal scholar, and New York Times columnist — effectively debunks the myth that racial discrimination was eradicated with the end of the civil rights movement and the Jim Crow era.
Go Tell It on The Mountain
by James Baldwin
This semiautobiographical work tells the story of John, a teenage boy growing up in 1930s Harlem, and his complicated relationship with his family and his Pentecostal church. This book was a defining book of the civil rights era, establishing Baldwin as a strong voice and activist. The novel was brought to the screen in a 1984 made-for-television movie adaptation, which starred Paul Winfield.
They Said This Would Be Fun
by Eternity Martis
A poignant look at the race on campus, Martis recounts her experience as a Black student at Western University, where she had to fend off white girls trying to touch her hair and racist Halloween costumes. Scattered throughout the book is The Necessary Survival Guide For Token Students, in which Martis provides wry yet practical advice for everyday encounters, like how to deal with white friends wondering if they’re allowed to rap the N-word in Kendrick Lamar’s songs.
The Vanishing Half
by Britt Bennett
Published in 2020, “The Vanishing Half” is a New York Times bestseller and was also a Good Morning America Book Club selection. The novel, which centres on the lives of two light-skinned Black sisters, does a phenomenal job stringing together multiple characters with contrasting experiences.
At 16, identical twins Desiree and Stella run away from home. But while Desiree marries a Black man and chooses to maintain her Black identity, Stella elects to live as a white-passing woman. The book chronicles the sisters’ uniquely different lives and the struggles they face as they navigate and define their identities.
A powerful, moving tale, “The Vanishing Half” highlights the complex relationships between identity, race, and learning to embrace your authentic self.
Join CLI College in our month-long commemoration of black history month. Visit our Instagram @clicollegeofficial for more!
Source: Goodreads, Bookbub.com, Bestcolleges.com , NowToronto.com