Books Recommended by Black Feminists
Many of us want to read more diversely, support marginalised authors, and broaden our understanding of intersectional feminism. This process all starts with where our book recommendations come from!
These books recommended by Black feminists, from powerful memoirs to transporting historical fiction, will educate and entertain you throughout Black History Month and beyond.
Roxane Gay
Roxane Gay is an American writer most famous for her essay collection Bad Feminist, which became a cultural phenomenon in its own right! Her Goodreads page is a treasure trove of thoughtful recommendations, including:
Fiction: Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge
Libertie follows the story of a free-born young Black woman with a passion for music, and her physician mother, as they both negotiate their own definitions of freedom in Reconstruction-era America.
“A very layered, beautifully rendered novel.”
Non-Fiction: Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
A moving reckoning with how we can be defined by, and also transcend, our childhoods, Ford’s memoir recounts growing up a poor Black girl with a father in prison for a crime she knows nothing of.
Candice Carty-Williams
Candice Carty-Williams became the first Black writer to win the British Book Awards Book of the Year with her novel Queenie. In an article for Oprah Daily, she recommends 16 of her favourite books by Black women, including:
Fiction: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
An epic novel that traces over three centuries of history, Homegoing follows the lives and legacies of two half-sisters born in eighteenth-century Ghana.
“It's the most amazing journey I've been in through literature.”
Non-Fiction: Citizen by Claudia Rankine
Citizen is a powerful antidote to the complacent claim that we are living in a post-racial age. Rankine charts the ongoing stressors that Black people must negotiate as they move through the world, from everyday microaggressions to outright violence.
“This is the one book that I recommend when anyone asks me what I'm reading or what they should read. It's an entry point to Black female identity.”
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox is an Emmy award-winning actor and producer, known for her role in the hit Netflix series Orange Is The New Black, as well as a prominent trans activist. In an article for Buzzfeed, she shares some of the non-fiction books that changed her life, including:
Non-Fiction: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Dr. Brené Brown draws upon over a decade of research to redefine vulnerability. Rather than associating vulnerability with weakness, she argues that it is an essential part of how we become braver, achieve success and create fulfilling connections with others.
“This book, and her entire body of work, has been crucial in getting me to rethink shame in my life and build shame resilience.”
Renni Eddo-Lodge
Renni Eddo-Lodge is a British journalist and author of the landmark book Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race. In an interview with Refinery29, she shares a variety of the books from her reading list, including:
Fiction: Augustown by Kei Miller
A beautiful and poetic book, Augustown is set in a poor Jamaican suburb. The novel follows a family held together by its blind matriarch, Ma Taffy, whose stories never let the past separate from the present.
“I feel like every now and then there’s a book by a Black fiction author that’s hyped and people are excited about it, but this book has not got the attention it deserves.”
Non-Fiction: Extracts From: The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
A more accessible version of the feminist classic, Extracts From: The Second Sex introduces readers to Simone de Beauvoir’s pioneering examination of the harmful ways in which ‘woman’ has been defined in Western patriarchal society.
“That’s the book that basically changed my mind on feminism when I wasn’t a feminist, that’s what I always credit.”
Bernardine Evaristo
Bernardine Evaristo is the author of several books and an activist for inclusion in the publishing industry. Her novel Girl, Woman, Other won the Booker Prize in 2019. In an article for Bustle, she recommends some of her favourite books by Black British womxn authors, including:
Fiction: The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
Part thriller and part historical fiction, The Confessions of Frannie Langton portrays the dramatic fallout when a servant and former slave is accused of murdering her employers.
“One woman's fight to tell her story.”
Non-Fiction: Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri
Journalist Emma Dabiri reveals how Black hair has been a nexus for discrimination and oppression, from colonial policy to modern-day popular culture. In the process, she shares her own personal journey towards self-acceptance.
“Black hairstyling culture can be understood as an allegory for Black oppression and, ultimately, liberation.”
Janet Mock
Janet Mock is an American writer and editor, trans rights activist, and author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood. She has also had a successful career in television as a host, director and producer. In an article for the bookshop One Grand, she shares her top 10 favourite books of all time, including:
Fiction: Sula by Toni Morrison
In Sula, two childhood friends from Ohio create divergent lives from themselves, with one remaining in their small-town community and another escaping to the city. When their paths cross once more in adulthood, the two women are forced to confront the cost of the choices they have made.
“The character Sula was the first protagonist who made me feel okay with my own non-conformity.”
Non-Fiction: This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color
This unapologetic collection explores the complex facets of what it means to be a woman of colour, through personal essays, interviews, poetry and art.
“I am so glad it’s back in print for a new generation craving this kind of centering and elevated consciousness.”
Written by Florence Edwards
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