Black History Month Recommended Reading: Fiction for Adults & Youth

List curated by Melesha

In honor of Black History Month, we're sharing book recommendations for all ages! In this post, Supervising Librarian Melesha is sharing some of her favorite books by Black authors, including fiction for adults and youth. Be sure to check out these books, and to read Black authors all year long, not just in February. 

Looking for even more fiction recommendations by Black authors? Check out our other lists for adult fiction, teen fictionmysteries, romance, and more

Adult Fiction 

Walter Mosely—all titles, but especially crime series featuring Easy Rawlins, Leonid McGill, Socrates Fortlow, and Fearless Jones, also stand alone fiction titles Fortunate Son and The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray

Mahalia Watkins series by A. L. Herbert 

J. California Cooper—all titles 

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer (collection of short stories) 

Pearl Cleage—all titles, but especially What Looks Like Crazy on a Ordinary Day and Baby Brother’s Blues 

Way Past Cool by Jess Mowry 

Sing, Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward 

Coldest Winter Ever: A Novel by Sister Souljah 

Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine by Bebe Moore Campbell 

Youth Fiction 

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor 

Visit the library's online catalog to request a book for HPL to Go (curbside pick-up), or check out our online resources to learn more about ebooks or audiobooks!