There’s nothing quite like getting lost in a good book. But if you read novels that center romance and liberation from Black authors like bell hooks, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, James Baldwin, and Ta-Nehisi Paul Coates, you won’t want the story to end. Because knowledge is power, for our latest 28 Days of Black History installment, we flip through ten essential books that honor Black love and fortitude. 

Alice Walker - “The Color Purple”

Largely considered to be Alice Walker’s magnum opus, the 1982 classic “The Color Purple” follows Celie, who comes of age in rural Georgia and struggles to find her self-worth while in an abusive marriage to Albert Johnson, also known as Mister. With the guidance of local friends Sofia and Shug Avery, Celie transforms and discovers her inner strength.

bell hooks - “All About Love: New Visions”

Late author, feminist, and critic bell hooks explored the complexities of love about relationships, politics, and social class in thirteen chapters in her 1999 book “All About Love.”

Britt Bennett - “The Vanishing Half”

Focusing on familial love and distance is Britt Bennett in her 2020 book “The Vanishing Half,” where twin sisters Desiree and Stella Vignes flee their small town for New Orleans and look deeply into their existences despite outer racial prejudice.

Candice Carty Williams - “Queenie”

In the adult fiction novel “Queenie” British-Jamaican reporter Queenie Jenkins tries to pull herself together after an unexpected breakup. Still, it's through stumbling in casual relationships and confronting her past that she learns to emotionally and mentally rebuild.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - “Americanah”

2014 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's book “Americanah” traverses the relationship between Nigerian classmates Ifemelu and Obinze, who are met with the possibility of reconnecting after Ifemelu returns to their homeland from the United States after being discriminated against.

James Baldwin - “Giovanni's Room”

Published in 1956, James Baldwin's classic “Giovanni’s Room” zeroes in on David, who’s engaged to a woman but begins an affair with a male Italian bartender. Considered a vital part of the LGBTQ books canon, “Giovanni’s Room” gives a voice to the queer male narrative.

Santi Elijah Holley - “An Amerikkkan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created”

The Shakur Family didn’t begin with Tupac. “An Amerikkkan Family” crosses generations amongst some ‘family’ members who weren’t even related but bonded over their plight for Black liberation in organized groups, including the Black Panther Party and the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM).

Ta-Nehisi Coates - “Between the World and Me”

While speaking directly to his son, Samori, Ta-Nehisi Coates delves into the bleak reality of being a Black man in America who’s faced with injustice and systemic racism.

Toni Morrison - “Love” 

In the 2002 Toni Morrison book “Love,” a group of women try to sort out their ties involving their deceased patriarchal figure, William (Bill) Cosey. It’s love that unravels the women’s emotions and, ultimately, helps them evolve.

Zora Neale Hurston - “Their Eyes Were Watching God”

After two marriages, Janie Crawford learns her capacity to accept true love in the 1937 romantic novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” While opening herself up to her third husband, Tea Cake, Crawford tries to free herself from the burden of her previous abusive marriages while dealing with living in a racist Florida environment.