If you follow The Bookshop Project on Instagram and Twitter, you may have seen those accounts highlighting books by Black authors and bookshops owned by Black folks. Understanding that social media moves quickly and those posts may not be easily accessible forever, I wanted to compile a list on the blog of recommended reading for understanding the historical context of racism in our country so we may engage in thoughtful conversations about the violence against Black Americans and respond to the call to action to bring an end to that violence. I also wanted to include a list of Black-owned bookshops so that we can show our support for the community of Black booksellers, both during this time and far into the future.
If you are a reader, you know books are powerful. These books are especially powerful as they can help us begin to understand the experiences of the marginalized members of our community. This list is by no means comprehensive, and if you have further recommendations, feel free to reach out and I will update this post.
Recommended Reading: Fiction
- Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon, or anything else by Toni Morrison
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Such A Fun Age by Kylie Reid
- Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez
- The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Recommended Reading: Nonfiction
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- Black Skin White Masks by Frantz Fanon
- Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis
- How to Be an Antiracist and Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
- What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays by Damon Young
- An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz
Recommended Black-Owned Bookshops (I am hoping to feature as many of these shops as possible over the next few weeks. If you own a shop that belongs on this list or know someone who does but has not been contacted by me, please let me know and I will be in touch if they are interested in a full feature).
- Semicolon Chicago
- Uncle Bobbies Coffee and Books
- Detroit Book City
- Harriet’s Bookshop (please note, at the time of publishing, they are not taking new orders. However, they are taking donations. Please visit their site to learn how and consider making a donation.)
- Frugal Bookstore
- The Dock Bookshop
- Turning Page Bookshop
- Sisters Uptown Bookstore
- Books and Crannies
- Loyalty Bookstores
- The Lit.Bar
Libro.fm has put together an even more extensive list that you can access here.
