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In the literary world, it can prove difficult to find Black bookstores, organizations, and books to support. With this comprehensive list, I’ll be breaking down a list of Black bookstores to buy from, organizations that help improve and expand the space for Black readers, and books with Black authors and protagonists to help you feel seen!
To get started, here is a list of small Black-owned bookstores that you can support instead of big companies like Barnes and Noble or Amazon.
Image Credit: Rozette Rago/ New York Times
Black Books Stores
Reparations Club
Reparations Club located in Los Angeles, California is a Black-owned book shop and creative space, created by Jazzi McGilber dedicated to the amplifying of marginalized voices. While their Los Angeles shop is currently closed for the pandemic, they do sell books online and ship anywhere in the United States.*
The Sister’s Uptown Bookstore
The Sister’s Uptown Bookstore located in Washington Heights/ Harlem, New York is “the oldest black and family-owned bookstore and community cultural center” in the area. Run by Janifer P. Wilson, the store is committed to nurturing the minds of the surrounding community with works from African American, Latinx, etc. authors and intellectuals. They do online and in-store/ curbside pickup!
Good Books
Good Books is a Black mother-daughter duo, Katherine and Katie, owned pop-up and online bookstore based in Atlanta, Georgia. With a self-proclaimed love for reading and blackness, they started their bookstore selling books and poems written by Black authors. They sell previously owned Black-authored books across the U.S. online.
*For an even longer and more curated list of Black bookstores across the United States, check out this link!
Below are a few organizations to support that help readers find Black books, gives a space for readers to discuss Black books, and a lot more!
Image Credit: Nonamebooks.com
Black Book Organizations
Noname Book Club
With the tagline “Reading Material for The Homies” Noname Book Club, created by rapper Noname, the organization highlights two books every month authored by POC. Along with its online community, the organization has meetups to discuss the monthly reads in safe space (this has been updated to be via Zoom currently) and has a program that sends the same monthly books to those who are incarcerated.
1000 Black Girl Books Database
Created by Marley Dias, 1000 Black Girl Books Database, has cataloged 1000 books with Black girls as main characters/ protagonists so that readers can more easily find these books. It is categorized by title and author, and can even be filtered by reading level ranging from emerging reader to adult reader. This was created for people who want to find new reading options (because they aren’t available for download on the site!)
African American Literature Book Club
The African American Literature Book Club is the “oldest, largest, and most popular” online book store that aims to sell and celebrate books written by Black authors or about those of African descent. Also, the books on the website are sold from independent booksellers! The site is immersive and has many resources from author profiles, book reviews, to discussion forums.
Below is a list of books written by Black authors and contain Black protagonists. I’ve composed a list of a few fiction and non-fiction highly reviewed books, along with an excerpt or information on each.
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Black Books
Fiction
Black Boy White School Novel by Brian F. Walker
In a hard-hitting novel about fitting in—or not—Anthony “Ant” Jones gets transported from his East Cleveland hood to an almost all-white prep school and has to figure out where he belongs...before he loses himself entirely. (Amazon.com)
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America
Edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi, and featuring some of the most acclaimed bestselling Black authors writing for teens today—Black Enough is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it’s like to be young and Black in America. (Amazon.com)
Opposite of Always Novel by Justin A. Reynolds
Debut author Justin A. Reynolds delivers a hilarious and heartfelt novel about the choices we make, the people we choose, and the moments that make a life worth reliving. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and John Green. (BarnesandNoble.com)
Not So Pure and Simple Novel by Lamar Giles
Two-time Edgar Award finalist Lamar Giles spotlights the consequences of societal pressure, confronts toxic masculinity, and explores the complexity of what it means to be a “real man.” (GoodReads.com)
Children of Blood and Bone Novel by Tomi Adeyemi
Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir. (GoodReads.com)
Non-Fiction
Between the World and Me Book by Ta-Nehisi Coates
In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis.
(GoodReads.com)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X Book by Alex Haley and Malcolm X
In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement. (GoodReads.com)
Becoming Book by Michelle Obama
As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—Michelle Obama helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. (Amazon.com)
You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain Book by Phoebe Robinson
A hilarious and timely essay collection about race, gender, and pop culture from comedy superstar and 2 Dope Queens podcaster Phoebe Robinson. Being a black woman in America means contending with old prejudices and fresh absurdities every day. Comedian Phoebe Robinson has experienced her fair share over the years: she's been unceremoniously relegated to the role of “the black friend,” (Amazon.com)
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race Book by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge was frustrated with the way that discussions of race and racism are so often led by those blind to it, by those willfully ignorant of its legacy. Her response, Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, has transformed the conversation both in Britain and around the world. (BarnesandNoble.com)
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