Black stories to enjoy this Black History Month
In honour of Black History Month, here are some of my favourite fictional books by Black authors. As communication students, we have many, many pages of reading for school but trust me, the following books are a breath of fresh air and are worth your time.
Get a life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
You can’t be a fan of romance books and not have heard of Talia Hibbert - she’s absolutely brilliant and beautifully pictures Black characters and other characters of colour. Get a Life, Chloe Brown is a part of a trilogy that follows the Brown sisters and their stories of finding love. Each book is a stand-alone and can be read on its own but my absolute favourite in the series remains the first one, Get a Life, Chloe Brown. In this story, Chloe who is tired of being a boring computer geek recruits her mysterious, artist neighbour to help her experience a list of new things. It’s a mix of humour, wit, generosity, and of course, love.
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Tia Williams’ Seven Days in June follows the story of Eva Mercy and Shane Hall who met and fell in love over a crazy week as teenagers, but after being apart for almost fifteen years, bump into each other in an event. Eva is now a single mom and an erotica writer and Shane has become an award-winning literary author. As they reconnect, yet again in seven summer days, Eva has to make a decision: trust the man who broke her heart once fifteen years ago or not give him another chance. Seven Days in June is full of emotions, humorous, and in one word, warm.
Love in Colour: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola
Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola is a masterful collection of short stories of love, in its many different forms. Bolu Babalola’s debut novel retells the magical love stories of history and mythology with great details, focusing on the tails that originated in West Africa. It follows a Nigerian goddess, a young businesswoman, and a Ghanian spokesperson. Besides being clever and captivating, an attempt towards decolonization is a common theme throughout the book.
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
“Black history is Black horror.” The book starts with this one line and continues to prove its point. If you’re a fan of thrillers and a more suspenseful story, The Other Black Girl is the way to go. The Other Black Girl has been published recently and it’s Zakiya Dalila Harris’ debut novel. It follows Nella Rogers who works at a New York City publishing house. Right when being the only Black person in the company becomes overwhelming, another Black girl, Hazel-May McCall gets hired. As the story unfolds, Nella’s excitement about the new hire shifts into a sense of distrust, followed by some thrilling twists. The Other Black Girl is Devil Wears Prada meets Get Out in an absolutely brilliant way.
If thrillers are your jam, check out our review of Aces of Spades by Àbíké-Íyímídé here.
These books are from different genres and tell different stories, but what they all have in common is how they centre Black characters.