Television is great and movies are amazing, but there’s something about sitting down with a good book that provides an unmatched experience for millions of readers worldwide. The stories that these writers create can make imaginations run wild, and take people to a place far, far away, without having to leave their own homes. What is special about Black authors, is they write with an emotion that cannot be reached by many of their contemporaries of another race.
2023 will serve to be a big year for writers of color. Memoirs, works of fiction, graphic novels and the like, are all being published before the year ends. National figures such as Stacey Abrams, Colin Kaepernick, and Dr. Imani J. Walker will release books in the near future, while writers like NPR’s Aisha Harris are hoping to make a name for themselves in the sometimes-oversaturated field of literature.
Books have been around for thousands of years, so it’s always interesting to see a wealth of new and unique stories still being published today. From Zaria Wade to Nyani Nkrumah, here are 31 books we can’t wait for you to read in 2023
01
Jamila Minnicks – Moonrise Over New Jessup (1/10)
“Moonrise Over New Jessup” is the debut novel from Jamila Minnicks. Winner of the 2021 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, the book tells the story of a Black woman who does whatever it takes to protect all that she loves in a fictional Alabama town at the beginning of the civil rights movement.
02
Nana Brew-Hammond – Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices (1/17)
Nana Brew-Hammond’s “Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices,” is an amazing collection by a new generation of young writers with African roots, and offers readers a connection to the diversity of thought and experiences of the African diaspora.
03
Elizabeth Colomba and Aurélie Lévy – Queenie: Godmother of Harlem (1/17)
“Queenie” is a historical graphic novel inspired by the real-life story of Stephanie Saint-Clair, an infamous criminal and a Harlem legend. Saint-Clair came to New York from Martinique in 1912, eventually finding success as a ruthless queen of Harlem’s mafia and a fierce defender of the Black community.
04
Nyani Nkrumah – Wade in the Water (1/17)
Set in a small, segregated Mississippi town in the early 1980s, “Wade in the Water” is the touching story of an unlikely friendship between an 11-year-old Black girl and a middle-aged white woman.
05
Goldie Taylor – The Love You Save (1/31)
In “The Love You Save,” veteran journalist and human rights activist Goldie Taylor tells the story of life growing up East St. Louis after being abandoned by her mother. Despite the challenges, Taylor finds comfort in the words of writers like James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. This moving memoir is a deeply personal story of trauma and perseverance against all odds.
06
Alvin Hall – Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance (1/31)
In “Driving the Green Book,” Alvin Hall takes readers on a virtual road trip visiting the stops in the original Green Book to see what they look like today.
07
Eboni K. Williams – Bet on Black: The Good News about Being Black in America Today (1/31)
Journalist, attorney, and star of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York reshapes the cultural landscape of achievement by showing why Black unity is crucial to individual and collective success.
08
Bisi Adjapon – Daughter in Exile (1/31)
“Daughter in Exile” tells the story of aspiring writer Lola who has it all, a good job, a great apartment in Senegal and an active social life. But everything is turned upside down when she falls for Armand, an American Marine stationed at the U.S. Embassy.
09
Zaria Wade – BLK ART: The Audacious Legacy of Black Artists and Models in Western Art (1/31)
Black artists have always contributed to art in the Western world, but not many of them have received the mainstream recognition. “BLK ART” explores those contributions throughout history, and highlights them in a real way.
10
Gothataone Moeng – CALL AND RESPONSE (2/7)
CALL AND RESPONSE shines a spotlight on the lives of women in contemporary Botswana, a country that has rarely been brought into focus in American publishing. Moeng’s stories explore the sticky contours of familial obligations, changing gender dynamics, and the place of tradition in a rapidly changing world.
11
DK Nnuro – What Napoleon Could Not Do (2/7)
“What Napoleon Could Not Do” this is a rich, revealing, and nuanced portrayal of the immigrant experience that follows the desires, regrets, and secretes of three characters as they reckon with their lives in Ghana and America.
12
Francesca T. Royster – Choosing Family: A Memoir of Queer Motherhood and Black Resistance (2/7)
“Choosing Family: A Memoir of Queer Motherhood and Black Resistance” is a brilliant literary memoir of chosen family and chosen heritage, told against the backdrop of Chicago’s North and South Sides.
13
Bozoma Saint John – The Urgent Life: My Story of Love, Loss, and Survival (2/21)
In her new memoir, Bozoma opens the door to her most intimate thoughts, showing readers how she managed to persevere through the direst of circumstances. This is a story of grief, of courage, and of deep love. It is about family – those we inherit, and those we choose.
14
Jermaine Fowler – The Humanity Archive (2/28)
This sweeping survey of Black history shows how Black humanity has been erased and how its recovery can save the humanity of us all.
15
Veronica C. Henry – The Foreign Exchange (2/28)
This magical, mysterious, and captivating read follows a Vodou priestess turned amateur sleuth as she investigates a ritual murder that is embroiled in an insidious case of corruption that reaches beyond the shadows of New Orleans.
16
Colin Kaepernick – Change the Game (3/7)
“Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game” is an inspiring high school graphic novel memoir for readers 12 and up from celebrated athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick.
17
Stacey Abrams – Rules of Engagement (3/7)
Love is a game of chance in this romantic suspense novel by New York Times bestselling author and American politician and activist Stacey Abrams, writing under her pen name, Selena Montgomery.
18
Victor LaValle – Lone Women (3/21)
Lone Women brings us to the harsh frontier of Montana in the 1910s, unspooling a haunting and instantly immersive tale of the American West unlike any we’ve ever seen before.
19
Anthony Chin-Quee – I Can’t Save You (4/4)
“I Can’t Save You” is a heartbreaking, funny, and deeply honest story of Anthony’s time working as a physician and reckoning with the brutal and at times dehumanizing conditions of life in the medical field as a Black man.
20
Brianna Holt – In Our Shoes (4/11)
This memoir in essays explores what it means to be a Black millennial woman in America today as well as the stereotypes and preconceived notions that often shape that experience.
21
Tunde Oyeniyen – Speak: Find Your Voice, Trust Your Gut, and Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (4/18)
From Tunde Oyeneyin, the massively popular Peloton instructor, fitness star, and founder of SPEAK, comes an empowering, inspiring book about how she transformed grief, setbacks, and flaws into growth, self-confidence, and triumph—perfect for fans of Shonda Rhimes, Brene Brown, and Glennon Doyle.
22
Bill Bellamy – Top Billin’: Stories of Laughter, Lessons, and Triumph (4/25)
From the MTV trailblazer, stand-up comedian, and actor, a hilariously candid memoir that is an intimate, entertaining, and heartfelt tour through the exclusive, elusive, and eternally iconic world of ’90s pop culture.
23
Rachel Cargle – A RENAISSANCE OF OUR OWN: A Memoir & Manifesto on Reimagining (5/16)
Rachel Cargle is a highly lauded modern voice in feminism and racial justice and her new book offers a deeply personal and insightful approach to the power of reimagining to dismantle the frameworks and systems that no longer serve us while building liberating new ones.
24
Marcie Alvis Walker – Everybody Come Alive: A Memoir in Essays (5/30)
A dazzling memoir that explores what it means to become fully alive and holy when we embrace the silenced stories we’ve inherited—from the creator of Black Coffee with White Friends.
25
Rich Paul – Lucky Me: A Memoir (6/13)
An autobiography by influential sports agent Rich Paul.
26
Aisha Harris – Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me (6/13)
NPR podcast host Aisha Harris takes readers on an incredible journey through pop culture’s impact. She examines the ways that pop culture has shaped her own life, charting a course for the rest of us along the way.
27
Chris Paul – Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court (6/20)
By the NBA superstar Chris Paul, “Sixty-One” is a powerful and unexpected memoir of family, faith, tragedy, and life’s most important lessons.
28
Carl Weber – Black Hamptons (6/27)
Hidden away near the end of Long Island, New York, is a community where affluent African Americans, their friends, and the wannabes have vacationed for more than 75 years. Unlike the bluffs of Martha’s Vineyard, black folks here own five miles of prime beachfront. With a mix of legacy families, new money, hangers-on, and thirsty developers, drama can never be far behind in a place called the Black Hamptons.
29
Willam R. Harvey – The Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Guide to Excellence (7/11)
From the esteemed President of Hampton University, an insider account that reveals the secret to HBCU graduates’ remarkable success—a distinguished honor roll which includes Vice President Kamala Harris, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Ruth Carter, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and many others.
30
Jamel Brinkley – Witness: Stories (8/1)
From a National Book Award finalist, “Witness” is an elegant, insistent narrative of actions taken and not taken.
31
Dr. Imani J. Walker – A Calm Chaos (9/15)
In this moving memoir written with the poignancy and power of When Breath Becomes Air and The Year of Magical Thinking, the popular psychiatrist on Bravo’s successful Married to Medicine series reveals her struggle with depression and anxiety and how she ultimately found healing.
