February is Black History Month! Celebrate the culture and achievements of African Americans by reading one of these fiction titles written by a Black author.


Compiled by:
Elizabeth G.
The Ballad of Perilous Graves

Alex Jennings
SF Jenning

Nine songs of power have escaped from the piano that maintains the New Orlean’s beat, and without them, Nola will fail. Unwilling to watch his home be destroyed, Perry will sacrifice everything to save it. But a storm is brewing, and the Haint of All Haints is awake. Nola’s time might be coming to an end.


Black Cake

Charmaine Wilkerson
Wilkers

A voice recording and a Caribbean black cake to be shared when the time is right. This was the inheritance left by Eleanor Bennet to her two children, Byron and Benny, who’d lost their once close connection. Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?


The Confessions of Matthew Strong

Ousmane K. Power-Greene
Power-Greene

A thriller about race, redemption, the dangerous imbalances that continue to destabilize society, and speaking out for what’s right.


Don’t Cry for Me

Daniel Black
Black

On his deathbed, Jacob writes letters to his gay son, Isaac. He means to apologize for his past actions, but also to provide context to their family, his upbringing, and their shared trauma.


Goliath

Tochi Onyebuchi
SF Onyebuc

Set in a dystopian 2050s, when the wealthy have escaped a collapsing Earth for colonies in outer space, this collection of vignettes paints a picture of life for those left behind, and their struggles and triumphs in the world that remains.


The Violin Conspiracy

Brendan Slocumb.
Slocum

When Ray McMillian’s violin—a Stradivarius passed down from his great-grandfather—is stolen just before the International Tchaikovsky Competition, he must deal with both members of his family—and of the family that once enslaved his ancestors—making claims to the violin.


Wahala

Nikki May
May

A group of three best friends—Ronke, Boo, and Simi—wrestle with family issues, jealousy, and lack of fulfillment in life. When a fourth friend, Isobel, joins the group, their friendship begins to grow more volatile.


What the Fireflies Knew

Kai Harris
Harris

This coming of age novel is told from the eyes of 11-year-old KB growing up and trying to find herself after her mother sent her and her teenage sister, Nia, to be with their previously estranged grandfather in the wake of their father’s death.


Yonder

Jabari Asim
Asim

This is a story of the physical and emotional toll plantation life took on slaves in the 19th century. But when a minister arrives at Placid Hall, talking of independence, the strivers must choose for themselves: who can they believe, and will they put everything on the line for freedom?


You Made a Fool of Death with your Beauty

Akwaeke Emezi
Emezi

A fresh take on a romance novel and a Nigerian American woman’s second chance for love after tragedy.