Books are beautiful reflections of different cultures, experiences, knowledge, and wisdom, whether nonfiction or fiction. Black female authors are underrepresented in literature as society silences or diminishes these unique voices and experiences. We must appreciate and highlight these stories as they continue to change how we see the world as we know it.
The Impact of Black Female Authors
Let’s explore the impact of Black female authors. Black women manage to retain their ancestry’s culture and express their hardships and dreams in their own words and pictures despite the terrible restrictions of slavery—sometimes at their own risk. Throughout the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, more Black female creatives appeared and ultimately broke through in the 1920s with the start of the Harlem Renaissance. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the vast corpus of creative work created by Black women reached broader audiences and played a prominent role in the civil and women’s rights movement.
The development and influence of the women’s movement on Black women’s awareness, in particular, contributed to a, “Black women’s literary renaissance.” This was kicked off by Toni Morrison’s publishing of The Bluest Eye in 1970. Sula (1973) and Song of Solomon (1977), two more novels by Morrison, followed. Her fifth book, Beloved (1987), is often considered one of the most significant pieces of African American literature from the late 20th century.
A generation of younger Black female novelists, including Tomi Adeyemi, Glory Edim, and more who will be introduced below, were influenced by the success of authors like Morrison, Maya Angelou (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings), and Alice Walker (winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for The Color Purple). Other prominent Black female authors from this period include Paule Marshall, Octavia E. Butler, Gayl Jones, Edwidge Danticat, Rita Dove, and playwrights Ntozake Shange and Suzan-Lori Parks and poets Audre Lord and Rita Dove (who received the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for poetry).
What We Can All Learn From Black Female Authors
The power of the experience and words of Black female authors serve an essential role in understanding the plight of Black women today. Even in works of fiction, the stories are often based on ancestral tales passed down from generation to generation. Black women’s literature tells the tales of resilience, inspiration, oppression, and the many interpersonal and societal challenges they face. These stories provide a deeper understanding of cultural and societal differences. Readers can take a literary walk in the shoes of Black women and gain a deeper understanding of the daily lives of Black women in the United States.
7 Black Female Authors to Add to Your TBR List
Fearless and unapologetic, here’s a list of seven Black female authors who have made ripples of change with their sea of words:
1. Brit Bennett
Standford University Alumna Brit Bennett is one of the newer voices of African American literature. The Southern California native’s first book, Mother, debuted in 2016 and was a New York Times bestseller! She tackles powerful themes with contemporary compelling stories. Bennett earned her MFA in Fiction Writing at the University of Michigan and is a renowned social commentator.
A Novel by a Black Female Author That You Won’t Want to Close
Bennett’s, The Vanishing Half was an immediate success and a #1 New York Times bestseller. We will not spoil the book for you; however, this one is worthy of all the praise it receives. The novel is informative and captivating as it follows two identical twin sisters navigating different racial identities throughout their lives, beginning in the 1950s and continuing through the 90s.
Ratings & Reviews for The Vanishing Half
4.42/5 on Goodreads
“It’s an even better book, more expansive yet also deeper, a multi-generational family saga that tackles prickly issues of racial identity and bigotry and conveys the corrosive effects of secrets and dissembling. It’s also a great read that will transport you out of your current circumstances, whatever they are.”
– NPR
“The past laps at the present in short flashbacks, never weighing down the quick current of a story that covers almost 20 years. Each chapter ends on a light cliffhanger, and the pages fairly turn themselves. Some depth is sacrificed for the swiftness; the book doesn’t burrow into the psychology of its characters so much as map the wages of artifice, fracture and loss across generations… Bennett excels in conjuring the silences of families and in evoking atmosphere.”
– Parul Sehgal, The New York Times
2. Sara Collins
Sara Collins is another talented Black woman in front of your keyboards. Collins was raised in the Grand Cayman Islands and possesses a Creative Writing MFA from Cambridge University. After 17 years of working as a lawyer, she became an author in 2019 with her first historical romance novel, The Confessions of Frannie Langton.
The Best of Both Worlds!
This nail-biting gothic romance and drama narrates the life of servant and former slave Frannie Langton, who is accused of murdering her employer and his spouse. This international bestseller occurs simultaneously in a Jamaican sugar plantation and on the streets of historic London. Due to its popularity, the tale was recently adapted into a television drama series premiered in December 2022.
Ratings & Reviews for The Confessions of Frannie Langton
3.6/5 on Goodreads
“By turns lush, gritty, wry, gothic and compulsive, The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a dazzlingly page turner. With as much psychological savvy as righteous wrath, Sara Collins twists together the slave narrative, bildungsroman, love story and crime novel to make something new.”
– Emma Donoghue, author of Room captured via Sara Collins official website.
“That’s why I love this book. Collins hasn’t just written an authentic gothic novel: she rugby tackles the notion of the saintly girl who emerges from suffering rather improved by it.”
– Natasha Pulley, The Guardian
3. Assata Shakur
Assata Olugbala Shakur is an American political activist who was a member of the Black Liberation Army. During a very contentious trial that followed years of mistreatment during incarceration, she was convicted in 1977 of the first-degree murder of State Trooper Werner Foerster during a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973. Despite evidence suggesting she could not have shot Foerster and evidence of an unjust trial, Shakur remains on the FBIs most-wanted list. She currently lives in Cuba, where she was granted asylum.
Best Autobiography by a Black Female Writer
Assata: An Autobiography is a well-known book, for good reason. While explaining the events that inspired her to become an activistexplores themes of womanhood and feminism. Through this lens, Shakur shows the advantages, disadvantages, and the ultimate failure of Black and White revolutionary groups at the hands of authorities. This highly personal and political autobiography refutes the threatening image of her alternate identity, JoAnne Chesimard, which the state and media have long perpetuated. The end product is a significant contribution to the literature on being Black in America that has already earned a spot among Maya Angelou’s writings and The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
Ratings & Reviews for Assata: An Autobiography
4.6/5 on Goodreads
“A deftly written book . . . A spellbinding tale.”
The New York Times Book Review
“A sober, restrained, but forceful recollection. . . . A must book for those interested in the ‘revolutionaries’ of the 1960s”
Choice
4. Imbolo Mbeu
New York Times bestselling author Imbolo Mbue captures readers’ eyes with rich words and powerful storytelling. Born in Limbe, Cameroon, this Black Female writer is nothing short of amazing and comes with receipts. Her books received the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and were noted as “One of the 10 Best Books” of 2021. Mbue continues to write beautiful novels and thought-provoking opinion editorials featured in notable publications such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times.
All We’re Saying Is… The Book was an Oprah’s Book Club Selection
Imbolo Mbue’s 2016 novel, Behold the Dreamers, focuses on two Cameroonian immigrants living in New York City. They contend with the difficulties of migrating on top of prejudice in their new country. The novel follows a young couple, Jende and Neni, and their son Liomi. Jende soon discovers that the ‘American Dream’ may not be what he imagined. This novel describes the disparities within the immigration system and deepens the comprehension of what it is really like to immigrate to America. We would suggest this book to anyone interested in a mind-expanding read.
Ratings & Reviews for Behold the Dreamers
4/5 on Goodreads
“Behold the Dreamers is a remarkable debut. Mbue is a wonderful writer with an uncanny ear for dialogue — there are no false notes here, no narrative shortcuts, and certainly no manufactured happy endings.”
Michael Schaub, NPR
“Mbue’s prose is mostly straightforward and unadorned but her characters are complex, with contradictory motivations, which provide the story with depth and quiet power.”
Chibundu Onozu, The Guardian
5. Kiley Reid
Another West Coast native joins the list! Born in Los Angeles and raised in Tuscon, Arizona, Kiley Reid shines a light on modern women’s issues with her first novel, Such a Fun Age. While working as an assistant professor at the University of Michigan, Reid is writing her second novel. However, she is keeping the unfinished details close to heart.
A New and Notable Black Female Author
Her first novel, Such a Fun Age, features privilege and racism through the eyes of a Black babysitter charged with kidnapping a white child. This book is described as a “complex, layered page-turner” and has captivated audiences since its publication. Its popularity has even sparked a film adaptation. While we still don’t know a release date, we know that Queen and Slim producer Lena Waithe purchased the film and television rights. Now fans have two exciting, upcoming releases. We will be looking forward to her next novel and the film adaptation of Such a Fun Age!
Ratings & Reviews for Such a Fun Age
3.8/5 on Goodreads
“Beneath her comedy of good intentions, Reid—in setting these four women on different class and life trajectories—stages a Millennial bonding that is likely to resonate with 20-something postgraduates scrambling to get launched in just about any American city.”
Stephanie Hayes, The Atlantic
“Reid’s straightforward prose and sharp eye for social satire allow her to demonstrate clearly how race and privilege are inseparable from the way we structure our sense of self and our relationships with others. Such a Fun Age deserves a place on every reading list this summer.”
Chelsea Bingham, Harvard Review
6. Tia Williams
Tia Williams is the definition of multifaceted. Willams worked as a beauty editor for publications including Elle, Glamour, and Essence for 15 years before founding Shake Your Beauty, a beauty blog, in 2004. Her talents also span into the Young Adult category. She is the hand behind coming-of-age novels Sixteen Candles, It Chicks, and the critically acclaimed The Accidental Diva. Residing in Brooklyn, she is busy adapting her best-selling book The Perfect Find into a movie. Award-winning actress Gabrielle Union is set to lead the romantic comedy. She enjoys spending quality time with her family and is currently an editorial director for Estée Lauder Companies.
Best Contemporary Romance Novel by a Black Female Author
Williams creates beautiful modern love stories. Her most recent work, Seven Days in June, gives readers a complex and sizzling romance to follow. Sparks ignite when Shane and Eva suddenly cross paths at a literary event, prompting questions and their long-buried wounds. Everyone is unaware that Eva and Shane had one passionate week together two decades prior. The chemistry or possibilities they have secretly written to one another in their books is impossible to ignore. Eva and Shane reconcile over the course of the following seven days amid a scorching Brooklyn summer. Eva is unsure of how to trust the guy who broke her heart. She wants to clarify a few things before Shane leaves again. Seven Days in June is hilarious and sensual with its observations on Black life, modern motherhood’s state, and motherlessness’s effects.
Ratings & Reviews for Seven Days in June
4.1/5 on Goodreads
“A sexy modern love story,” is a summer love story about a single mom living in Brooklyn with “keen observations of Black life and the condition of modern motherhood.”
Goodreads
“Tia Williams has created the perfect balance of romance and heat, tension and desire, humour and relevant social context. This novel is sexy and smart.”
Beth Mowbray
7. Bell Hooks
Gloria Jean Watkins is the biological name of activist and author Bell Hooks, born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. She is Stanford University Alumna and received her Master of Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, paired with her doctorate that she completed at the University of California-Santa Cruz. Hooks wrote more than 30 books in her lifetime. To name a few:
- Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (1981), which Publishers Weekly ranked as one of the 20 most significant works of literature of the previous two decades;
- Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics (1991), recipient of the Before Columbus Foundation Award and American Book Award;
- Homemade Love (2002), a children’s book;
- Appalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place (2012), voted Black Caucus of the American Library Association’s Best Poetry Award.
Exploring Love with Black Female Authors
A nonfiction work of art, All About Love: New Visions, published in 2000, examines the idea of love in America, particularly within the African American community. Where sexism, racism, consumerism, greed, addiction, abuse, judgment, cynicism, and dread of death are pervasive, according to Hooks, love cannot flourish. Love must instead be built on the principles of equality, forgiveness, self-acceptance, communication, trust, and the decision to support the development of others. In addition to pointing out no agreed-upon concept of love, Hooks examines American society’s simultaneous suspicion and need for love in this must-read novel.
Ratings & Reviews for All About Love: New Visions
4.0/5 on Goodreads
“Hooks blends the personal and the psychological with the philosophical in her latest book–a thoughtful but frequently familiar examination of love American style.”
Publisher’s Weekly
“Hooks challenges us to see how our assumptions about love fail us. From my personal relationships to my grappling with institutional injustice, I’m now striving to define the practice of love and engage in it more explicitly.”
Michael “MK” Kim, Medium
The Evolution of Black Female Literature and the Contemporary Renaissance
Present and past Black female writers are creating literature of social and political relevance while connecting with the experiences of readers young and mature. African American writers have struggled through hardships society imposed on them for many years. Writing stories that contribute to the evolution of culture, society, and most importantly, a well-rounded view of Black women’s experiences. Let us all do our part in uplifting these perspectives, so their work continues to flourish.
