As everyone knows, the month of February is Black History Month! It’s that time of year again to celebrate and give all of the influential African Americans that helped create change, along with shaping today’s world, their well-deserved recognition. This month you should pick up a few new books by Black authors or about some deeper topics that effect the African American community. Some of these topics you may not be used to and that’s okay – it’s good to get out of your comfort zone, especially when reading. It can open you up to new authors and new genres, along with teaching you things you didn’t even know you were missing out on. Happy reading!
- Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
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Feminism has become a big thing over the last few years. The movement emphasizes where women are left out in society and how that is wrong – and what women as a whole are going to do to change that so we can be equal to men. However, black women have been left out of this women and Mikke Kendall has wrote about it. A big question she asks – how can we stand in solidarity as a movement when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others?
- Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
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Honey Girl is a Contemporary Young Adult Fiction story about a girl you is trying to navigate the messiness of adulthood. It also includes a female/female romance. This books is considered an Own Voices novel, meaning that the author writes about a character who shares their identity. In this case Morgan Rogers in a Queer Black Millennial, just like the main character Grace Porter.
- How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
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How To Be An Antiracist became a popular book to read in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter Movement. It makes the reader think about what an antiracist society might actually look like and how we could play an active role in building that society. Kendi also wrote Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (co-author Jason Reynolds), which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, making him the youngest winner ever.
- Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
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Grown is also a Contemporary Young Adult Fiction book that packs a punch. It includes manipulation, finding one’s identity, love, and mystery. Our main character Enchanted tries to chase her dreams while being the only black girl in her school. When she finally thinks she getting somewhere – she wakes up with blood on her hands and has no memory of it!