Fiction by Black Authors
This list of some our favorite fiction by Black authors is roughly organized from youngest to oldest.
Magnificent Homespun Brown
A Celebration
By Samara Cole Doyon
Narrated by: Chrystal Bethell
Length: 10 minutes
This exploration of the natural world and family bonds through the eyes of a young mixed-race narrator is a living, breathing, dazzlingly multi-faceted, exuberant masterpiece, firmly grounded in her sense of self-worth and belonging. If Walt Whitman were reborn as a vibrant young woman of color, this is the book he might write. America, we hear... Read more »
I Believe I Can
By Grace Byers
Narrated by: Grace Byers
Length: 3 minutes
From the New York Times bestselling creator of I Am Enough comes an empowering follow-up that celebrates every child’s limitless potential.
Don't miss this audiobook edition, read by the author, Grace Byers!
I Believe I Can is an affirmation for boys and girls of every background to love and believe in themselves, from actress and activist Grace... Read more »
Saturday
By Oge Mora
Narrated by: Tracey Leigh
Length: 8 minutes
In this warm and tender story by the Caldecott Honor-winning creator of Thank You, Omu!, join a mother and daughter on an up-and-down journey that reminds them of what's best about Saturdays: precious time together.
Today would be special. Today would be splendid. It was Saturday! But sometimes, the best plans don't work out exactly the way you... Read more »
From the Desk of Zoe Washington
By Janae Marks
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 6 hours 9 minutes
If you enjoyed Just Mercy (Movie Tie-In Edition), then you’ll love From the Desk of Zoe Washington.
“An absolutely charming and inspirational read or listen about family, growing up and second chances. Social justice issues and experiences of racism are appropriately handled with grace and realism for this age. I enjoyed spending a bit of my summer experiencing her summer adventures and mishaps. Zoe is portrayed as a bright, ambitious 12 year-old, but she makes plenty of mistakes along the way. It balanced lighter moments of Zoe’s internship at a local bakery and re-building her friendship with her next-door neighbor alongside the tougher reality of deciding what to do when she receives a letter from her incarcerated biological father that she has never met. I loved that the author thoughtfully weaves in teachable moments around the Innocence Project and the effects that incarceration has on the entire family. Would partner great with "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stephenson. ”
Cori, Bright Side Bookshop
Clean Getaway
By Nic Stone
Narrated by: Dion Graham
Length: 3 hours 56 minutes
Clean Getaway
“William "Scoob" Lamar's white G'ma fell in love with his black G'pa at a time when a mixed-race relationship between adult Americans was illegal in many parts of the country. It was especially difficult for them in the conservative south where they lived. Now G'ma is on a mission to revisit places she and G'pa traveled and to take Scoob along with her. She wants to show him many of the historic sights that were a part of the early civil rights movement and part of Scoob's heritage. But G'ma also seems to have some secrets and Scoob isn't sure where this journey is really taking them. Nic Stone, famous for her best-selling YA novels, has written a terrific middle-grade story, with historic significance, that would be perfect for reading circles or middle-grade book clubs. Dion Graham's voice enriches the story for those who enjoy a "read-along" experience.”
Becky, Rediscovered Books
When Stars Are Scattered
By Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
Narrated by: Faysal Ahmed, Barkhad Abdi, Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed, Robin Miles, Ifrah Mansour, Bahni Turpin, Hakeemshady Mohamed, Sadeeq Ali, Dominic Hoffman, Christine Avila, JD Jackson & Various
Length: 3 hours 42 minutes
An Odyssey Honor audiobook and National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel—adapted for audio—is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.
Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life... Read more »
King and the Dragonflies
By Kacen Callender
Narrated by: Ron Butler
Length: 5 hours 3 minutes
King and the Dragonflies
“Kingston (King) James and his parents are grieving the loss of Khalid-- King's older brother. When Khalid was alive and the two shared a bedroom, he would talk in his sleep, telling his younger brother stories about the universe and its magic. King continues to see Khalid in his dreams, and is convinced Khalid has transformed into a dragonfly. The Louisiana bayou provides the backdrop for both a colorful landscape and a tense, fearful place where racism festers. When King's former friend, Sandy, who is white, and the son of the racist police chief, goes missing, King ends up helping hide Sandy from his abusive father. Woven seamlessly into this wise story is King's slow awakening of his sexuality, brought to the fore by his renewed friendship with Sandy, who is known to be gay. Callender's writing is so authentic and their characters are so tenderly portrayed by Ron Butler's superb narration I mourned its conclusion. The whole package is a crowning achievement.”
Jane, Bear Pond Books
My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich
By Ibi Zoboi
Narrated by: Ibi Zoboi
Length: 7 hours 39 minutes
National Book Award-finalist Ibi Zoboi makes her middle-grade debut with a moving story of a girl finding her place in a world that's changing at warp speed.
Twelve-year-old Ebony-Grace Norfleet has lived with her beloved grandfather Jeremiah in Huntsville, Alabama ever since she was little. As one of the first black engineers to integrate NASA,... Read more »
Genesis Begins Again
By Alicia D. Williams
Narrated by: Alicia D. Williams
Length: 8 hours 48 minutes
“Reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.” —The New York Times
“One of the best books I have ever read…will live in the hearts of readers for the rest of their lives.” —Colby Sharp, founder of Nerdy Book Club
“An emotional, painful, yet still hopeful adolescent journey…one that needed telling.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“I really... Read more »
Tristan Strong Punches A Hole In The Sky
Tristan Strong: Book #1
By Kwame Mbalia
Narrated by: Amir Abdullah
Length: 10 hours 56 minutes
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Kwame Mbalia's epic fantasy, a middle grade American Gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods.
Seventh grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he... Read more »
Pet
By Akwaeke Emezi
Narrated by: Christopher Myers
Length: 5 hours 32 minutes
National Book Award Finalist
Stonewall Book Award Winner
"[A] beautiful, genre-expanding debut...Pet is a nesting doll of creative possibilities." (The New York Times)
The award-winning, genre-defying novel by the New York Times best-selling author of The Death of Vivek Oji that explores themes of identity and justice and asks: How do you share the... Read more »
Black Girl Unlimited
The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard
By Echo Brown
Narrated by: Echo Brown
Length: 8 hours 29 minutes
This program is read by the author
"Just brilliant."—Kirkus Reviews
Heavily autobiographical and infused with magical realism, Black Girl Unlimited fearlessly explores the intersections of poverty, sexual violence, depression, racism, and sexism—all through the arc of a transcendent coming-of-age story for fans of Renee Watson's Piecing Me... Read more »
Felix Ever After
By Kacen Callender
Narrated by: Logan Rozos
Length: 8 hours 23 minutes
From Stonewall and Lambda Award–winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.
Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy... Read more »
The Black Flamingo
By Dean Atta
Narrated by: Dean Atta
Length: 3 hours 40 minutes
The Black Flamingo
“Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London who goes to college and can't find a place to fit in, until he discovers The Drag Society. This story, told in poetry, is full of stunning language and the joy of finding your place in the world.”
Ann, Blue Willow Bookshop
SLAY
By Brittney Morris, Michael Boatman, Alexandra Grey, Dominic Hoffman & Sisi Aisha Johnson
Narrated by: Kiersey Clemons
Length: 8 hours 26 minutes
SLAY
“Inspired by the movie Black Panther and the people of Wakanda, Brittney Morris went home and wrote and wrote and wrote this novel in less than a month. A debut young adult novel, Slay is about a young black teenager who code switches fluently and is the secret game developer of the multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. Imminently relatable for anyone who has compartmentalized and/or hidden a part of themselves from the world for fear of being mocked or misunderstood, this book reminds us all about the dualities that live within us and how to embrace the complexities of our true selves. For ages 13+.”
BrocheAroe, River Dog Book Co.
Not So Pure and Simple
By Lamar Giles
Narrated by: Korey Jackson
Length: 11 hours
An Indie Next List Pick!
In his first contemporary teen novel, critically acclaimed author and two-time Edgar Award finalist Lamar Giles spotlights the consequences of societal pressure, confronts toxic masculinity, and explores the complexity of what it means to be a “real man.”
Del has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten. And now,... Read more »
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine
By Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 10 hours 38 minutes
When a school presentation goes very wrong, Alaine Beauparlant finds herself suspended, shipped off to Haiti and writing the report of a lifetime…
You might ask the obvious question: What do I, a seventeen-year-old Haitian American from Miami with way too little life experience, have to say about anything?
Actually, a lot.
Thanks to “the incident”... Read more »
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
By Junauda Petrus
Narrated by: Junauda Petrus, Bahni Turpin & JD Jackson
Length: 9 hours 20 minutes
A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
Told in two distinct and irresistible voices, Junauda Petrus's bold and lyrical debut is the story of two black girls from very different backgrounds finding love and happiness in a world that seems determined to deny them both.
Port of Spain, Trinidad. Sixteen-year-old Audre is despondent, having just found out... Read more »
Black Brother, Black Brother
By Jewell Parker Rhodes
Narrated by: Barrie Buckner
Length: 4 hours 36 minutes
From award-winning and bestselling author, Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition.
Framed. Bullied. Disliked. But I know I can still be the best.
... Read more »
Clap When You Land
By Elizabeth Acevedo
Narrated by: Elizabeth Acevedo & Melania-Luisa Marte
Length: 5 hours 32 minutes
Clap When You Land
“Through Acevedo’s transcendent poetry, the tragic crash of AA587 becomes a song to family in all of its complexities and a tribute to the power of Latinas. Camino and Yahaira Rios are sisters unaware of each other’s existence until their beloved Papi dies in a plane crash. His death ushers in new realities for both girls, Camino in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira in New York City, and each must struggle with the meaning of family. Truth? This book is incredible and makes me yearn to gather my sisters around me, grab a machete, and destroy the ugliness in this world. Acevedo is one of the brilliant, bright lights in literature and listening to her read it on Libro.fm is soul nourishing. ”
Linda, Cellar Door Books