Extraordinary New Fiction for Black History Month

Yonder

A Novel

By: Jabari Asim
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Lamarr Gulley, JD Jackson, Adam Lazarre-White, Imani Jade Powers & Janina Edwards
Length: 8 hours 16 minutes

The Water Dancer meets The Prophets in this spare, gripping, and beautifully rendered novel exploring love and friendship among a group of enslaved Black strivers in the mid-19th century.

They call themselves the Stolen. Their owners call them captives. They are taught their captors’ tongues and their beliefs but they have a language and rituals... Read more

Island Queen

A Novel

By: Vanessa Riley
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
Length: 21 hours 15 minutes

“Both sweeping and intimate, beautiful and painful, this novel based on the life of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas is exquisite. Riley’s research is palpable in the detail of each chapter, and readers will find themselves compulsively turning the pages until the end. Read more

When the Reckoning Comes

A Novel

By: LaTanya McQueen
Narrated by: Kara Young
Length: 8 hours 43 minutes

"LaTanya McQueen's When The Reckoning Comes is so deliciously uncomfortable there were moments where I had to put the book down, take a deep breath, and like Mira, its protagonist, urge myself to go further. This is a novel, like Octavia Butler's Kindred, that reminds its readers that as long as people don't acknowledge how much of the past... Read more

Caul Baby

A Novel

By: Morgan Jerkins
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Length: 10 hours 52 minutes

“Mothers and daughters and their fraught relationships are the heart of this novel. Secrets, loss, tragedy, and tradition inextricably bind and trap seven women in ways completely unknown to some and only partially known by others. In modern-day Harlem, as gentrification threatens and changes the landscape, life inside one brownstone continues... Read more

The Vanishing Half

A Novel

By: Brit Bennett
Narrated by: Shayna Small
Length: 11 hours 33 minutes

“Brit Bennett’s second novel broke my heart. She doesn’t shy away from the sadness inherent in each character’s life, yet she left me feeling better for having met all of them. I read The Vanishing Half with a sense of hope, despite my dread that terrible things might befall the characters. Desiree and Stella’s story unfolds with a deft... Read more

Such a Fun Age

By: Kiley Reid
Narrated by: Nicole Lewis
Length: 9 hours 58 minutes

“When I attempted to write a review for Such a Fun Age, I was at a loss for words. How could I encapsulate how Kiley Reid’s startling debut perfectly captured what it means to be a woman? The societal pressure, the self-doubt, the perseverance, the constant comparison — all of it was perfectly represented through Reid’s two wonderfully flawed and... Read more

Conjure Women

A Novel

By: Afia Atakora
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
Length: 13 hours 58 minutes

A mother and daughter with a shared talent for healing—and for the conjuring of curses—are at the heart of this dazzling first novel
 
WINNER OF THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN HISTORIANS PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times • NPR • Parade • Book Riot • PopMatters

“Lush, irresistible . . . It took me into the hearts of... Read more

The Death of Vivek Oji

A Novel

By: Akwaeke Emezi
Narrated by: Yetide Badaki & Chukwudi Iwuji
Length: 7 hours 38 minutes

“I am fairly new to audiobooks because I've found myself to be incredibly picky when it comes to narration. That being said, I couldn't have picked a better book to listen to. Not only is this a beautiful and important story, but the narrators are nothing short of brilliant. I still think about this one often and highly recommend! Read more

Party of Two

By: Jasmine Guillory
Narrated by: Janina Edwards
Length: 9 hours 25 minutes

A chance meeting with a handsome stranger turns into a whirlwind affair that gets everyone talking in this New York Times bestseller. 

Dating is the last thing on Olivia Monroe’s mind when she moves to LA to start her own law firm. But when she meets a gorgeous man at a hotel bar and they spend the entire night flirting, she discovers too late... Read more

Memorial

A Novel

By: Bryan Washington
Narrated by: Bryan Washington & Akie Kotabe
Length: 8 hours 19 minutes

“This quiet character driven novel truly illustrates the complexities of relationships. From friends, lovers, parents and acquaintances, and how one presents themselves differently in each setting. I listened to this and it was just beautifully narrated by the author and Akie Kotabe and you are instantly transported to Texas and Japan in both... Read more

The Office of Historical Corrections

A Novella and Stories

By: Danielle Evans
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Nicole Lewis, Brittany Pressley, Shayna Small, January LaVoy, Adenrele Ojo & Janina Edwards
Length: 7 hours 13 minutes

“I have been holding my breath for Danielle Evans’ next book of short stories since Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, and The Office of Historical Corrections was worth the wait. She delivers the same great storytelling, insight, and sharp cultural commentary. Her touch on themes usually associated with older people, such as redemption,... Read more

The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You

Stories

By: Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Narrated by: Adam Alexi-Malle & Asia Rainey
Length: 4 hours 40 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • A collection of raucous stories that offer a “vibrant and true mosaic” (The New York Times) of New Orleans, from the critically acclaimed author of We Cast a Shadow
 
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ERNEST J. GAINES AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE STORY PRIZE • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—Garden & Gun, Electric Lit •... Read more

Harlem Shuffle

A Novel

By: Colson Whitehead
Narrated by: Dion Graham
Length: 10 hours 35 minutes

“A tribute to Harlem...a mystery...so well written, and great characters too! Read more

The Mothers

A Novel

By: Brit Bennett
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
Length: 9 hours 54 minutes

“The 'mothers' of this book's title refers to the gaggle of elderly churchgoing women who comment on the congregation around them, especially the trio of Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey. But The Mothers is about more than that -- it refers to the concept of motherhood, whether biological, lost, aborted, adoptive, or conflicted. The three young people at... Read more

Girl, Woman, Other

By: Bernardine Evaristo
Narrated by: Anna-Maria Nabirye
Length: 11 hours 6 minutes

“The twelve Black British women who are the central characters in Bernardine Evaristo's GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER are so vastly different that when their connections are slowly revealed, like a spider web you didn't see until the light hits it just so, you'll settle in and become entranced. I loved this deep dive into a part of British culture that... Read more

The Fall of Saints

By: Wanjiku wa Ngugi
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 8 hours 16 minutes

In this stunning debut novel, a Kenyan expat living the American dream with her husband and adopted son soon finds it marred by child trafficking, scandal, and a problematic past. Mugure and Zack seem to have the picture-perfect family: a young, healthy son, a beautiful home in Riverdale, New York, and a bright future. But one night, as Mugure... Read more

Palmares

By: Gayl Jones
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Length: 22 hours 39 minutes

2022 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Fiction

A NPR BOOKS WE LOVE 2021 Selection

A New York Times“Biggest New Books Coming Out in September” Selection · A New York Times Book Review Editors Choice Pick · A Guardian“50 Biggest Books of Autumn 2021” Selection · An Esquire“Best Books of Fall 2021” Selection · A Buzzfeed“Best Books Coming Out This Fall”... Read more

Black Girls Must Die Exhausted

A Novel

Black Girls Must Die Exhausted: Book #1

By: Jayne Allen
Narrated by: Marcella Cox
Length: 9 hours 52 minutes

“It’s a good thing that this is only the first book of a trilogy, because after getting to know Tabitha, you won’t want to leave her at the end. . . . Written intimately as if you’re peering into the mind of a close friend, this book is a true testament to the stresses on women today and how great girlfriends (and grandmothers) are often the key... Read more

Monster in the Middle

A Novel

By: Tiphanie Yanique
Narrated by: Tiphanie Yanique, Oceana James, Karen Murray, Ronald Peet & George Silcott Jr.
Length: 10 hours 2 minutes

“Reveals on every page how love can persevere and take shape over time and space.”—Boston Globe

"Transporting and deeply emotional.”—Glamour

“One of the most inventive and talented stylists of her generation.” —Vulture

From the award-winning author of Land of Love and Drowning, an electric new novel that maps the emotional inheritance of one couple... Read more

Hell of a Book

A Novel

By: Jason Mott
Narrated by: JD Jackson & Ronald Peet
Length: 9 hours 39 minutes

***2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER***

***THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER***

Winner of the 2021 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction, Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize Finalist, 2022 Chautauqua Prize Finalist, Willie Morris Award for Southern Writing Shortlist, 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize Shortlist, 2022 Maya Angelou Book Award Shortlist, 2022 Carnegie... Read more