Looking for the best African American books? Browse our list to find excellent book recommendations on the subject.
- African Americans: A Concise History, Combined Volume (5th Edition) (2013)
- African American Lives: The Struggle for Freedom, Volume I (2004)
- Dad, Who Will I Be? (2016)
- The African-American Odyssey: 1 (2010)
- Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Survived Slavery and Became Millionaires (2019)
- I Love My Hair! (2001)
- American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom (6th Edition) (2011)
- Deceit, Lies, and Alibi’s (2015)
- Full, Full, Full of Love (2008)
- My Besties: The Come Up (2015)
African Americans: A Concise History, Combined Volume (5th Edition) (2013)
African Americans: A Concise History illuminates the central place of African-Americans in U.S. history by telling the story of what it has meant to be black in America and how African-American history is inseparably woven into the greater context of American history.
African American Lives: The Struggle for Freedom, Volume I (2004)
African American Lives: The Struggle for Freedom uses a unique biographical approach to present the history of African Americans as active and thoughtful agents in the construction of their lives and communities. The text places African American lives and stories at the center of the narrative and as the basis of historical analysis.
Dad, Who Will I Be? (2016)
Dad, Who Will I Be? is written by G.Todd Taylor, a former educator and child mental health expert with over 20 years of experience. This book inspires, encourages and educates young readers to be great by introducing to them heroes of color from a number of different professions on an elementary level.
The African-American Odyssey: 1 (2010)
More than any other text, The African-American Odyssey illuminates the central place of African Americans in U.S. history – not only telling the story of what it has meant to be black in America, but also how African-American history is inseparably weaved into the greater context of American history and vice versa.
Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Survived Slavery and Became Millionaires (2019)
“By telling the little-known stories of six pioneering African American entrepreneurs, Black Fortunes makes a worthy contribution to black history, to business history, and to American history.”—Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times Bestselling author of Hidden FiguresBetween the years of 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity, a small group of industrious, tenacious, and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the hi…
I Love My Hair! (2001)
In this imaginative, evocative story, a girl named Keyana discovers the beauty and magic of her special hair, encouraging black children to be proud of their heritage and enhancing self-confidence.I Love My Hair! has been a staple in African-American picture books for 20 years, and now has a fresh, updated cover that shines on the shelves!
American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom (6th Edition) (2011)
Updated in a new 6th edition, American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom is a dynamic and comprehensive book from two nationally renowned scholars. This book continues to demonstrate the profound influence African Americans have had — and continue to have — on American politics. The authors show that through the quest for their own freedom in the United States, Afr…
Deceit, Lies, and Alibi’s (2015)
Handsome and orphaned Noah grew up poor like most kids from North Philly. Refusing to accept poverty as his fate, he along with his childhood friend Hakim, jacked their way to the top. Years later, he’s on a legal path and building a future with his beloved fiancée Shaleea. However when slick talking Eve comes into the picture, love triangles form and everything that Noah has is threatened.
Full, Full, Full of Love (2008)
For the youngest member of an exuberant extended family, Sunday dinner at Grannie’s can be full indeed — full of hugs and kisses, full of tasty dishes, full to the brim with happy faces, and full, full, full of love.
My Besties: The Come Up (2015)
Born and raised on the violent streets of Chicago, Ja`ziya and her three besties, Tiki, ReRe, and Dirty E are all determined to do three things; finish school, get money, and live comfortably. Ja`ziya and her crew aren’t your average hood rats that wanna date and marry a D-Boy. Adapting to some of the bad habits from the streets, plus some help from an unknown source, they get money their own way The ski-mask way!
Best African American Books that Should be on Your Bookshelf
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some african american books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
If I Can Cook/You Know God Can: African American Food Memories, Meditations, and Recipes
Author(s): Ntozake Shange
ID: 2321819, Publisher: Beacon Press;, Year: 29 Jan 2019, Size: 3 Mb, Format: epub
Remembering Slavery: African Americans Talk About Their Personal Experiences of Slavery and Emancipation
Author(s): Ira Berlin, Marc Favreau, Steven F. Miller
ID: 2381792, Publisher: The New Press, Year: 26 July 2011, Size: 5 Mb, Format: epub
Black Voices from Big Brown: Untold Stories of African Americans at Ups
Author(s): UPS African American Business Resource Group
ID: 2912125, Publisher: AuthorHouse, Year: 2021, Size: 36 Mb, Format: epub
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are really chart-busters according to The Wall Street Journal, others are composed by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant links you could recommend? Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the list.