This section contains works of fiction from the past century, each written by a Black author and each grappling with some aspect of anti-Black racism. The books span multiple genres and time periods, and provide unique perspectives on matters of racial identity, oppression, and resistance.
Alice Walker, The Color Purple (1982) (e-book available)
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give (2017)
Britt Bennett, The Vanishing Half (2020) (e-book available)
Colson Whitehead, Crook Manifesto (2023)
Colson Whitehead, Harlem Shuffle (2021)
Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys (2019) (e-book available)
Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad (2016) (e-book available)
James McBride, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store (2023)
Jesmyn Ward, Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017) (e-book available)
Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones (2011) (e-book available)
Jesmyn Ward, Let Us Descend (2023)Â
Kiley Reid, Such a Fun Age (2019) (e-book available)
Nella Larsen, Passing (1929)
Octavia Butler, Kindred (1979)
Percival Everett, James (2024)
Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (1952) (e-book available)
Richard Wright, Native Son (1940) (e-book available)
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Water Dancer (2019)
Tayari Jones, An American Marriage (2018)
Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye (1970) (e-book available)
Toni Morrison, Sula (1973) (e-book available)
Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon (1977) (e-book available)
Toni Morrison, Beloved (1987) (e-book available)
Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing (2016) (e-book available)
Yaa Gyasi, Transcendent Kingdom (2020)
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) (e-book available)