It’s Black History Month!
This month always gets me so excited to share the many accomplishments found in the Black community. And since this is a blog about books, what better thing to discuss! I want to know what are your must read African American books. If you can list clean/Christian fiction reads that would be great. But if your must read is not, please leave a disclaimer letting us know why it’s a must read despite the language or situation that removes it from clean/CF category.
I’ll go first. My top 3 recommendations are:
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
*It’s not clean or CF due to the language.
This book is a phenomenal look at the struggles the Black community faces. Not just going back in forth between the Black community and the world but the struggles they face with racial profiling from law enforcement. If you haven’t seen the movie either, I’d highly recommend it.
Hidden Blessings by Kim Cash Tate
*Christian fiction
This book had me sobbing my eyes out. I’m not even going to lie or pretend otherwise. The powerful message of God’s goodness and mercy cannot be denied. Ms. Tate is one of my favorite Christian fiction authors. I’ll read anything she writes.
Watercolored Pearls by Stacy Hawkins Adams
*Christian Fiction
It’s been awhile since I read this book but I still remember how I felt afterward. Books like that are ones I consider a must read. Because even though time has passed I remembered that this is a book I had to keep close to me.
So what say you. What are your top 3 (AA books) must reads?
Diversity Between the Pages 
Well…I kinda sorta gotta list five! These are some of the top contemporary fiction titles on my blog. I’ve already mentioned most of ’em on this blog before, but they’re worth repeating! đ
⢠Delilah’s Daughters by Angela Benson
A three-sister singing group and their mother, Delilah Monroe, have some tough decisions to make and lessons to learn about the cost of fame, the power of purpose, and the value of family. Benson has a clear understanding of human nature, and there are valid right and wrong points on all sides of this familyâs dilemmaâa dilemma that isnât neatly packaged for an easy, cheesy fix.
⢠Ms. Ely’s Christmas Wish: A New Life Tabernacle Short Story by LaShonda Bowman
Seeing that some of her loved ones are moving on with happy lives, it might be time for Orella Ely to start her own new life elsewhere. This is a beautiful tale. Not a sugary-Christmas-corny kind of beautiful though, as Ms. Ely isn’t a sugary kind of heroine. Her sauciness and snap add some kick (and humor!) to this read. The story managed to break my heart in places without becoming depressing, and I liked how I couldnât predict every turn the story took.
While the next three books aren’t by AA authors, they feature AA main characters and illustrate how issues in the AA community don’t exist in a vacuum.
⢠Unconditional by Eva Marie Everson, based on the screenplay by Brent McCorkle, inspired by true events (and the real Joe Bradford, a.k.a. Papa Joe)
Samantha hasnât recovered from her husbandâs murder, but reuniting with her best friend, Joe, and meeting âhis kidsâ may change everything. LOVE is what gives this story of friendship and redemption its strength and makes it exceptional. Pure, simple, honest love, like the most natural thing in the worldâunhindered by years, by hardship, by tragedy, by race.
⢠Meals from Mars: A Parable of Prejudice and Providence by Ben Sciacca
Two men, two different walks of life, and a dangerous gas station incident that links their paths. This novel has some humor and beautiful imagery, and while the ideas are blatant and barefaced, it’s not at the expense of *story* or believable characters. The book raises questions without trying to tell the reader exactly what to think, and it doesnât sugarcoat or tie up its message in a nice, neat bow on its way to bringing hope.
⢠Black, White, Other: In Search of Nina Armstrong by Joan Steinau Lester (Yeah, I first heard about this book on this blog đ )
Finding her place as a biracial teen is becoming so difficult⌠What a story this is about family and friendship, injustice and unrest, legacy and identity. I appreciate different points raised in the book, including how so many of us (no matter our âcolorâ) are really more mixed than we know, and about how slavery is NOT merely something that happened back in the past, in one country.
⤠⤠â¤
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I’m going to have to add some of those to my TBR list.
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