A Collection of Books by Black Authors to Read and Share

We celebrate, support, and stand with Black authors and storytellers. These recommended YA books explore themes of race, love, conflict, friendship, and more. Please read and share them, and join us in becoming part of positive change.

145th Street: Short Stories

By Walter Dean Myers

From the award-winning author of Monster, this collection of powerful and poignant stories about 145th Street—an unforgettable block in the heart of Harlem—celebrates African-American life in all of its glory.

“Myers is a master.” —The New York Times Book Review

On Harlem’s 145th Street, things happen that don’t happen anywhere else in the world.

Color Me In

By Natasha Díaz

A powerful coming-of-age novel pulled from personal experience about the meaning of friendship, the joyful beginnings of romance, and the racism and religious intolerance that can both strain a family to the breaking point and strengthen its bonds.

Dear Justyce

By Nic Stone

The stunning sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Martin. Incarcerated teen Quan writes letters to Justyce about his experiences in the American juvenile justice system. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Angie Thomas.

In the highly anticipated sequel to her New York Times bestseller, Nic Stone delivers an unflinching look into the flawed practices and silenced voices in the American juvenile justice system.

Dear Martin

By Nic Stone

“Powerful, wrenching.” –JOHN GREEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down

“Raw and gripping.” –JASON REYNOLDS, New York Times bestselling coauthor of All American Boys

“A must-read!” –ANGIE THOMAS, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give

Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning #1 New York Times bestselling debut, a William C. Morris Award Finalist.

Discovering Wes Moore

By Wes Moore

For fans of The Wire and Unbroken comes a story of two fatherless boys from Baltimore, both named Wes Moore. One is in prison, serving a life sentence for murder. The other is a Rhodes Scholar, an army veteran, and an author whose book is being turned into a movie produced by Oprah Winfrey.

Fresh Ink

By Lamar Giles

All it takes to rewrite the rules is a little fresh ink in this remarkable YA collection from thirteen of the most recognizable diverse authors writing today including Nicola Yoon, Jason Reynolds, and many more, and published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books.

Full Disclosure

By Camryn Garrett

“An unflinchingly honest, eye-opening, heartful story that’s sure to keep readers talking.” —Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give and On the Come Up

“Romantic, funny, hopeful, and unflinchingly real.” —Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon Vs. The Homosapiens Agenda

The uplifting story of an HIV-positive teen, falling in love and learning to live her truth.

Home Home

By Lisa Allen-Agostini

Fans of Monday’s Not Coming and Girl in Pieces will love this award-winning novel about a girl on the verge of losing herself and the unlikely journey to recovery after she is removed from anything and everyone she knows to be home.

Just Mercy (Movie Tie-In Edition, Adapted for Young Adults)

By Bryan Stevenson

The young adult adaptation of the acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestseller—now a major motion picture starring Michael B. Jordan, Jaime Foxx, and Brie Larson and the subject of an HBO documentary feature!

In this very personal work—adapted from the original #1 bestseller, which the New York Times calls “as compelling as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so”—acclaimed lawyer and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson offers a glimpse into the lives of the wrongfully imprisoned and his efforts to fight for their freedom.

Mare's War

By Tanita S. Davis

Meet Mare, a World War II veteran and a grandmother like no other. She was once a willful teenager who escaped her less than perfect life in the deep South and lied about her age to join the African American Battalion of the Women’s Army Corps.

No One Here Is Lonely

By Sarah Everett

Our entire lives are online, but what if the boy you love actually lives there? For fans of Adam Silvera comes a story about the future of relationships.

Sarah Everett deftly captures the heartbreak of losing your best friend and discovering love in the unlikeliest of places.

Pet

By Akwaeke Emezi

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 highly-anticipated, genre-defying new novel by award-winning author Akwaeke Emezi that explores themes of identity and justice. Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look?

The Beauty That Remains

By Ashley Woodfolk

Told from three diverse points of view, this story of life and love after loss is one Angie Thomas, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give, believes “will stay with you long after you put it down.”

We’ve lost everything… and found ourselves.

Loss pulled Autumn, Shay, and Logan apart. Will music bring them back together?

The Sun Is Also a Star

By Nicola Yoon

The #1 New York Times bestseller and National Book Award Finalist from the author of Everything, Everything is now a major motion picture starring Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton!

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

This Is My America

By Kim Johnson

“Incredible and searing.” —Nic Stone, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin

The Hate U Give meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting first novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.

Who Put This Song On?

By Morgan Parker

“Unflinchingly irreverent, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartbreakingly honest.” —Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X

In the vein of powerful reads like The Hate U Give and Girl in Pieces, comes poet Morgan Parker’s pitch-perfect novel about a black teenage girl searching for her identity when the world around her views her depression as a lack of faith and blackness as something to be politely ignored.

When You Were Everything

By Ashley Woodfolk

For fans of Nina LaCour’s We Are Okay and Adam Silvera’s History Is All You Left Me, this heartfelt and ultimately uplifting novel follows one sixteen-year-old girl’s friend breakup through two concurrent timelines—ultimately proving that even endings can lead to new beginnings.

“Stunning.” —Nic Stone, bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out

Coming in 2021:

The Gilded Ones

By Namina Forna

“Namina Forna Could Be The Toni Morrison Of YA Fantasy.”–Refinery 29

“The Gilded Ones is a fierce, unflinching fantasy that marks Forna as a debut to watch.”–Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken

The start of a bold and immersive West African-inspired, feminist fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice.

More Resources:

Black-Owned Bookstores to Support Now, Publishers Weekly
How to Talk to Kids About Race: Books and Resources That Can Help, Brightly
Instagram Live: Let’s Talk About Race with Nic Stone, @NicStone
The 1619 Project, edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones for The New York Times
Resources for White Allies, Dismantle Collective

A Collection of Books by Black Authors to Read and Share

145th Street: Short Stories

By Walter Dean Myers

Color Me In

By Natasha Díaz

Dear Justyce

By Nic Stone

Dear Martin

By Nic Stone

Discovering Wes Moore

By Wes Moore

Fresh Ink

By Lamar Giles

Full Disclosure

By Camryn Garrett

Home Home

By Lisa Allen-Agostini

Just Mercy (Movie Tie-In Edition, Adapted for Young Adults)

By Bryan Stevenson

Mare's War

By Tanita S. Davis

No One Here Is Lonely

By Sarah Everett

Pet

By Akwaeke Emezi

The Beauty That Remains

By Ashley Woodfolk

The Sun Is Also a Star

By Nicola Yoon

This Is My America

By Kim Johnson

Who Put This Song On?

By Morgan Parker

When You Were Everything

By Ashley Woodfolk

Coming in 2021:

The Gilded Ones

By Namina Forna

More Reading Lists:

More Resources:

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