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Uplifting books that celebrate Black joy
Stories of love, hope, family, and resilience within Black communities to inspire you and spark joy.
Published on February 5, 2024
Finding Me: An Oprah's Book Club Pick
Viola Davis“It’s an eenie, meenie, miny, mo game of luck, relationships, chance, how long you’ve been out there, and sometimes talent,” says Davis when pressed to describe her professional triumphs. While the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards) winner remains modest, her emotional memoir chronicling her journey from growing up in a rat-infested apartment to Julliard and beyond is an uplifting story of hard work and dedication.
Black Joy
Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts“You hand us the fatback of a pig and we use it to make savory greens,” writes Lewis-Giggetts. “You hand us a fledgling radio station and we turn it into a media empire. … We are alchemists.” Beautiful and heartbreaking, you’ll reach for this comforting collection of essays on how Black joy is a tool of resilience when times feel tough.
Walking in My Joy: In These Streets
Jenifer LewisLewis’ (“The Mother of Black Hollywood”) title couldn’t be more apt, as this essay collection is brimming with laughs and inspiration. Follow along as the author, activist, and “Black-ish” actress recounts experiences both mundane and extraordinary, including waiting out the pandemic and meeting the Obamas. Regardless of the circumstances, Lewis is continually hopeful, encouraging readers to find and walk in their own joy.
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person
Shonda RhimesRhimes creates some of our favorite and highly inclusive TV shows, from “Grey’s Anatomy” to “Bridgerton,” and her inspiring memoir puts a smile on our faces, too. It’s full of reassurances that you can do anything you put your mind to. Rhimes explains how a year of saying yes made her go from super successful to successful AND happy. Say yes to reading this.
Unbothered: The Power of Choosing Joy
OmarionOmarion, an R&B musician and former member of the band B2K, offers hope and stories of real-world experiences that taught him how to overcome challenges and choose joy. “Unbothered” includes practical exercises for building emotional intelligence and resilience, giving both fans and general readers actionable guidance toward a healthier, more emotionally stable life.
Wash Day Diaries
Jamila RowserRowser’s beautifully illustrated and award-winning graphic novel is a love letter to Black girl magic and natural hair. Fantastic art accompanies the interconnected stories of four women and their lives in the Bronx. While short in length, “Wash Day” touches on everything the women navigate in their day-to-day lives, including hair care, dating, mental health, work, and the importance of female friendship.
With the Fire on High
Elizabeth AcevedoAcevedo’s (“The Poet X,” “Family Lore”) heartwarming tale of a single mother determined to pursue her passion for cooking started as a National Novel Writing Month draft and went on to win the California Young Reader Medal. Emoni Santiago is a struggling high school senior with a two-year-old daughter, but her hopes for the future are renewed when she embraces the joy of culinary arts.
So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix
Bethany C. MorrowThis installment of the “Remixed Classics” series centers on the sisters you already know and love from “Little Women.” Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March are a Black family living in the Freedpeople’s Colony of Roanoke Island. Like Louisa May Alcott’s story, “So Many Beginnings” includes themes of hope, dreams, and sisterhood — now from an inspiring and fresh perspective.
Blackout: A Novel
Dhonielle ClaytonBlack love and joy abound in this anthology from some of YA’s biggest stars, including Dhonielle Clayton, Angie Thomas, and Nicola Yoon. Six interconnected stories take place in New York City after a blackout strikes. Despite the dark, the air crackles with romance, and we’re swooning over it.
Felix Ever After
Kacen CallenderBlack, queer, and trans, 17-year-old artist Felix Love is having a complicated summer. Targeted by an anonymous transphobic bully, Felix catfishes his suspected tormentor, but his plan for revenge sends him on an adventure of love and self-discovery. With a fantastic (and diverse) cast, this feel-good YA novel is wonderfully messy, warm, and full of friendship and love.
The Crossover: A Newbery Award Winner
Kwame AlexanderThis middle grade novel in verse is a loving look at sibling bonds, familial connection, first crushes, and basketball. Poet Alexander’s “The Crossover” won many of children’s literature’s most significant awards, including the Newbery Medal.
Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold
Bolu BabalolaBabalola (“Honey & Spice”) offers a collection that reimagines classics from around the globe. These short stories were inspired by folklore from Africa, Asia, and beyond, and they give attention to Black love. Modern details bring out each character’s passion while exploring all versions of romance.
The Last Black Unicorn
Tiffany HaddishHaddish may have had a career-making turn as an actress in “Girls Trip,” but she’s been making people laugh as a stand-up comic for years. This is one of the funniest celebrity memoirs out there, but fair warning: you will probably cry at parts, too.
The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me
The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me
Keah BrownBrown has inspired plenty of people to love themselves through the hashtag #DisabledAndCute. As a Black woman living with cerebral palsy, Brown challenges common misconceptions about people with disabilities and people of color, all with humor, kindness, and large helpings of pop culture references.
Honey Girl: A Novel
Morgan RogersPractical, scientific-minded Grace lets loose in Vegas to celebrate earning her PhD in astronomy only to wake up the next morning married to a woman she just met. Frustrated by the discrimination she faces in her career field, she doubles-down on her impulsive marriage and moves across the country to take a chance on love with her new wife. “Honey Girl” revels in love and so much more: the power of friendship, the queer community, and self-discovery.
You Should See Me in a Crown
Leah JohnsonThis perfectly executed rom-com stars a queer, Black teen running for prom queen. Wallflower Liz Lighty is determined to be crowned prom queen and win the accompanying $10,000 scholarship prize so she can afford to go to an elite college. The biggest problem? Liz is in love with one of her prom queen competitors.
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl
Issa RaeThe “Insecure” star shares all the real-life super-awkward moments she’s endured — the ones that shaped her into the master of uncomfortable social situations that need to be laughed off. But in the end, it is, of course, a delightful celebration of being an introverted and funny Black girl.
The Book of Delights
Ross GayIf you want to increase gratitude in your everyday life, take a page out Gay’s book, a collection of vivid and whimsical essays. Whether it’s savoring a cup of hot coffee or exchanging hellos with a stranger, the American poet is a pro at noticing and embracing the little joys in life. He acknowledges the pain and complexities that Black men in America continually face while celebrating the small delights that inspire him on a regular basis.
Just as I Am: A Memoir
Cicely TysonOver the course of her 96 years, late entertainer, activist, and humanitarian Tyson co-created the Dance Theater of Harlem, launched an award-winning and iconic career on stage and screen that spanned more than seven decades, and won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. These are just a few of the stories of her incredible life that she shares in her inspiring memoir.
Resilient Black Girl: 52 Weeks of Anti-Racist Activities for Black Joy and Resilience
MJ FievreFievre (educator, poet, and author of “Happy, Ok?” and “Badass Black Girl”) offers a vital tool for empowerment with “Resilient Black Girl.” Including advice, encouragement, and thoughtful activities, this book is designed to build confidence in Black girls who face a modern world that often tears them down.
Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible
Yomi Adegoke“Slay in Your Lane” directly confronts the sexism and racism Black women in the UK often face in their careers, and it profiles those who went on to slay despite this adversity. It’ll keep you motivated to follow your dreams, both big and small.
Pride: A Pride & Prejudice Remix
Ibi Zoboi“Pride and Prejudice,” the classic novel about social class and young love from Jane Austen, gets a modern makeover in this YA novel. Zoboi leaves the “prejudice” out of the title for a reason: Her story features plenty of characters of color full of pride about who they are and where they come from as they deal with the consequences of gentrification.
The Avant-Guards #1
Carly UsdinLGBTQ+ comic and cartoon creators have made great strides in recent years making truly joyous, inclusive works. “The Avant-Guards” is one such comic. It follows a ragtag basketball team as they become friends, and the cast is full of racially diverse characters with various sexual orientations. If you’re looking for more inclusive comics where conflict doesn’t hinge on racial or sexual identity, check out “Steven Universe” and “Fence” as well.
No Sweeter Sound: The History of Black Country Music
Francesca T. RoysterTina Turner, Darius Rucker, Lil Nas X — these are just a few of the Black musicians who disrupted the country music scene through the decades. Royster, a DePaul University English professor, provides the history behind the greatest hits of Black country music, and how those hits continue to make us question our stereotypes about what is and isn’t considered country. This is a powerful reminder that most popular culture in America comes from Black communities.