Diversify Your TBR With Books by Black Authors

Overground Railroad by Candacy Taylor - Click the photo for my review on The News Wheel

The past week has been rough here in America with the protests surrounding the recent deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ahmaud Arbery in South Georgia. So many people are in pain and have taken to the streets to make their voices heard. Hopefully, those in power see the strength of the people in the streets, hear what they're saying, and do what's right.

I firmly say that Black Lives Matter, and I stand with the protesters. The system of policing and politics in this country was made to repress Black people, and it needs to be completely reformed.

I've been staying mostly silent on Instagram and here because my voice is not the one that needs to be amplified right now. Instead of making a list of books that I, a white lady in the Midwest, think you should read, I'm going to link to lists and videos below by Black content creators to guide you.

I also am not doing this for traffic to my site, I'm doing this to speak to my friends and loved ones that click this from my personal social media profiles, and this post will not be optimized to perform well for SEO to take traffic away from other sites (my blog is probably too new for clout anyway).

If there's a list or content creator you want to be added to this list, contact me and I'll be more than happy to do it!

Be kind to one another, and stay well.

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Alia Jones

Alia Jones is a library assistant at the Cincinnati Public Library, a member of the 2020 Caldecott Committee, and a recently announced member of the 2022/2023 Coretta Scott King Jury. I've run into her at some book events in Cincinnati and I think have been mostly successful at not fangirling all over her.

Her Twitter feed is full of book recommendations for children and young adults, as well as some honest truths about being Black in the world of books. For a recent list of reads to try yourself or with your kids, check out her "Black Joy Booklist for Children and Young Adults" list on the Cincinnati Public Library's blog.

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Oprah Magazine

McKenzie Jean-Philippe of Oprah Magazine has compiled a list of 43 Black books to add to your TBR. It covers modern reads and classics alike. Many of these books are probably easily available at your local library while you wait for the now-popular antiracist titles to come up on your holds list.

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Bowties & Books

I'll admit that I'm a new follower of Jesse of Bowties & Books. They are a Black Booktuber who lives in Minneapolis, and in recent days has been on the streets protesting the death of George Floyd. Their videos about their experience have really opened my eyes, and it looks like they are having the same effect on others in the book community. Check out their video below to learn more about what it means to be Black in America now and see their book recommendations in the description.

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Chanelle of ChanelleTime

I was introduced to Chanelle's videos on Booktube (Books+YouTube) through one of her friends, Cindy of ReadWithCindy. While she doesn't have a specific BLM TBR for me to link to right now, I still recommend that you check out her channel and subscribe for future updates.

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Aissata Amadou

Aissata Amadou is a great Booktuber to subscribe to for kickass book recommendations and a healthy dose of reality when called for. I have learned a lot about being a more culturally conscious reader (and person) from her. Which sounds weird, since I'm an adult and she just graduated from high school.

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Books are my Social Life

Saajid of Books are my Social Life is a 20-something Booktuber from Trinidad, and he is a great voice on YouTube and Twitter. In general, he focuses on books from marginalized communities and the Muslim world, and I've discovered many books through his channel. He's currently participating in a Caribbean Reads challenge, and since it's Pride he's dedicated to reading books by queer Caribbean authors.

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The Novel Lush

Lauren of The Novel Lush on Booktube is an essential voice. She and I have similar reading tastes (though I think she goes further into romance than I do), and her book reviews are always honest. Whenever Booktube gets caught up in some tea (which usually comes back to white privilege), I always check her channel to see if she's covered the topic yet so I can check myself and get all the facts. She has been posting less frequently since she moved to Germany, but there are a lot of videos on her channel already that you can check out for diverse book recommendations.

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Antiracist Booklist on NBC News

This list is also compiled by a non-Black author, but the article features voices and opinions from several Black leaders. NBC News also has a list of the best books by Black authors as recognized by the NAACP.