I believe that fiction books are a powerful tool to learn. Today I’m sharing 5 fiction books written by black authors that I’ve read and loved! I hope you read some of these. I encourage you to not just read Black literature in this moment. Read and support Black authors always!
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Synopsis – Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland.
My Thoughts – This is one of those books that gives you all the feelings. I cried and laughed. It made me feel sad, angry and happy. The book started slow for me, I didn’t really get into it until I was about 100 pages in but once I got into it I couldn’t stop. This story is told from two different perspectives (Ifemelu and Obinze) and going back and forth between different time periods and countries (Nigeria, the US and London). I was submerged into Ifemelu and Obinze’s story. I related to this story in a lot of ways, leaving my birthplace for the US, finding the sense of belonging in a new country and how relationships are formed in a new place. This story is beautifully told and I found myself immersed in Ifemelu’s journey.
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
Synopsis – Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn’t normally do. But there’s something about Drew Nichols that’s too hard to resist.
On the eve of his ex’s wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend…
After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she’s the mayor’s chief of staff. Too bad they can’t stop thinking about the other…
They’re just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century–or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want…
My Thoughts – I loved this book and was automatically invested in Alexa and Drew’s story. It’s a quick and witty read and I don’t know why I waited so long to pick it up. I found Alexa to be very relatable and loved to see the relationship between her and Drew develop. This is a light fun read and it was exactly what I needed when I read it. As a warning: this book will make you hungry! There’s so many good references and I’m here for it!! I’m looking forward to reading more books from Jasmine Guillory.
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
Synopsis – When Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles, takes her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band, she does so reluctantly and at her ex-husband’s request. The last thing she expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.
What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other’s disparate worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways. And for Solène, it is as much a reclaiming of self, as it is a rediscovery of happiness and love. When their romance becomes a viral sensation, and both she and her daughter become the target of rabid fans and an insatiable media, Solène must face how her new status has impacted not only her life, but the lives of those closest to her.
My Thoughts – This book is sexy, genuine, honest and I’d describe it as a sophisticated romance. The writing style and the character development make this much more than your typical romance book. I don’t think this book is for everyone (there are some very steamy scenes) but if you like a well written romance that will make you feel something for this couple this is for you.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Synopsis – In the midst of a family crisis one late evening, white blogger Alix Chamberlain calls her African American babysitter, Emira, asking her to take toddler Briar to the local market for distraction. There, the security guard accuses Emira of kidnapping Briar, and Alix’s efforts to right the situation turn out to be good intentions selfishly mismanaged.
My Thoughts – If I had to describe this book in one word it would be “readable”! I don’t even know how to explain it but it’s a good thing I promise. This was my IRL book club pick for February and it led to some great discussions. I’ve read this book twice and I’d read it again. The characters in this story are complex and flawed and I loved how the author approached the critique of the “well meaning white savior” I thought the characters were well developed, they contradicted themselves at times which is to show that not everything is black or white. I recommend both the physical book and the audiobook.
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
Synopsis – A powerful, emotional debut novel told in the unforgettable voice of a young Nigerian woman who is trapped in a life of servitude but determined to fight for her dreams and choose her own future.
Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education. This, her mother has told her, is the only way to get a “louding voice”—the ability to speak for herself and decide her own future. But instead, Adunni’s father sells her to be the third wife of a local man who is eager for her to bear him a son and heir.
When Adunni runs away to the city, hoping to make a better life, she finds that the only other option before her is servitude to a wealthy family. As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife, and a powerless slave, Adunni is told, by words and deeds, that she is nothing.
But while misfortunes might muffle her voice for a time, they cannot mute it. And when she realizes that she must stand up not only for herself, but for other girls, for the ones who came before her and were lost, and for the next girls, who will inevitably follow; she finds the resolve to speak, however she can—in a whisper, in song, in broken English—until she is heard.
My Thoughts – This is one of my favorite books of 2020! This is an emotional and powerful read but also full of hope. It made me think about the things we take for granted and the power of education. The character development is outstanding, Adunni is a character I wont forget anytime soon. Check out my full review here.
I hope you pick up some of these books when choosing your next fiction book if you haven’t read them!
