With rich, passionate voices and nuanced narratives, these are just a few of the Black authors telling stories you can’t miss according to the folx at Good & Gold.
We especially loved…
SWING TIME
Like the NY Times says, Zadie Smith “has a knack for unearthing the deeper truths that lie beneath common experience.” Moving back and forth between childhood and adulthood, SWING TIME does just that, delving into the friendship of two brown girls from North London public housing who dream of being dancers, and everything that gets in their way.
We especially loved…
WE ARE NEVER MEETING IN REAL LIFE
Samantha Irby is a master at turning anything life throws at her into hilarious (and relatable) essays you can’t help but devour. From Crohn’s Disease to pets to black women and mental health, WE ARE NEVER MEETING IN REAL LIFE weaves together humor and deep emotion to create an accessible, engaging collection that will become an instant favorite.
We especially loved…
A unique and fantastically strange reimagining of the Snow White fairytale, BOY, SNOW, BIRD takes the “skin as white as snow” ideal embedded in the traditional tale and breaks it open in ways only Helen Oyeyemi can. Set in 1950s America, this must-read explores the layers of blackness, “passing”, and mother/step-motherhood with startling imagery and revelatory truths that settle in your heart and stay there.
We especially loved…
THE BODY IS NOT AN APOLOGY: The Power of Radical Self-Love
Transformative and perspective-shifting, this powerful read proclaims: “You have the body you need to live your best life!” On one hand, this book empowers us all to love our bodies the way they are, while the other hand exposes systems of oppression that “thrive off our inability to make peace with difference, and injure the relationship we have with our own bodies”. THE BODY IS NOT AN APOLOGY isn’t just a book— it’s a whole movement we can all get behind, a roadmap to radical self-love and the healing of wounds inflicted by violent systems of oppression. Let’s do this together!
We especially loved…
A multigenerational novel spanning 18th century Ghana to the plantations of the American south to 20th century Harlem and today, HOMEGOING sets the fate of the individual against the “obliterating movements of time”, looking at colonization, generational trauma, inequality, and black resilience with eyes wide open. A deep channeling of “multi-layered humanity”, this compelling and essential collection of linked stories in novel form should be next on your reading list!
