Now that book bans are spreading all over the United States, it is crucial to make sure Black teenagers are exposed to publications filled with wide-ranging experiences for them to feel seen and know the world.
Considering today’s social and political climate, we are in need of their thoughts, views and advocacy, and books afford them the foundation they’ll need to design environments they want to realize in their lifetimes.
Ahead are five important works of literature by Black authors that not only filter the biases and stereotypes steeped into current societies but also give our youth an enlightened understanding of what it means to be Black.
So Let Them Burn
Fantasy
$15
A Jamaican-inspired fantasy, So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole follows two sisters (one chosen to use her connection to the gods to protect her homeland, the other living in her sister’s shadow, but longing to achieve her own ambitions) after their country’s war for independence. Cole creates a riveting supernatural world filled with mythical creatures, rich Caribbean traditions and ancestral calling, where the gods-blessed sister is forced to make a choice between saving their country or her sibling.
Inheritance: A Visual Poem
Novel-in-Verse
$17
In her most celebrated spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpré-winning novel-in-verse, The Poet X, poet and author Elizabeth Acevedo encompasses the intricacies of Black hair among Afro-Latino people that centers its history, pride, pain and love.
Long Way Down
Graphic Novel
$12
This is National Book Award finalist and New York Times Bestselling author Jason Reynolds’ breathtaking novel that takes place in sixty powerful seconds – the time a kid takes to decide whether or not he is going to murder the guy who killed his brother. In a world where so many teens are affected by gun violence, Reynolds helps the reader to openly reconcile with feelings of pain and sorrow, particularly when on the verge of losing someone they love.
The Black Girl Survives in This One
Horror
$20
With 15 chilling and provocative stories that place Black girls in leading roles as heroes and survivors who slay monsters, fight demons, witches, curses, and who always know how to save themselves, The Black Girl Survives in This One carves out much-needed space for Black girls in the horror.
The Awakening of Malcolm X
Historical Fiction
$12
A powerful narrative that describes the civil rights activist’s adolescent years during imprisonment, the novel begins with a young Malcolm making a bad decision that lands him there. It’s during these times where he self-reflects and discovers his path through revelations of lessons he learned as a child. Co-authored by his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz and Tiffany D. Jackson.
