Learn, Celebrate and Reflect: Add These Must-Read Books to Your Reading List
There is never a wrong time to engage more deeply with Black history, especially since many accounts have long been suppressed, whitewashed or simplified without context.
As Black History Month comes to a close and we head into Women’s History Month, now is a great opportunity to uplift Black Americans’ struggles, triumphs, influence, innovation and joy—particularly Black women.
These observances are not simply about honoring the past. We also look back for guidance to help us lead with integrity and dignity while strengthening the communities we serve.
Reading new texts, or rereading classics as a refresher, can inform thoughtful storytelling and help us become effective value-aligned leaders.
Here is a list of books that span history and delve into culture, power, policy or place, all while centering Black lives and engaging the imagination.
Leadership, Visibility and Purpose
With personal reflection, these books offer insight into how Black women navigate the workplace, leadership and life. In addition, Jennifer Farmer’s book provides practical strategies to help Black women, and those who support black women, stay grounded in their values and overcome professional challenges.
First and Only: A Black Woman’s Guide to Thriving at Work in Life by Jennifer R. Farmer
Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson
Justice and Social Change
There titles examine the structures and policies that shape daily life, highlighting inequities and solutions for the future.
Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation by Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter
Restorative Justice Practices: Circle Keeping for Community Healing by Ruth Ifakemi Jeannoel
History, Memory and Narrative
With these books, explore Black history through different lenses, including faith and community. They provide deeper historical context to help understand how the past continues to shape the present.
A Black Woman’s History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross
Four Hundred Souls by Ibram X. Kendi
How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith
The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Analysis, Culture and Joy
Black history is more than struggle and strife. These collections of essays center joy, creativity, and restoration as essential parts of Black life and history. They amplify the importance of identity and visibility.
The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison
Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration by Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts
Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom
Souls of Black Folks by W.E.B. Du Bois
Imagination and Freedom
These are works of fiction, but the speculative storytelling is relevant to Black women’s lived experiences, as they explore possibility, transformation and resilience. These books remind us that imagination is a necessary tool for creating just futures.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Coshandra Dillard is a freelance writer with Spotlight PR LLC. Be sure to check out other blogs for additional PR tips.