10 Black Authors Share Their Favorite Books by Fellow Black Writers

There’s no time like back-to-school season to give your book stack the refresh it needs. But if you’re anything like me, your “want to read” shelf continues to grow with beach reads, sexy romance novels, and much-anticipated releases. To help us decide what to read next, we tapped the experts: folks who read and write for a living.

Ahead of the new school year, we asked some of our favorite Black authors to share their must-reads by fellow Black writers. We asked bestselling authors like Nicola Yoon, Tia Williams, Mateo Askaripour, and more for their suggestions. Whether it’s a book they’ve been inspired by, one they recommend to everyone around them, or one that’s stuck with them for years, these books have made an impact on these authors in some way or another. As book bans continue to surge across the country – and with so many of these titles featuring Black characters or being written by Black authors – it’s more important than ever to diversify your bookshelves. From juicy young adult novels to moving memoirs, here are 10 Black authors’ picks.