In an effort to elevate the voices of Black creators, in the midst of global uprising tied to the deaths of African Americans by excessive police force, we rounded up a list of Black authors with books publishing in 2020. The Black experience in America is not monolithic and narratives — be they fiction or non-fiction — from Black authors often transcend the mainstream, white gaze to reveal the multiplicity of Black lives.
In stories about growing up as a Black queer teen or manifestos for Black feminists, the below list of books is primarily Young Adult and Adult novels. Some are fantasy-focused, others delve into the world of forgotten feminism and anti-racism. But, despite their different genres, one thing is certain: This list is 100% Black.
In addition to reading these books remember to: Support Black creators. Black entrepreneurs. Black authors. Support the Black community as they march for justice. As they protest hatred, racism, and brutality. As they fight for their lives. If you have the ability to, join them on the front lines. Educate yourself about the nation’s true history and white privilege. Find the resources and tools you need to get educated and make systematic change.
And don’t be afraid to have uncomfortable conversations. Don’t be afraid to open your mind and your wallets to support just causes.
Editor’s note: If you are a Black author writing YA or Adult novels with a book publishing in 2020, please reach out and we will add you to this list.
January
“Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid (Dec. 31, 2019)
“This Book Is Anti-Racist” by Tiffany Jewell (Jan. 7)
“All the Days Past, All the Days to Come” by Mildred D. Taylor (Jan. 7)
“Clean Getaway” by Nic Stone (Jan. 7)
“Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick: Stories from the Harlem Renaissance” by Zora Neale Hurston (Jan. 14)
“Saving Savannah” by Tonya Bolden (Jan. 14)
“Black Girl Unlimited” by Echo Brown (Jan. 14)
“Given” by Nandi Taylor (Jan. 21)
“Riot Baby” by Tochi Onyebuchi (Jan. 21)
“Remembrance” by Rita Woods (Jan. 21)
“Not So Pure and Simple” by Lamar Giles (Jan. 21)
February
“Different Strokes” by Cecil Harris (Feb. 1)
“Parable of the Brown Girl” by Khristi Lauren Adams (Feb. 4)
“The Worst Best Man” by Mia Sosa (Feb. 4)
“Black Sunday” by Tola Rotimi Abraham (Feb. 4)
“The Girl with the Louding Voice” by Abi Daré (Feb. 4)
“Deathless Divide” by Justina Ireland (Feb. 4)
“Real Life: A Novel” by Brandon Taylor (Feb. 18)
“Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America” by R. Eric Thomas (Feb. 18)
“Hood Feminism” by Mikki Kendall (Feb. 25)
March
“These Ghosts Are Family” by Maisy Card (March 3)
“Black Brother, Black Brother” by Jewell Parker Rhodes (March 3)
“When You Were Everything” by Ashley Woodfolk (March 10)
“Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds (March 10)
“Woke” by Mahogany L. Browne and Illustrated by Theodore Taylor III ( March 10)
“The Only Black Girls in Town” by Brandy Colbert (March 10)
“When You Were Everything” by Ashley Woodfolk (March 10)
“The City We Became” by N. K. Jemisin (March 24)
“Lakewood” by Megan Giddings (March 24)
“200 Letters” by Amy Watkins (March 28)
“Wow, No Thank You.” by Samantha Irby (March 31)
“We Want Our Bodies Back” by Jessica Care Moore (March 31)
April
“Awaken the Magic: A Children of Blood and Bone Journal” by Tomi Adeyemi (April 7)
“Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks and Scones” by Ngozi Ukazu (April 7)
“All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson (April 28)
May
“Clap When You Land” by Elizabeth Acevedo (May 5)
"The Art of Captivation" by Torin Ashtun (May 6)
“Felix Ever After” by Kacen Callender (May 12)
“Book of the Little Axe” by Lauren Francis-Sharma (May 12)
“The Black Flamingo” by Dean Atta (May 26)
June
“The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett (June 2)
“You Should See Me in a Crown” by Leah Johnson (June 2)
“A Song Below Water” by Bethany C. Morrow (Tor Teen, June 2)
“A Song of Wraiths and Ruin” by Roseanne A. Brown (June 2)
“This Is What I Know About Art” by Kimberly Drew (June 2)
“All the Things We Never Knew” by Liara Tamani (June 9)
“The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones” by Daven McQueen (June 16)
July
“The Gilded Ones” by Namina Forma (July 9)
“This Is My America” by Kim Johnson (July 28)
August
“The Wig, The Bitch & The Meltdown” by Jay Manuel (Aug. 3)
“The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law” by Haben Girma (paperback released on Aug. 11; originally published Aug. 6, 2019)
“The Death of Vivek Oji” by Akwaeke Emezi (Aug. 4)
“Rayberer” by Jordan Ifueko (Aug. 18)
“Now That I’ve Found You” by Kristina Forest (Aug. 25)
September
“The Black Kids” by Christina Hammonds Reed (Sept. 1)
“Punching the Air” by Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaam (Sept. 1)
“Charming as a Verb” by Ben Philippe (Sept. 8)
“Just Us: An American Conversation” by Claudia Rankine (Sept. 8)
“Transcendent Kingdom” by Yaa Gyasi (Sept. 8)
“Grown” by Tiffany D. Jackson (Sept. 15)
“Stakes Is High: Life After the American Dream” by Mychal Denzel Smith
“Legendborn” by Tracy Deonn (Sept. 15)
“Grown” by Tiffany D. Jackson (Sept. 15)
“Early Departures” by Justin A. Reynolds (Sept. 22)
“Loretta Little Looks Back” by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney (Sept. 29)
October
“Butter Honey Pig Bread” by Francesca Ekwuyasi (Oct. 1)
“Memorial” by Bryan Washington (Oct. 6)
“Tristan Strong Destroys the World” by Kwame Mbalia (Oct. 6)
“Daughters of Jubilation” by Kara Lee Corthron (Oct. 13)
“Just As I Am” by Cicely Tyson (Oct. 20)
“Judge’s Girls” by Sharina Harris (Oct. 27)
November
“Serena Says” by Tanita S. Davis (Nov. 3)
“Reconstruction Stories” by Alaya Dawn Johnson (Nov. 10)
December
“True Names: Four Generations of My Afro Appalachian Family” by Malaika Adero (Dec. 1)
“Jump at the Sun” by Alicia D. Williams (Dec. 1)
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