#1
Months on List: 17
A reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.
James: A Novel
by Percival Everett • Doubleday Books (March 19, 2024) • 17 Months on List
#2
Months on List: 20
A novel about small-town secrets and the people who keep them.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
by James Mcbride • Riverhead Books (August 8, 2023) • 20 Months on List
#3
Months on List: 1
The narrative explores the experiences of two Black writers tackling gun violence and seeking belonging, filled with both riotous humor and deep longing, conveyed through dreamlike experiences and real-world realities.
People Like Us
by Jason Mott • Dutton (August 5, 2025) • 1 Months on List
#4
Months on List: 8
A Nigerian American writer grapples with fame, family, and creative control after her speculative novel about AI and humanity becomes a cultural phenomenon, blurring the lines between author and story.
Death Of The Author
by Nnedi Okorafor • William Morrow & Company (January 14, 2025) • 8 Months on List
#5
Months on List: 6
Four women navigate love, identity, and loss across continents and generations, confronting the truths they’ve avoided and the lives they’ve built amid personal and societal upheaval.
Dream Count
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie • Knopf Publishing Group (March 4, 2025) • 6 Months on List
#6
Months on List: 3
A financial whiz uncovers his family's deep-seated secrets and fights dangerous criminals to protect his loved ones, navigating a web of family duty, crime, and looming mortality in a Southern town.
King Of Ashes
by S. A. Cosby • Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar (June 10, 2025) • 3 Months on List
#7
Months on List: 1
A heartbreaking story about a woman who embarks on an international journey to retrieve the lost possessions of her late friend, entangling her life with the last woman he loved, and exploring intricate themes of love, memory, and ambiguous loss.
Loved One
by Aisha Muharrar • Viking (August 12, 2025) • 1 Months on List
#8
Months on List: 1
This novel explores the upheaval caused by a favorite son's sins in a small Mississippi town, illustrating the ongoing violence and casual sins of the patriarchy as told through the perspectives of the women who love him.
Dominion: A Novel
by Addie E. Citchens • Farrar Straus And Giroux (August 19, 2025) • 1 Months on List
#9
Months on List: 8
A woman haunted by her brother’s unsolved death and a shattered family heirloom uncovers buried truths that tie her personal heartbreak to a deeper ancestral legacy.
Good Dirt
by Charmaine Wilkerson • Ballantine Books (January 28, 2025) • 8 Months on List
#10
Months on List: 5
When a woman answers her estranged grandmother’s summons to rural North Carolina, she uncovers her family’s hidden connection to a forgotten kingdom founded by freed people and must decide how to protect its legacy.
Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-valdez • Berkley Books (April 8, 2025) • 5 Months on List
#11
Months on List: 1
A former country star must collaborate with the woman whose song he falsely claimed as his own, risking his career comeback and rekindling an old romance.
August Lane
by Regina Black • Grand Central Publishing (July 29, 2025) • 1 Months on List
#12
Months on List: 6
In a surreal present where historical icons return, a disgraced hip-hop producer joins forces with Harriet Tubman to craft an album that reclaims freedom, confronts trauma, and reimagines legacy through music.
Harriet Tubman: Live In Concert
by Bob The Drag Queen • Gallery Books (March 25, 2025) • 6 Months on List
#13
Months on List: 11
In this dark comedy, aspiring novelist Jane navigates reinvention and the racial identity-industrial complex with Hollywood ambitions, enticing a hot-shot producer with the promise of the <em>Jackie Robinson of biracial comedies,</em> striving for success while grappling with unexpected setbacks.
Colored Television
by Danzy Senna • Riverhead Books (September 3, 2024) • 11 Months on List
#14
Months on List: 8
A pioneering editor and writer navigates love, ambition, and scandal as she helps launch the <a href="https://aalbc.com/content.php?title=The+Harlem+Renaissance">Harlem Renaissance</a> and elevates a generation of Black literary voices.
Harlem Rhapsody
by Victoria Christopher Murray • Berkley Books (February 4, 2025) • 8 Months on List
#15
Months on List: 3
A white teenager navigating the American Civil War joins an all-Black regiment, gaining a unique perspective on racism, oppression, and familial bonds.
How To Dodge A Cannonball
by Dennard Dayle • Henry Holt (June 17, 2025) • 3 Months on List
#16
Months on List: 3
The narrative follows a young Black man navigating the complexities of race and class amidst the backdrop of a friend's mysterious death and his own arrest.
Great Black Hope
by Rob Franklin • S&s/summit Books (June 10, 2025) • 3 Months on List
#17
Months on List: 1
This is a story about a strong woman's journey of self-discovery and independence, set during the Harlem Renaissance, that explores themes of love, cruelty, and the transformative power of storytelling.
Their Eyes Were Watching God (deluxe Edition)
by Zora Neale Hurston • Amistad Press (May 6, 2025) • 1 Months on List
#18
Months on List: 2
An ancient African vampire and a determined slave form a powerful alliance to lead an army of blood slaves in a fight for freedom during the early days of American slavery, offering a unique twist on the vampire origin story.
Blood Slaves
by Markus Redmond • Dafina Books (July 29, 2025) • 2 Months on List
#19
Months on List: 8
A young enslaved girl haunted by her sister’s ghost confronts forbidden love, buried secrets, and the cost of freedom as she dares to challenge the world that has kept her captive.
Junie
by Erin Crosby Eckstine • Ballantine Books (February 4, 2025) • 8 Months on List
#20
Months on List: 1
The story follows the journey of two slaves and an indentured servant as they struggle to transcend the limitations set by their pasts.
This Here Is Love
by Princess Joy L. Perry • W. W. Norton & Company (August 5, 2025) • 1 Months on List
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Sales Data Source: Circana BookScan. Represents U.S. print sales from thousands of retailers.
Methodology: Books are categorized and filtered for Black Authors by the African American Literature Book Club. This list is a sneak peek into the Black Book Accelerator initiative.
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