#1
Months on List: 2
In a small Alabama town, a respected judge faces a complex and morally challenging case that tests her commitment to justice while balancing her personal and professional responsibilities.
Judge Stone
by Viola Davis And James Patterson • Little, Brown And Company (March 9, 2026) • 2 Months on List
#2
Months on List: 4
Two childhood friends from a small Louisiana town grow into very different lives, and years later their paths converge again as they confront the lasting impact of family loss, identity, and a devastating tragedy.
Kin: A Novel
by Tayari Jones • Knopf Publishing Group (February 24, 2026) • 4 Months on List
#3
Months on List: 5
The book is a searing portrayal of resistance and defiance among enslaved people in the American South, focusing on characters such as quick-witted Luke, defiant Henri, sharp Josephine, formidable Charity Butler and ruthless Nathaniel, as they navigate a deeply unjust system and try to ignite sparks of justice.
Burn Down Master’s House
by Clay Cane • Dafina Books (January 27, 2026) • 5 Months on List
#4
Months on List: 4
Three intertwined lives spanning post-WWII Germany to 1960s Maryland explore identity, family, and the far-reaching impact of one woman’s efforts to care for abandoned children of mixed heritage.
Keeper Of Lost Children
by Sadeqa Johnson • 37 Ink (February 10, 2026) • 4 Months on List
#5
Months on List: 27
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) • 27 Months on List
#6
Months on List: 1
This coming-of-age novel follows a young Black man navigating the complexities of love and identity within his unique family, exploring the bonds that connect them as they confront societal challenges and personal growth.
Ghalen: A Romance In Black
by Walter Mosley • Amistad Press (May 26, 2026) • 1 Months on List
#7
Months on List: 2
In this insightful debut, four adult siblings return home for Thanksgiving, where their unresolved issues and secrets come to light, forcing them to confront the complexities of family ties and personal identity.
Leave Your Mess At Home
by Tolani Akinola • Pamela Dorman Books (April 14, 2026) • 2 Months on List
#8
Months on List: 4
A Black ex-police officer is shot during a traffic stop on the night of Barack Obama’s election, and a determined lawyer races to uncover the truth and fight a corrupt system to save him from a wrongful conviction.
Worse Than A Lie: A Beau Lee Cooper Novel
by Ben Crump • Bantam (February 17, 2026) • 4 Months on List
#9
Months on List: 10
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) • 10 Months on List
#10
Months on List: 5
This multigenerational saga explores seven generations of Dupree women, bound by a strange curse to only have daughters, navigating familial secrets, enduring hardship, displaying resilience, and maintaining unbreakable bonds from the time of slavery to the modern day.
The Seven Daughters Of Dupree
by Nikesha Elise Williams • Gallery/scout Press (January 27, 2026) • 5 Months on List
#11
Months on List: 2
This novel explores the complex friendship between two women navigating pivotal moments in their thirties, blending humor and emotional depth.
Love By The Book
by Jessica George • St Martins (April 7, 2026) • 2 Months on List
#12
Months on List: 9
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) • 9 Months on List
#13
Months on List: 3
<em>A Raisin in the Sun</em> is a groundbreaking, award-winning drama that explores the dreams and struggles of a working-class black family in 1950s Chicago, profoundly impacting American theater with its truthful representation of black lives.
A Raisin In The Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry • Modern Library (August 22, 1995) • 3 Months on List
#14
Months on List: 8
A dedicated journalist unravels her family's secret connection to unsolved missing girls cases in North Carolina while battling her troubled past and struggling to maintain her crumbling marriage.
We Don’t Talk About Carol
by Kristen L. Berry • Bantam (June 3, 2025) • 8 Months on List
#15
Months on List: 12
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) • 12 Months on List
#16
Months on List: 9
The narrative follows five Black women navigating their careers, relationships, and personal ambitions over two decades, while dealing with the challenges and volatility of modern American life.
The Wilderness
by Angela Flournoy • Mariner Books (September 16, 2025) • 9 Months on List
#17
Months on List: 15
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) • 15 Months on List
#18
Months on List: 4
In <em>Seven Days in June,</em> single mom and erotica author Eva Mercy rekindles a passionate forgotten love with reclusive novelist Shane Hall, navigating past traumas, literary intrigue, and the complexities of motherhood over a sultry Brooklyn summer, as they uncover answers to long-standing questions.
Seven Days In June
by Tia Williams • Grand Central Publishing (June 1, 2021) • 4 Months on List
#19
Months on List: 1
In the haunting setting of a colonial mansion, a young African writer vanishes during a prestigious residency, prompting her sister to delve into a true crime podcast that reveals dark secrets and struggles against the backdrop of cultural legacy and existential dread.
House Of Margins
by Tlotlo Tsamaase • Erewhon Books (May 26, 2026) • 1 Months on List
#20
Months on List: 3
In a transformed America devoid of white people, a father and daughter, both grappling with their identities and past traumas, embark on a journey to reconnect and understand their place in a radically changed society.
Sky Full Of Elephants
by Cebo Campbell • Simon & Schuster (September 10, 2024) • 3 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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