10 Bestselling Nonfiction Books
Period: January/February - 2023
Celebrating books written by or about Black people, the African American Literature Book Club’s Bestsellers List has been published continuously since 1998. In 2026, we began publishing our list quarterly, focusing on The BLK Bestsellers.
Fiction:
For the first time, The top three fiction “books” are literary journals. The Killens Review is a fixture on our list making it 8 times. midnight & indigo, a literary journal dedicated to short fiction and narrative essays by Black women writers, makes its debut on our list this period.
Nonfiction:
Reparations on Fire: How and Why it’s Spreading Across America by Nkechi Taifa is an AALBC bestseller not just because it is an important book, but Taifa makes a point of encouraging readers to buy her books from black-owned bookstores.
Children’s Books:
An American Story, written by Kwame Alexander and Illustrated by Dare Coulter is not only the bestselling children’s book, it is the bestselling book overall this period!
Poetry:
Poetry did well during this period with work from award-winning poets Yusef Komunyakaa, John Keene, and Tyehimba Jess making the list.
