12 Bestselling Nonfiction Books for January/February - 2020

AALBC’s Bestselling Book SealOur bestsellers list has been published continuously since 1998. Learn More ▶

Fiction: Fiction sales were led by the two-time AALBC bestseller The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins, which was also a Go On Girl! Book Club selection for January 2020. Read what the ladies had to say about this book.

Nonfiction: The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations by Toni Morrison topped all sales in the Nonfiction category. In addition to being a two-time AALBC Bestseller, Morrison’s book is the winner of a 2020 NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction.

Children’s Books: Children’s Books dominated sales of all genres this period. Sales were led by Epoca: The Tree of Ecrof by Ivy Claire, which was created by Kobe Bryant and his publishing company Granity Studios.

Poetry: We did not sell enough poetry books to compile a list this period. However editor choices include, A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing: The Incarceration of African American Women from Harriet Tubman to Sandra Bland by Damaris B. Hill and Mistress by Chet’la Sebree

View a printer-friendly version and a collage of the book covers. Also, check out links to more great books. Enjoy

#2

Book cover of A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Testament of Hope

by Martin Luther King, et al.

Add to Cart

#3

Book cover of I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World by Martin Luther King, Jr.

I Have a Dream

by Martin Luther King, et al.

Add to Cart

#8

Book cover of Righteous Riches: The Word of Faith Movement in Contemporary African American Religion by Milmon F. Harrison

Righteous Riches

by Milmon F. Harrison

Add to Cart

#10

Book cover of Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston and Deborah G. Plant

Barracoon

by Zora Neale Hurston and Deborah G. Plant

Add to Cart

#11

Book cover of Ki-Asana Zen: Bridging the Gap Between East and West by Vernon Kitabu Turner

Ki-Asana Zen

by Vernon Kitabu Turner

Add to Cart

More About our Bestsellers List


You will learn about books selling well, in the Black community, that may never show up on lists published by corporate entities. Spread the word about our list; don’t let one or two lists, which we don’t control, determine which books are important.

We collect our bestselling titles from all our sales channels. The majority of our sales come from this website and our in-person events. We also include sales generated through our affiliate relationships, including Bookshop.org, Libro.fm (audiobooks), Black History 365 Education, and Amazon.com*.

We aggregate all formats of a book sold (print, ebook, and audio) into one format, usually the most popular print format

*For a few years, we actively boycotted Amazon but have discontinued this practice, as many of our authors have made their books exclusively available from Amazon. While we discourage giving Amazon the exclusive right to sell a book, we do not want this to be a reason to exclude an author from our site. Amazon also has an effective monopoly on eBooks and out-of-print books, which we highlight on this site.


The Most Critically Acclaimed Books

Bestselling Books By Year May be Found Here

Our All-Time Bestselling Books May be Found Here