I definitely don’t mind spending a weekend afternoon in Netflix coma. But as the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, I love unplugging with a good book. And this May, there is no shortage of great titles for book lovers to sink their teeth into. Touching memoirs, steamy romances and brilliant biographies are all preparing to hit the shelves of your favorite local bookstores. These are some of the books by Black authors we can’t wait to read in May.
Suggested Reading
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory (May 3)
The New York Times-bestselling author of “The Wedding Date”, Jasmine Guillory, is back with another romance. “By the Book” puts a new twist on the classic “Beauty and the Beast.” Isabelle is feeling lost and stuck in her career as an editorial assistant. As the only Black employee at her publishing house, she’s looking for a way to make a name for herself and set herself up for a promotion. When she travels to Santa Barbara to convince a reclusive writer to finish his long-awaited manuscript, something develops that neither of them could have expected.
My Seven Black Fathers: A Young Activist’s Memoir of Race, Family, and the Mentors Who Made Him Whole by Will Jawando (May 3)
In this touching memoir, Will Jawando tells his story of growing up outside Washington D.C. with a white mother and a strained relationship with his Black father. As he struggled to find his way, Jawando received mentorship and support from other Black men, including teachers and coaches who filled in where his own father couldn’t. Even former President Barack Obama played a role in encouraging him to become the civil rights and education policy attorney, husband and father he is today.
The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living With Less by Christine Platt (May 3)
In The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living With Less, Christine Platt walks readers through her four-step plan designed to help them acknowledge their overconsumption and be more intentional about their spending. Platt keeps it real in her book, which hones in on ways marginalized communities have been the targets of advertisers who have encouraged them to overspend. Rather than cleaning out your closet completely, Platt encourages readers to reorganize with intention, make space for the things that matter and set up the next generation for financial success.
Isn’t Her Grace Amazing! The Women Who Changed Gospel Music by Cheryl Willis (May 3)
“Isn’t Her Grace Amazing!” is a beautiful celebration of some of the most influential voices in gospel music. Through interviews and personal stories, Cheryl Willis pays tribute to the likes of Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Mary Mary, whose voices helped define the genre.
The World Belonged to Us by Jaqueline Woodson (May 10)
There’s nothing like being a kid in the summer. New York Times bestselling author Jaqueline Woodson captures everything that’s dope about summer in the city in her latest children’s book, “The World Belonged to Us.” In the book, school is out for a group of Brooklyn kids. Without a care in the world, they revel in everything from the ice cream truck, endless Double Dutch and of course, running through the fire hydrants. Reading this book with your kids will make you remember a time when you truly felt like the world was yours.
Miss Chloe: A Memoir of a Literary Friendship with Toni Morrison By A.J. Verdelle (May 10)
After 27 years, “The Good Negress” author A.J. Verdelle is back. This time, with a book that chronicles her more than 20-year friendship with beloved author, Toni Morrison (born Chloe A Wofford). Miss Chloe is a touching tribute to the literary sisterhood that formed between the writers after Morrison wrote a blurb for Verdelle’s first novel and lasted until Morrison died in 2019. Bestselling author Jason Reynolds wrote, “In ‘Miss Chloe,’ Verdelle offers us testimony in praise and consideration of life as a literary citizen and Black woman alongside the guiding light of Toni Morrison. This is a holy testimony, indeed, one that deserves to be amen’d forever.”
His Name Is George Floyd by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa (May 17)
The world learned about George Floyd after watching his tragic death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. But in “His Name is George Floyd - One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice,” Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa talk to many of Floyd’s friends, family members and teachers about the life of a man who would ignite a movement for racial justice. Henry Louis Gates Jr. called the book ”A much-needed portrait of the life, times, and martyrdom of George Floyd, a chronicle of the racial awakening sparked by his brutal and untimely death, and an essential work of history I hope everyone will read.”
How to Live Without You by Sarah Everett (May 17)
“How to Live Without You” is a YA novel which tells the story of a 17-year-old girl who returns home for a summer to investigate the circumstances surrounding her older sister’s disappearance. But as she looks for information, she uncovers surprising secrets about a sister she thought she knew.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi (May 24)
As an artist struggles to cope with the death of her partner, she begins a new romance with a handsome man who wants to help her to live her best life. But their relationship is tested by feelings she has for another man who is off limits. “You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty” is so powerful that Amazon Studios and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society have already bought the screen rights to the novel.
Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle (May 31)
“Love Radio” is a touching YA romance that will surely make you fall in love. A teen who gives love advice on the radio tries to get a girl who is focused on college and her career to fall for him in three dates. Jasmine Guillory says, ”Love Radio is pure joy. This book is a celebration of Black love, Black teenagers, Black friendship, and the Black family, and I adored it from beginning to end.”
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