16 Books By Black Authors Everyone Should Read

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Historically, a lot of literature taught in schools is written by white — and, typically, white male — authors. The publishing industry is also predominately white.

So although you may remember reading books like “The Great Gatsby” and “To Kill A Mockingbird” in school, you may have missed out on many classics by Black authors like Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” and “The Autobiography Of An Ex-Colored Man” by James Weldon Johnson.

There has been a “significant effort made to diversify” the books read in schools since the 1960s, according to Joanne Hyppolite, a supervisory curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. However, she said, “selections were focused almost solely on well-known authors” — which meant some students didn’t get to read works from lesser-known Black writers in school.

The book industry still has a long way to go to become more inclusive, but there are so many stories you can add to your to-read list from Black authors that are considered modern classics, like “The Mothers” by Brit Bennett. (And you can support Black creatives all the time — whether it’s buying from Black-owned jewelry shops, Black-owned beauty brands or Black-owned bookstores like Bronx-based The Lit. Bar and Shelves Bookstore in Charlotte, North Carolina.)

“Diversifying what we read, what we watch, where we eat and where we shop can save us from ignorance,” Abbigail Glen, owner of Shelves Bookstore, told HuffPost Finds. “That’s why I encourage my customers to become comfortable with being uncomfortable because growth can’t happen in your comfort zone.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to diversify your reading list?” she said.

We wanted to find recommendations for both old and new classics by Black authors that everyone should have on their bookshelves. We asked Hyppolite, Glen and the literary experts at Goodreads for their takes on the books we should be bookmarking right now.

As always, you should first check to see if your local independent bookstore has these titles in stock and support Black-owned bookstores in your neighborhood and nationwide.

Here are the 16 books our experts recommended: