Black Stories Matter: A Year of Empowering Reads

bookishlyariel's profile picture bookishlyariel Host

20 participants (50 books)

01 Jan 2025—31 Dec 2025

Overview

The Black Book Reading Challenge is an initiative to celebrate, explore, and immerse ourselves in the rich and diverse literary works by Black authors. This challenge encourages participants to read books across genres, uncover hidden gems, and embrace stories that amplify Black voices, histories, and experiences.

Challenge Books

All books added
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Message

Ta-Nehisi Coates

235 pages • first pub 2024 (editions)

nonfiction essays politics challenging informative reflective medium-paced
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

Tia Williams

342 pages • first pub 2024 (editions)

fiction contemporary romance emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced
I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming

I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com

Cosmic Chaos #1

Kimberly Lemming

9 hours, 24 minutes • first pub 2025 (editions)

fiction romance science fiction adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine

Junie

Erin Crosby Eckstine

361 pages • first pub 2025 (editions)

fiction historical literary dark emotional tense medium-paced
My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson

My Government Means to Kill Me

Rasheed Newson

276 pages • first pub 2022 (editions)

fiction historical lgbtqia+ challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

The Reformatory

Tananarive Due

570 pages • first pub 2023 (editions)

fiction historical horror dark emotional tense medium-paced
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Red at the Bone

Jacqueline Woodson

3 hours, 52 minutes • first pub 2019 (editions)

fiction contemporary literary emotional reflective medium-paced
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?

Crystal Smith Paul

404 pages • first pub 2023 (editions)

fiction historical emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers

They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South

Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers

316 pages • first pub 2019 (editions)

nonfiction history race challenging informative slow-paced
Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis

Blood Moon

Britney S. Lewis

384 pages • first pub 2025 (editions)

fiction fantasy romance thriller young adult dark emotional tense medium-paced