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*Recommended
for Teens
ABYSSINIAN
CHRONICLES
This
novel chronicles the coming of age of Mugezi during
the nightmare reign of Idi Amin.
*THE
AFRICAN AMERICAN WEST: A CENTURY OF SHORT
STORIES edited by Bruce A. Glasrud and Laurie
Champion.
This
compilation reaches from early 20th
century writers Charles W. Chesnutt and W.E.B.
DuBois to the contemporary voices of Terry McMillan
and Walter Mosley.
ALL
OF ME: A VOLUPTUOUS TALE by Venise
Berry.
What’s
a chubby journalist to do when her boyfriend
prefers his skinny ex, and her weight might prevent
her from getting a promotion? Is suicide the
answer?
BLACK
GIRL IN PARIS by Shay Youngblood.
In
the mid-1980’s, Eden Daniels moved to Paris in
search of the literary freedom experienced by her
heroes, Langston Hughes and James
Baldwin.
Sarah
Breedlove, an uneducated laundress, worked her way
to becoming the first black female millionaire,
Madam C. J. Walker.
BLIND
AMBITIONS by Lolita Files.
Can
three women, an actress, a writer, and a producer
succeed in the Hollywood atmosphere of sex,
betrayal, and self-destruction?
BLUES
DANCING by Diane McKinney- Whetstone.
A
chance meeting with a former college flame allows
Verdi to discover passion, love and ultimately,
herself.
BRUISED
HIBISCUS by Elizabeth Nunez.
Issues
of race, class, and gender are brought to the fore
when the body of a white woman washes ashore in
colonial Trinidad.
BUTTERSCOTCH
BLUES by Margaret
Johnson-Hodge.
It’s
love at first sight when Sandy sees Adrian’s
“butterscotch” skin. Can this
relationship survive when he becomes
ill?
CASTING
THE FIRST STONE by Kimberla Lawson Roby.
Reverend
Black succumbs to the temptations of women and
money. Will his marriage survive?
CHRONICLE
OF THE SEVEN SORROWS by Patrick
Chamoiseau.
A
tale of the poor and the rich in Martinique, as
told through the life of Pipi Soleil, who
transports, (and probably murders) human cargo,
competes in a wheelbarrow race, and reluctantly
guards a threatening zombie’s buried treasure.
CLOSE
ENCOUNTERS by Sandra Kitt.
Caught
in the crossfire of a drug bust, Carol finds
herself attracted to the white cop who accidentally
shot her.
*THE
COLORED GARDEN: A NOVEL by O. H. Bennett.
Ten-year-old
Sarge discovers baby “Kate’s” grave
in an old slave cemetery, and begins a quest to
learn her secret.
A
DANGEROUS ROAD by Kris Nelscott.
Memphis
1968… Why is private investigator Smokey
Dalton the beneficiary in the will of a white
heiress?
DARK
MATTER: A CENTURY OF SPECULATIVE FICTION
FROM THE AFRICAN DIASPORA edited by Sheree R.
Thomas.
This
book is a compilation of science fiction and
fantasy, from vampires to robots.
DELLA’S
HOUSE OF STYLE: An anthology with stories
by Rochelle Alers, Donna Hill, Felicia Mason, and
Francis Ray.
These
four love stories are set amidst cuts, curls,
weaves, and pedicures.
DESPAIR:
AND OTHER STORIES by Andre Alexis.
Tales
from Trinidad and Canada focus on adultery, voodoo
curses, and a doctor’s unusual experiments.
DO
UNTO OTHERS by Kristin Hunter Lattany.
Cultures
clash and her husband strays when Zena takes a
young African woman into her home.
DON’T
THE MOON LOOK LONESOME by Stanley Crouch.
A
seven-year-long interracial romance is threatened
when Maxwell begins to feel that he doesn’t
want to spend the rest of his life with a white
woman.
*FAR
FROM THE TREE by Virginia DeBerry and
Donna Grant.
Can
Della keep her secrets after her daughters move
back to the house they inherited?
FATHER
FOUND by R.M. Johnson.
Tracking
down “deadbeat dads” becomes an obsession
rather than a job.
THE
FICTION OF LeROI JONES/AMIRI BARAKA by
LeRoi Jones, Imamu Amiri Baraka and Greg
Tate.
THE
FISHER KING: A NOVEL by Paule Marshall.
This
book tells a story of jazz, love, family conflicts,
and hope.
THE
FLIP SIDE OF SIN by Rosalyn McMillan.
Released
from prison, a former jazz musician finds an
estranged wife and a troubled son. He manages to
rebuild his life as he learns the lessons of
love.
FOR
THE LOVE OF MONEY by Omar R. Tyree.
This
book is the long-awaited sequel to Flyy
Girl.
GENERAL
SUN, MY BROTHER by Jacques Stephen
Alexis.
GOOD
PEOPLES by Marcus Major.
The
tables are turned when Myles, who is ready for
commitment, falls for Marisa, who is consumed by
her career as a lawyer.
THE
HOTEL ALLELUIA by Lucinda Roy.
Two
sisters, one white and one black, find each other
upon their mother’s death.
LIAR’S
GAME by Eric Jerome Dickey.
Vince
and Dana are in love, but can it last when
Vince’s ex-wife and Dana’s former lover
arrive on the scene?
MAKE
BELIEVE by Joanna Scott.
With
his parents dead, Bo is caught in a fierce custody
struggle between his two sets of grandparents, one
black and one white.
MASTER
OF THE CROSSROADS by Madison Smartt Bell.
This
is the story of the life and rise to power of the
great Haitian general, Toussaint
Louverture.
*MIDNIGHT
ROBBER by Nalo Hopkinson.
When
Tan-Tan’s father rapes her, they are taken
from their village on the Caribbean planet
Toussaint, and thrust into the brutal prison world
of New Half-Way Tree.
MOTHER
TO MOTHER by Sindiwe Magona.
A
mother recounts the story of how her son became a
killer. Based on the 1993 murder in South
Africa of a white American woman.
MOVE
OVER GIRL by Brian Peterson.
Tony,
a college junior and former athlete, makes the
journey from “player with a strong rap”
to a committed, mature adult.
THE
NEW CITY by Stephen Amidon.
When
two powerful men, one white and one black,
compete for the job of city manager of a planned
community, racial violence erupts.
NOT
A DAY GOES BY by E. Lynn Harris.
Yancey
Harrington and John “Basil” Henderson are
back, and about to get married, but there is a
problem. The groom likes guys
too.
PO
MAN’S CHILD by Marci Blackman.
After
sustaining a serious injury during a sexual
encounter and learning of her father’s death,
Po recounts her family’s curses and
blessings.
REDEMPTION
SONG by Bertrice Berry.
Love
develops when two readers reach for a
bookstore’s only copy of a slave woman’s
narrative.
SLAPBOXING
WITH JESUS by Victor D. LaValle.
This
book contains stories about young men struggling to
survive on the sex- and drug-filled streets of New
York City.
SOMETHIN’
EXTRA by Patty Rice.
Genie
Gatlin knows “it’s better to lease a man
than own one.” That is, until she meets David
Lewis.
SORORITY
SISTERS by Tajuana “TJ” Butler.
Five
college freshmen from diverse backgrounds find
sisterhood as they struggle with college life.
SUGAR
by Bernice L. McFadden.
Tensions
grow, secrets are revealed, and a bond of
friendship is formed, when Sugar, a prostitute,
opens shop in Bigelow, Arkansas.
SUMMER
MAGIC by Rochelle Alers.
While
vacationing in her friend’s beachfront home,
Caryn Edwards is not happy to find that she must
share it with a stranger, until romance
blooms
*SUNDAY
YOU LEARN HOW TO BOX by Bil Wright.
14-year-old
Louis struggles with his sexual identity while his
unsupportive parent believes boxing will encourage
his masculinity.
THIS
JUST IN by Yolanda Joe.
Chicago
television station WKBA is last in the news
ratings. Intrigue and deception ensue as employees
scramble to save their jobs.
TUFF
by Paul Beatty.
“Tuffy”
Foshay, 19 years old, 300+ pounds, and part-time
drug dealer, decides to run for the City Council of
New York, with an African American rabbi as his
advisor.
WARM
HANDS by Margaret Johnson-Hodge.
This
novel is a story of romance, infidelity,
heartbreak, and finally, love.
THE
WAY FORWARD IS WITH A BROKEN HEART by Alice
Walker.
Stories
exploring several women’s heartfelt and
sometimes heartbreaking relationships with
husbands, friends, and lovers.
This
selected list was compiled by:
Marylou
Coveney, Dudley Branch
Denise
DeBoer, Fields Corner Branch
Jacqueline
Hogan, Grove Hall Branch
Kathy
Kire, Teen Services
Parker
Hill Branch
Amy
Manson, Connolly Branch
Margaret
Phillibert, General Library, Adult
Services
Richard
Wintergreen, Adams Street Branch
Joseph
Wisniewski, Codman Square Branch
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