Black American Nonfiction
Enjoy these nonfiction titles by African American authors published within the last two years and selected by librarians at The Seattle Public Library. Annotations from review sources, as cited. (January 2025)
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Black in Blues
National Book Award winner Perry offers surprising revelations about the connection between the color blue and Black identity as she explores myth and literature, art and music, folklore and film. An innovative cultural history. (Kirkus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Lifting as They Climb
Pressley-Sanon ... provides edifying profiles of six influential Black women Buddhists... The result is a worthwhile glimpse at the rich and complicated intersections of Blackness, womanhood, and spirituality.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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My Black Country
Randall beautifully weaves together history and her personal story in a narrative informed by a deep love of country music, her commitment to undoing an ugly legacy of whitewashing, and her determination to change the face of Nashville to create space for herself and other Black artists. (Booklist)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Black Utopians
NEA grantee Robertson's book shows that formerly enslaved people established 200 to 1,200 settlements in the U.S. and Canada between the late 18th and early 20th centuries, and their frameworks for self-ruled and safe spaces for Black people bear emotional and tangible links to the Black nationalism of the 1960s and '70s and the 21st-century Black Lives Matter movement. (Library Journal)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Bluff
Smith’s searing fourth collection (after Homie) offers a powerful self-indictment of art and the artist in an age of social and political collapse. It’s a necessary and challenging jolt to the system. (Publishers Weekly)
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Before the Streetlights Come on
Toney, the vice president for community engagement at the Environmental Defense Fund, argues in this inspired call to action that climate issues are inextricably tied to the pursuit of social justice. The result is a persuasive case for why Black activists should be at the forefront of the environmental movement. (Publishers Weekly)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Another Word for Love
The story of a poet and podcaster’s journey to claim the fullness of his identity and power as a queer Black American. Ultimately, this is an intricate and exhilarating memoir - heartbreaking, humbling, and hopeful. An exquisite, soulful must-read. (Kirkus)
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Slaveroad
Wideman meditates on the enduring effects of slavery in this heartfelt collection of sketches about historical figures and personal stories centered on his brother’s release from prison. (Publishers Weekly)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts
With this deeply personal cookbook/memoir, Wilkinson, former poet laureate of Kentucky, welcomes readers into her kitchen to share the culinary legacy passed down through five generations of Black Appalachians. (Library Journal)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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What Have We Here?
The debonair actor crafts a memoir that rivals his greatest characters. Normally, the successes of an attractive actor wouldn’t make for great reading, but Williams makes it all sound fascinating. (Kirkus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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