Best books by Black authors that defined 2025

Memoirs and biographies capture powerful stories

1. Tina Knowles shares her journey in Matriarch, a memoir from one of entertainment’s most successful mothers. Knowles offers deeply personal stories about her childhood in Texas and her path to becoming a successful entrepreneur and mom to one of music’s biggest superstars. The book provides an intimate look at the woman behind the scenes who helped shape modern entertainment.
2. Abby Phillip examines Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaigns in A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight For Black Political Power. The CNN anchor explores Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 runs and how he drew on his Civil Rights Movement organizing experience with Dr. Martin Luther King to build a coalition of urban working-class people seeking political change.
3. Michelle Obama celebrates style in The Look, featuring over 200 photographs of her most iconic outfits over the years. The book includes interviews with stylists and designers who helped create her memorable fashion moments, offering readers an inside perspective on how the forever First Lady developed her signature aesthetic.

Fiction explores family, identity and history

4. Charmaine Wilkerson follows her hit Black Cake with Good Dirt, centering on a young woman from a wealthy Black family who flees her New England home for soul searching. She discovers a connection between a family tragedy and one of their precious heirlooms, weaving mystery with family drama.
5. Dolen Perkins-Valdez crafts a beautiful story in Happy Land about a woman who learns she descends from royalty in an American kingdom. She does everything possible to protect her family’s land from being stolen, exploring themes of heritage and preservation.
6. Oyinkan Braithwaite tells a tale of generational struggle in Cursed Daughters, following a family of Nigerian women enduring a curse that prevents them from finding lasting love. The youngest woman in the family attempts to finally break the pattern that has haunted her ancestors.
7. Victoria Christopher Murray delivers historical fiction in Harlem Rhapsody, telling the story of Jessie Redmon Fauset, a young teacher from Washington, D.C., who becomes literary editor of The Crisis. However, she harbors a deep secret that could jeopardize her dream job: an affair with her boss, W. E. B. Du Bois.
8. Angela Flournoy explores friendship in The Wilderness, a beautifully-written novel about the 20-year bond between five Black women. The story follows how they navigate marriage, motherhood and life’s challenges across Los Angeles and New York.
9. Nancy Johnson examines difficult choices in People of Means, telling the story of a mother and daughter who both had to choose between following their dreams and fighting for freedom.

Crime fiction and literary discoveries

10. S.A. Cosby delivers suspense in King of Ashes, a crime novel centering on the Carruthers family and sibling relationships after their father dies in a suspicious car accident. The mystery unravels as family secrets emerge.
11. Zora Neale Hurston’s previously unknown work surfaces in The Life of Herod The Great. Hurston worked on this novel about the king of Judaea until her passing in 1960. The manuscript nearly perished in a fire before a neighbor saved it and handed it to Deborah G. Plant, an expert scholar on Hurston’s life and works.

Essays and cultural analysis

12. Imani Perry examines color and culture in Black in Blues: How a Color Tells The Story of My People. Perry explores the color blue and its connection to both hope and sadness in the Black community, offering fresh perspectives on symbolism and identity.
13. Jelani Cobb reflects on recent history in Three Or More is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here: 2012 – 2025. The New Yorker staff writer and dean of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism curates reflections on the journey from Black Lives Matter to the MAGA movement and where America might head next.

Books for every reader

The 2025 collection of books by Black authors spans memoirs, fiction, historical works, crime novels and cultural analysis. Whether readers seek inspiration from powerful life stories, escape through compelling fiction, or understanding of contemporary social movements, Black authors delivered exceptional work across every genre. These 13 books represent just a fraction of the incredible literary contributions Black writers made this year, offering something meaningful for every type of reader heading into the new year.

SOURCE: THE ROOT