This February at the Central Library’s fiction department we’ve added to our traditional Black History display with sections dedicated to Black Presence and Black Futures. Can’t make it to the library? Here’s a taste of what we’ve featured here, all titles from our list of favorite Black fiction books from 2021.
Black History:
Gone Missing in Harlem, by Karla FC Holloway. They may call it a “renaissance,” but the only cop interested in a young girl snatched from the Harlem streets is the only Black cop on the force.
Bacchanal, by Veronica Henry. Travelling through the Depression era South, the wildly weird G.B. Bacchanal Carnival hires on Eliza Meeks, whose telepathic powers with animals fit right in.
When Stars Rain Down, by Angela Jackson-Brown. In the sweltering hot summer of 1936, young Opal Pruitt’s teenaged preoccupations are brutally interrupted when the Klu Klux Klan comes to town.
Palmares, by Gayle Jones. Born into slavery in 17th Century Brazil, Almeyda escapes to the legendary free community of Palmares, only to find liberty fleeting. Jones’ lush epic saga combines history, myth and magic.
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton. In the early 70’s, proto-Afro-punk rocker Opal and her British partner Nev challenge the status quo, and pay the price.
Black Presence:
The After Party, by A.C. Arthur. Venus McGee, Draya Carter, and Jackie Benson have each other’s backs through thick and thin, though sometimes friendship can be murder.
This Close to Okay, by Leesa Cross-Smith. It wasn’t a typical first date, but when therapist Tallie pulled Emmett back from the brink of suicide, her interest wasn’t entirely professional.
The Fugitivities, by Jessie McCarthy. From his Parisian childhood to teaching inner-city kids in Brooklyn to chasing after an old flame in Rio de Janeiro, Jonah is less and less certain just who he is.
My Monticello, by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson. In the title story of this trenchant collection, white supremacists overrun Charleston and Da’Naisha shelters her neighbors in the plantation home of her ancestors, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings.
On Girlhood: 15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library, Glory Edim, editor. Spanning decades, this profound and prismatic collection of engaging, heartbreaking and hilarious stories center on the lives of Black women.
Black Futures:
Black Sci-Fi Short Stories, Tia Ross, editor. Tales from twenty classic and contemporary Black authors reveal the great diversity and range of Afro-futurist writing.
Broken Fevers, by Tenea D. Johnson. In 14 thought provoking and wildly original stories and vignettes, Johnson explores the shifting present and uncertain future.
Destroyer of Light, by Jennifer Marie Brissett. Fleeing their alien-ravaged home for the distant world of Eleusis, the survivors of Earth unwittingly enact an Afro-futurist rendition of the Persephone myth in deepest space.
Noor, by Nnedi Okorafor. Born Anwuli Okwudili and re-christened Augmented Organism in honor of her many cybernetic implants, AO isn’t entirely sure who she is any more, and whether or not she is a murderer.
The Freedom Race, by Lucinda Roy. After the second Civil War, the disunited states have regressed to high tech race-based slavery, the path toward emancipation lies through the Freedom Race.
You’ll find many more recent titles in our list of favorite Black fiction books from 2021.
~ posted by David W.
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