February is Black History Month and this year, it’s got a special theme: African Americans and the Arts. It’s a great time to read books by and celebrating Black artists across form and genre, so here are some titles to check out centering stories of Black artists.
Teju Cole writes thought-provoking, meandering philosophical fiction; his latest, Tremor, was described by Kirkus as “a master class in the morality of art.” Follow Tunde, a Nigerian American photographer and art history professor, as he reflects on the provenance of artifacts, who determines value, and the importance of personal perspective within these larger conversations. Cole’s passion for music and art is evidenced throughout the book in a “splendid feast for the senses.” (Publishers Weekly) A great choice for those who enjoy autofiction and meditations on power and privilege.
I’m not ashamed to say I love juicy family secrets and drama in books and Anissa Gray delivers in Life and Other Love Songs. The novel opens with a funeral and an empty casket as Trinity prepares to bury her father Oz, who has been missing for years and presumed dead by his wife, Deborah. Moving through time, we see Deborah and Oz’s courtship as Deborah chases her dream of becoming a Motown superstar and Oz works to outrun the demons of childhood trauma. The historical backdrop of the 1960s and 80s is perfectly rendered, touching on uprisings, racism, and the resilient Black communities fighting for better.
Lush Lives by J. Vanessa Lyon offers a tantalizing mix of sapphic romance and literary fiction plus a searing critique of the New York art world. Glory is a Black artist who inherits her great-aunt Lucille’s brownstone in Harlem; when she takes a box of Lucille’s possessions to an auction house, she experiences immediate attraction to Parkie de Groot, a disabled auctioneer. Questions of ethics, particularly in relation to art and inheritance, begin to cause tension between the two women as they navigate the complexities of NYC’s art scene.
Rosalyn Story’s Sing Her Name tells the story of two Black singers nearly a century apart, connected in an unexpected way. Opera star Celia DeMille (based on real life Sissieretta Jones) reaches the peak of fame for a Black woman singer in the early 1900s, though she dies broke and largely forgotten by history. In the present, Eden is a talented musician who had to leave her hometown of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. She comes across a box of old family mementos including a pendant belonging to Celia, bringing the neglected star into the present.
Iowa City is famed for its Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program, chronicled in fiction and memoir alike. Brandon Taylor’s latest, The Late Americans, imagines the lives of graduate students and townies alike, from poets to dancers, as they navigate their art, relationships, and the local context.
Want more titles? Check out the whole list: African Americans and the Arts – Fiction for Adults
~ posted by Jane S.
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