Black American Nonfiction
Enjoy these nonfiction titles by Black American authors about Black history, culture, and life published within the last two years and selected by librarians at The Seattle Public Library. Annotations from review sources, as cited. (January 2026)
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Black-owned
A history of Black bookstores as loci of activism, community-building, and education. An enlightening history for students of the Black experience and readers of books about books. (Kirkus)
Format: Book
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The Containment
In this riveting debut history from Adams, ... a 1970 school integration plan proposed by liberal members of the Detroit Board of Education kicks off a contentious legal battle that results in the Supreme Court effectively ending school desegregation in the North. (Publishers Weekly)
Format: Book
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Black Liturgies
For years, Cole Arthur Riley was desperate for a spirituality she could trust. Amid ongoing national racial violence, the isolation of the pandemic, and a surge of anti-Black rhetoric in many Christian spaces, she began dreaming of a more human, more liberating expression of faith. She went on to create Black Liturgies, a digital project that connects spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black memory, and the Black body. (Publisher copy)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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A Short History of Black Craft in Ten Objects
Chairmaker Awake debuts with a wondrous celebration of how “Black people have resisted their erasure through craft” over the course of American history. (Publishers Weekly)
Format: Book
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Rooted
A well-documented study of land ownership among Black Americans and the accompanying land theft. A passionate, engaging combination of history, memoir, and examination of income inequality. (Kirkus)
Format: Book
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Fearless and Free
A freewheeling account of the boundary-smashing entertainer’s first four decades. First published in 1949, this is less a memoir than a transcription by French journalist Marcel Sauvage (whose original introduction is included) of conversations he had over the course of 15 years with expatriate American sensation Josephine Baker (1906-75). (Kirkus)
Format: Book
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Black Artists in Their Own Words
Art historian Farrington rounds up letters, interviews, speeches, and other primary accounts from 20th- and 21st-century Black artists for this valuable compendium. The result is a keen and insightful window into a rich artistic legacy. (Publishers Weekly)
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Joy Goddess
Bundles ... draws on family archives to create a lively portrait of her great-grandmother, A’Lelia Walker (1885-1931), a tireless champion of Black artists, writers, and musicians [and t]he only child of millionaire beauty entrepreneur Madam C. J. Walker... (Kirkus)
Format: Book
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The Message
Coates presents three blazing essays on race, moral complicity, and a storyteller's responsibility to the truth. Brilliant and timely. (Booklist)
Format: Book
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Three or More Is A Riot
Incisive reportage on Black life and history by the noted journalist. Provocative, arguable, written with both bravado and great care: an exemplary collection. (Kirkus)
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