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By Sydnee Walcott
While reading may be boring to some, it has more benefits than one may think. Reading is a lifelong skill that gives people room to improve their memory, build their vocabulary, and gain more knowledge. One of the biggest things reading can do is teach people about the world around them and how they can do their part to help make positive change.
Here’s a list of five books by Black authors to be on the lookout for this year.
The Black American Handbook for 2024
The year 2024 started on a high note with the release of The Black American Handbook for 2024 by Albert Allen III. The handbook encourages Black people to do better for themselves in various sectors.
Some content in the book touches on how the descendants of enslaved Black Americans should demand reparations payments from the U.S. for free labour, how AI opportunities benefit Black Americans, preserving family wealth, doing their art to combat the homelessness problem within the country, creating a political party that benefits them, and steps to making their goals become a reality.
You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!): A Little TJ Book
Labelled as a New York Times Bestseller, award-winning actress and mental health advocate Taraji P. Henson’s debut picture book, You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!): A Little TJ Book, is geared towards children ages four to eight.
Lil TJ, a quirky, stylish, and somewhat off-the-cuff little girl, is excited for her first day of school. However, her feelings change upon her arrival when she realizes everything she does is different and makes her stand out in the wrong way. Things don’t get any better for TJ as one of her classmates, Beau, continuously teases her. This leaves TJ filled with anxiety and doubt until she remembers some important words of wisdom from her Grandma Patsy. This gives TJ the confidence to make new friends and help someone else in the process.
Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration
What was supposed to be an essay on Black joy for The Washington Post, became so much more when NAACP Image Award-winning author Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts received an outpour of positive responses from readers.
Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration, is a 288-page book filled with lyrical essays about the evolution of joy within Lewis-Giggetts life, even amid trauma. These essays allow readers to recognize the power of Black joy and knock down the one-note narratives of Black life as only being compromised by trauma and hardship.
My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present and Future
The year 2024 has been the breakout year for many Black artists within the country music scene. People have been looking forward to a year like this as Black people have contributed to the origins of the genre and have often seen their contributions get overlooked due to cultural appropriation.
Award-winning professor, songwriter, and author Alice Randall, celebrates the Black origins of country music and how the genre brought Randall and her activist mother together. Randall has made her own contributions to the genre, becoming the first Black woman to co-write a number one country hit, Trisha Yearwood’s “XXX’s and OOO’s.”
While touching on Randal and her mother’s bond through country music, the book celebrates the genre’s Black influences throughout its history, introducing them to a new generation of listeners.
Kiki Finds Her Voice: Be True to You and Embrace Your God-Given Gifts
While growing up, fitting in and becoming popular is what some kids look to achieve. At times, kids may find themselves in a situation where they might be subjected to peer pressure to achieve their desired popularity. However, kids often discover that becoming popular is not worth it if peer pressure is involved.
The school talent show is coming up and Kiki is excited when she is invited to perform along with the popular girls. Her excitement is cut short when her new friends choose to sing a song Kiki’s parents don’t approve of. This puts Kiki in a difficult position as she has to decide if popularity and pleasing her friends is more important than speaking up and doing what she knows is right.
Based on a true story in the life of Grammy-nominated gospel singer and actress Kierra Sheard-Kelly along with Molly Hodgin, this children’s picture book helps kids discover how they can use their God-given gifts in a positive light and how to be true to themselves when it’s not deemed as the popular thing to do.
All books listed above are available for purchase in hardcover, paperback, and as an ebook for various apps and reading devices.
Sydnee Walcott is a Copy / Contributing Editor for Black Voice. She is also a writer who likes to capture the essence when writing articles on a variety of topics.