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Naima Coster

Goodreads Author

Born

Brooklyn, New York, The United States

Website

http://www.naimacoster.com

Twitter

zafatista

Genre

Fiction, Memoir

Member Since

October 2009

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/httpwwwgoodreadscomnaimacoster

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Naima Coster is a New York Times bestselling author and a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 honor. Her most recent novel, TAKE WHAT YOU CAN, will be published by Pamela Dorman Books in August 2026. Her novel, WHAT'S MINE AND YOURS, was a Read with Jenna pick, a statewide read for One Maryland One Book, longlisted for the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, and named a best book of the year by Kirkus Reviews, Esquire, Marie Claire, Ms. Magazine, and more. Her first novel, HALSEY STREET, was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize and named a must-read by People, Essence, Well-Read Black Girl, The Skimm, and the Brooklyn Public Library. Naima’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, Time, Kweli, and The Cut, an ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Who influenced you to write and become an author?

Naima Coster My desire to write was born out of my deep love of reading. Every summer, before trips to the Dominican Republic, my parents would buy me a big stack …moreMy desire to write was born out of my deep love of reading. Every summer, before trips to the Dominican Republic, my parents would buy me a big stack of books to read. I tore through the novels, desperate for more to read before the summer was through. My parents' support of my appetite for books was critical to my decision to try and create books of my own. To this day, the work of other writers continues to inspire me to create. I was also lucky to have amazing English teachers in high school who helped me believe, audaciously, in myself as a writer. They helped me move my love of writing from the margins of my life, where it lived as a hobby, to the center, where it became a point of focus, labor, and great joy. I was eighteen when I finished my first book-length project, "Fifteen," a collection of short stories. It helped me start embracing what it might mean to spend a life writing. Thank you for your question, Glenda! (less)

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What books are on your summer reading list this year?

Naima Coster I've got a long list for this summer, and I'm hoping to get through a number of these while I also get started on a draft of my second novel. I intend…moreI've got a long list for this summer, and I'm hoping to get through a number of these while I also get started on a draft of my second novel. I intend to lounge on porches, beaches, and my couch as much as I can swing so that I can dig into:

A FEW MEMOIRS:
**HUNGER by Roxane Gay
**YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME by Sherman Alexie
**A GIRL WALKS INTO A BOOK by Miranda Pennington, my friend & a fellow writer

A FEW RECENT NOVELS:
**AFTER SUCH DISASTERS by Viet Dinh (on rescue work & colonialism)
**EUPHORIA by Lily King (a love triangle unfolds between anthropologists in the early 20th c.)
**THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas (glorious YA about police violence, friendship, and the lives of young POC)
**A PIECE OF THE WORLD by Christina Baker Kline (inspired by the life of Christina Olson, the subject of Andrew Wyeth's famous painting, CHRISTINA'S WORLD)

& A FEW CLASSICS that I've been meaning to read for years:
LITTLE, BIG by John Crowley
THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy
ON SUCH A FULL SEA by Chang-Rae Lee

I'm also counting down the days to the fall publication of Jesmyn Ward's SING, UNBURIED, SING. I've been waiting for another novel from Ward for six years since I read her last, and it can't come soon enough. (less)

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Naima Coster’s books

Average rating: 3.59 · 37,224 ratings · 4,168 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	What's Mine and Yours 3.55 avg rating — 23,508 ratings — published 2021 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Halsey Street 3.54 avg rating — 7,959 ratings — published 2018 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora by Saraciea J. Fennell (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Elizabeth Acevedo (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Cristina Arreola (Contributor) 4.25 avg rating — 2,452 ratings — published 2021 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Take What You Can 3.55 avg rating — 1,841 ratings — published 2026 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lila 3.46 avg rating — 1,581 ratings — published 2019 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Naima Coster is now friends with Em
Feb 18, 2026 01:01PM · like
Naima Coster has read Take What You Can by Naima Coster (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by Naima Coster (?)

“Daughters get either their courage or their fear from their mothers.”
― Naima Coster, Halsey Street

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“Penelope had met white women like her at RISD—women who were certain they were the center of everyone’s world. If someone wanted to steal a handbag, it would be her handbag. If someone wanted to pick a lock, it would be her lock. She was no better than the Manhattan friends Marcus complained about.”
― Naima Coster, Halsey Street

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“chancletas,”
― Naima Coster, Halsey Street

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Literary Fiction ...: Buddy Read: How To Love A Jamaican	28	67	Aug 10, 2018 10:48AM
EVERYONE Has Read...: Summer Spelling Bee Challenge June 2019	189	364	Jul 01, 2019 12:27AM
Precinct 81: Round 5 - Pemberley Ball	34	22	Jul 23, 2019 03:44PM
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Busy as a Bee Books: Book News: 03/02/2020	4	9	Mar 09, 2021 01:45PM
Aussie Readers: Covid Take 2 - 1/10/20-31/3/21 - We have Wanderlust!	264	197	Mar 27, 2021 08:22PM

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Naima’s Groups

Brooklyn Bookworms! — 236 members — last activity Aug 27, 2026 11:30AM
Brooklyn authors & readers, neighbors, or just fans of Brooklyn! We promote book-swaps, fairs, literacy programs, libraries, bookstores, area wri ...more

Black Girls Read! — 9192 members — last activity Sep 23, 2026 10:44AM
A group for African-American women to share, discuss and recommend quality books by and for other African-Americans.

Mocha Girls Read — 7052 members — last activity Sep 14, 2026 01:20AM
We are a group of black women who love to read, want to read more and meet like-minded women. #mochagirlsread Join Us in person: https://www.meetup.c ...more

THE Group for Authors! — 13086 members — last activity 12 hours, 20 min ago
This is a group for authors to discuss their craft, as well as publishing and book marketing.

Lived in NYC, Now I Just Read About It — 9 members — last activity Apr 01, 2020 07:51PM
If you ever lived in New York City, reading about the city in books has SO much more resonance. Share your book pros and cons here in this group. {Als ...more

New Yorkers — 254 members — last activity Mar 10, 2017 07:56AM
A group for New York City dwellers to compare/contrast what they're reading with other New Yorkers. Anyone from the 5 boroughs, or even the tri-state ...more

LatinX Publishing Books, Authors and Recommendations — 510 members — last activity Jun 16, 2025 01:28PM
The official Latinx Publishing book group. This community is open to anyone interested in learning about and reading books by Latinx authors or with L ...more

Literary Fiction by People of Color — 13628 members — last activity 18 hours, 5 min ago
This can include genre fiction that is literary (e.g. speculative fiction, historical fiction, etc.), as long as it's written by a person of color (Af ...more