African American historical fiction recs > Likes and Comments

Hi guys! I just finished Yellow Wife and would love to read more books like it. Please drop some of your faves below. ❤️

Ooooo yes! I also want some recs.

Check out The House of Eve by Sadequa Johnson.

This one is set in the 1920s with Chicago's jazz scene, but I loved the narrative voice so much. It had traces of mystery and romance too.

An excellent Historical black fictional story is the Black series by Joan Vassar…also Joan just released another story taking place in the 1920s called Ignite….if you Ladies are into audiobooks….this series along with Ignite is available in audio and the narration is phenomenal

Hello, Aariyana. Since you had just finished Yellow Wife, I would recommend that you (first) continue on with The Devil's Half Acre by Kristen Green. It's the autobiography of the enslaved woman, Mary Lumpkin and it's an amazing read. Other recommendations for All: Saving Ruby King & The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West. A wonderful Duology...

If you’re up for historical black fiction, Indigo by Beverly Jenkins might interest you

I’m reading Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America by Geneva Smitherman, which focuses on the origin of Black talk in Black America, connecting the beginning of this language to the global slave trade and the people’s connection to Africa. The author provides a breakdown of speech, including style and visual examples (e.g., comic strips) to extend reader learning and provide a bit of laughter for us folk who speak Black talk.

Enjoy!

Rebel by Beverly Jenkins. It a romantic historical fiction novel. Such a good story and it’s a page turner for real. I don’t want to give too much away but here’s the synopsis:

Valinda Lacey's mission in the steamy heart of New Orleans is to help the newly emancipated community survive and flourish. But soon she discovers that here, freedom can also mean danger. When thugs destroy the school she has set up and then target her, Valinda runs for her life—and straight into the arms of Captain Drake LeVeq.

As an architect from an old New Orleans family, Drake has a deeply personal interest in rebuilding the city. Raised by strong women, he recognizes Valinda's determination. And he can't stop admiring—or wanting—her. But when Valinda's father demands she return home to marry a man she doesn't love, her daring rebellion draws Drake into an irresistible intrigue.

Beverly Jenkins writes a lot of African American Historical Romance, if you're interested in that! Below are some of her books.



Books by other authors

May I present for your consideration: 1) Take my Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, 2) Time’s Undoing by Cheryl Head, and 3)Patience is a Subtle Thief (which is technically not a HF but is set in the politically volatile environment of 90s Nigeria, and I learned a lot about the time period from this novel).

Along with @Victoria, I also recommend Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.

I also loved Yellow Wife and it made me jump into more hist fic!

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
The House of Eve by Sadequa Johnson
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis

Can I recommend A Strange and Bitter Fruit. And its sequel, The Peacemaker.

The Thread Collectors by Shaunna J. Edwards.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

A woman of endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa

Negroland by Margo Jefferson. It’s equal parts memoir and historical fiction, detailing the history of the African-American upper class.

D.T. wrote: "This one is set in the 1920s with Chicago's jazz scene, but I loved the narrative voice so much. It had traces of mystery and romance too.

"

D.T. wrote: "This one is set in the 1920s with Chicago's jazz scene, but I loved the narrative voice so much. It had traces of mystery and romance too.

"


Sounds really interesting!

Mrs. Wiggins is a good book.

Hey, I’d definitely recommend Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi absolutely beautiful book!!!

I just finished Take My Hand. Amazing story about the reproductive injustice of the 70’s. A somewhat underrated topic of the civil rights movement.

I definitely recommend it .

Yes, to Take My Hand. Beautifully written. It was a 5-star read for me.

Don't Cry for Me by Daniel Black is a heart wrenching read, but I really enjoyed it; reminiscent of The Color Purple except the protagonist is a black man.

so GR closed the comment section on this article "177 New Fiction and Nonfiction Reads for Black History Month" that was posted Jan 31. anybody know what went down???

i immediately noticed more than half the authors were not from the USA, did not live in the USA but were African or Africans living in Europe writing about Africans in those countries.

Achol 🎀 wrote: "Hey, I’d definitely recommend Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi absolutely beautiful book!!!"

I just finished this. I see it was written in 2016, but I just happened to hear of it. The story was sad and hopeful and the writing was excellent.