Five Books To Celebrate Black History Month

It is black history month, and black people have come a long way from being enslaved and stripped of their humanity to influencing various facets of life. Black excellence is to be celebrated every day, but since February is set aside to celebrate the magic of black people, I will be sharing a list of great books written by black authors.

Black Boy
Black Boy is a memoir written by American author Richard Wright detailing accounts about his childhood in the segregated south and his move to Chicago, where he started his writing career.
Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart is the first book written by acclaimed Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It was published in 1958 when he was 28 years old. It depicts pre-colonial life centred in the eastern part of Nigeria. It follows the life of Okonkwo and his refusal to adopt western ideologies or bow to the whiteman choosing instead to commit suicide. It received global acclaim and has been translated into several languages, and it is also widely read in schools.
If Beale Street Could Talk
If Beale Street Could Talk is a novel by acclaimed author James Baldwin. It was adapted into a 2018 movie starring Kiki Layne and Stephan James as Tish and Fonny. It is a love story set in Harlem, New York, in the 70s and deals with black people’s cruelty and injustice in America. Two lovers are separated after one of them is wrongfully accused of rape, the other set out to get justice.
Nelson Mandela: A Biography
As Nelson Mandela was fondly called, Madiba has had a lot of books written about him because of the admirable life he lived and his impact on society and contribution in ending the apartheid era in South Africa. Still, I will be using Martin Meredith’s biography about him for this list. It details his early life, move to Johannesburg, joining the African National Congress, Imprisonment and life after imprisonment, eventually becoming South Africa’s first black president. It was published in 1997.
The Color Purple
The Color Purple is a novel by American author Alice Walker in 1982 and follows the struggles of African American teenager Celie, raised in poverty in rural Georgia. It won a Pulitzer prize in 1983 and the National Book Award for Fiction. It was also adapted into a film starring Oprah Winfrey and a musical. Plans are underway for another remake set to be released in 2023.