Breaking Stereotypes: 8 Powerful Books to Celebrate Black History Month

[@cafeaulivre]

Feel free to add your diverse recommendations in the comments below! Alays love to discover new books!

[@kurlykaitlyn]

Highly recommend The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. One of my top top favorite Black American history books.

[@cafeaulivre]

I have read that one, long ago, and you’re absolutely right! 😊

[@VTimmoni]

It is a great book.

[@heathersmusic8833]

Great recommendations. I also love Passing by Nella Larsen. An unforgettable ending.

[@cafeaulivre]

Havn’t read that one yet, I’ll look into it. Thank you for the recommendation 😊

[@mame-musing]

@heathermusic8833: you are so right, that ending leaves you wondering as to exactly what happened.

[@phoe23nix58]

Thank you for this video. As a recommendation I'm adding "The Rose that Grew from Concrete" by Tupac Shakur. In 2022, my husband and I were able to rent one of Fredrick Douglass' houses for a week. The owner had a copy there and I'm so glad. I had forgotten how indepth and insightful some of Mr. Shakur's lyrics were. This poetry book was amazing and thought provoking.

[@cafeaulivre]

Sounds like an excellent recommendation, thank you!

[@aiscahill]

I've got two Toni Morrison books on my shelves (Song of Solomon & Beloved) and I'm really hopeful to get to both of them this year. I've taken note of lots of these for when I allow myself to buy books again. I particularly want to read more Baldwin 😊

[@cafeaulivre]

Ive read Beloved, havn’t read Song of Solomon yet. Beloved is also equal parts beautiful and painful

[@tyghe_bright]

Fantastic recommendations. I've read all of Baldwin's nonfiction, but not his novels. (They're on my list!) I also love Audre Lorde's essays, and several bell hooks books, especially The Will to Change. I also highly recommend Samuel Delaney. The Motion of Light in Water is a good starting point. Less dense and abstract than Dhalgren. I don't read much romance and wanted to focus on romance in February. I found a classic romance called Indigo, by Beverly Jenkins. The characters are both part of the Underground Railroad, and it adds genuine tension to the love story. I'm 30% in and surprised how much I like it. I've also started reading Of One Blood by Pauline Hopkins. It was a serial in 1902-3, and like many serials of the time is a wild adventure--but with the difference that it was written by a Black woman and the main characters are mixed race. They're both on the pulp side of things, but very well written.

[@cafeaulivre]

I don’t read much romance myself, but you have me convinced here!

[@VTimmoni]

Sorry I'm late.

[@cafeaulivre]

No worries, always welcome :)