Trying to find the best audiobooks by black authors? You’ve come to the right place here are 13 options that we really think you’ll enjoy reading…
I Almost Forgot About You: A Novel
Terry McMillan
Written by the same author who penned How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale, this novel centers around an optometrist who has everything going for her, but still feels unfulfilled. Dr. Georgia Young has everything – a great job, friends, and a wonderful family, but it still isn’t enough. When she decides to chuck it all for a brand-new life, everyone wonders why she is doing all of this. But in the end, the results are worth it, because Georgia finds herself in the midst of a wild journey and a chance at a second serious relationship. A great book both for young women just starting out in life and older women who feel they need a change.
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl
Issa Rae
Told from a poignant and funny point of view, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl is a series of essays that describe everything that awkward introverts feel about life, love, and everything in between. It touches on a variety of subjects, from cyber-sexing to public displays of affection and even learning to love your natural hair, and it leaves nothing unexplored. This is the perfect book for any black woman who feels left out as an introvert in an extroverted world, but it can be enjoyed by people of all genders, colors, and personalities.
Secrets of a Side Bitch
Jessica N. Watkins, et al.
This book has everything it needs to keep you on the edge of your seat, including sex, murder, and indictments. Omari is a young man from Chicago who quits his job with UPS and joins his cousin Ching in the lucrative drug trade. In his personal life, he is torn between his long-time girlfriend Aeysha and a new, older woman named Simone. Eventually, his newfound job gets him involved in the murder of the governor’s nephew, and that’s when all hell breaks loose. Trying to handle both his job and his personal life when both are falling apart leads to some strange happenings for Omari, and it’s the listener’s guess how this story will finally end.
If Beale Street Could Talk: A Novel
James Baldwin et al.
Two unforgettable characters make this book difficult to forget regardless of who you are. The story centers around two young lovers, Tish and Fonny, who have a child together and are planning to get married. Before the wedding, however, Fonny is arrested and put in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, and both of their families concentrate on rectifying the situation and getting him back home. Set in Memphis and containing a touch of the blues and everything else that makes the city special, these two young people face an uncertain future and along the way, they discover a host of emotions that include despair, affection, and hope.
Stalker
Brenda Hampton et al.
This is the story of what happens when someone is rejected for yet another time. Abigal Wilson is recently divorced and not ready for her heart to be trampled once again, until she meets a gorgeous man named Brent Carson. Before she knows it, Abigal is in love with Brent, but when he tells her he’s not interested in her, she resorts to desperate acts to punish him for his rejection. After the rejection, Abigal becomes Mrs. Stalker to Brent’s perfect persona, and she does things she never thought she’d ever do, all while keeping listeners waiting breathlessly to find out what she’ll do next.
I Wish I Could: Younger & Older Women Trailblazers in Black American History
Linda Laverne Williams et al.
Mrs. Pickie is a teacher who opens up an orphanage for at-risk black girls, and one of the projects she encourages is having the girls write about how they wish they could do what their favorite trailblazer did. The book is a great tool for young black girls because it empowers them and gives them the chance to see how others before them became a force to be reckoned with. Mrs. Pickie herself is an inspiration because she overcame years on a plantation to move forward and get a college education, so the book inspires young girls from all different perspectives.
So You Want to Talk About Race
Ijeoma Oluo et al.
Applicable to today’s world, So You Want to Talk About Race is about the racial landscape in America and speaks frankly about issues such as police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement, the “N” word, and privilege. Taking into consideration the views and feelings of both black and white Americans, the author handles many controversial issues head-on and answers questions that few people before her even dared to ask. Brutally honest and a book that makes you think, it is straightforward, funny, and courageous all at the same time. It is also one book that you will never forget.
Patsy: A Novel
Nicole Dennis-Benn
Patsy leaves her impoverished Jamaican town – and her younger daughter – behind to find a better life in the United States, thanks to the prodding from her best friend Cicely. But when she gets there, all is not perfect. Since she’s undocumented, she has to settle for work as a nanny and bathroom attendant, and meanwhile her daughter is getting closer to her father, who is still in Jamaica. Told in vignettes that span more than a decade, Patsy tells the story of the relationship between Patsy and her daughter, and describes the long journey that had to take place to get the two of them back together again.
Pay Day
Reshonda Tate Billingsley, et al.
Pay Day is a book about how winning the lottery changed four people’s lives. This includes Terrance, whose wife leaves him after he wins his money and who discovers that getting what you wished for isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be; Angelique, who uses her money for weight-loss surgery but might end up costing her the man she loves; Janine, whose husband just left her for another woman and who she’s trying to keep her winnings from; and Raquelle, who has to pay back the money she embezzled to help pay for her sick son’s recovery. Four characters, four different stories, and one story that will be on your mind for years after you finish the last sentence.
Deceived: Facing the Trauma of Sexual Betrayal
Claudia Black, et al.
If you’ve ever suffered a betrayal by a husband or boyfriend who has cheated on you, been addicted to pornography, or spent time with prostitutes, this book is for you. Deceived is written by a psychologist and well-known author who has counseled hundreds of women in these scenarios, and it teaches you how to overcome the betrayal and build up your self-confidence so that you can feel whole again. With help from this book, women can recover from emotional trauma and isolation and learn to facilitate their own healing. If you’ve ever suffered a sexual betrayal and wish to move forward with your life, Deceived can help you do it.
Yellow Crocus
Laila Ibrahim
A story of a different kind of love and affection, the book tells the story of Lisbeth, a young girl living on a plantation, and Mattie, her wet nurse whom she learns to respect and admire. As the years go by, each girl is suffering in her own way, and soon they become closer to one another than either of them is to anyone else on the plantation grounds. Follow Lisbeth and Mattie as they journey together through difficult and often lonely lives, and experience how they provide hope and strength for one another through those difficulties.
The Author is Dead
Ches Smith, et al.
A very witty, but dark comedy, Ches describes his life and his ongoing battles in perfect detail for the listener. He tells about a suicide attempt, an ex-wife, a nutty father, and most of all, an obsession to write a story about Thalia, a free spirit and punk rocker who he can’t stop thinking about. When the pressures of work and life get to him, he becomes even more obsessed with writing the book, even though it becomes more difficult to do over time. If you’ve ever thought about throwing in the towel, but found a way to keep hanging on, this is the book for you. It’s one man’s story, but every person’s tale of how difficult life can be at times.
Momma: Gone
Nina Foxx, et al.
Set in rural Alabama in the post-civil rights era, Momma: Gone tells the story of Denise “Sweetie” Wooten, who is dealing with a war far away and a tragedy that changes the course of her life forever. The story is told from the child’s point of view and teaches us how to make it through unbearable sadness and find the happiness that we all deserve to get. This is one story that tackles the issue of cancer head-on, and it includes characters that you will not soon forget because they will stay with you forever.
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