Black Women: Biography, Autobiography, Personal Essays, and Memoir (nonfiction)

1.
Becoming
Becoming 4.44 avg rating — 1,160,511 ratings
2.
Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson
Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson 4.16 avg rating — 38 ratings
3.
See Me Naked: Black Women Defining Pleasure During the Interwar Era
See Me Naked: Black Women Defining Pleasure During the Interwar Era 4.50 avg rating — 6 ratings
4.
#SayHerName: Black Women's Stories of State Violence and Public Silence
#SayHerName: Black Women's Stories of State Violence and Public Silence 4.47 avg rating — 95 ratings
5.
The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir
The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir 4.36 avg rating — 7,553 ratings
6.
Hazel Scott: The Pioneering Journey of a Jazz Pianist from Cafe Society to Hollywood to HUAC
Hazel Scott: The Pioneering Journey of a Jazz Pianist from Cafe Society to Hollywood to HUAC 4.13 avg rating — 78 ratings
7.
My Life, My Love, My Legacy
My Life, My Love, My Legacy 4.22 avg rating — 1,726 ratings
7.
We Should All Be Feminists
We Should All Be Feminists 4.40 avg rating — 320,721 ratings
9.
Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism
Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism 4.50 avg rating — 18,479 ratings
10.
Our Auntie Rosa: The Family of Rosa Parks Remembers Her Life and Lessons
Our Auntie Rosa: The Family of Rosa Parks Remembers Her Life and Lessons 4.04 avg rating — 76 ratings
11.
Growing Up X: A Memoir by the Daughter of Malcolm X
Growing Up X: A Memoir by the Daughter of Malcolm X 4.02 avg rating — 418 ratings
12.
Assata: An Autobiography
Assata: An Autobiography 4.59 avg rating — 29,689 ratings
13.
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower 4.38 avg rating — 13,758 ratings
14.
Brother, I'm Dying
Brother, I'm Dying 4.16 avg rating — 7,575 ratings
14.
We're Going to Need More Wine
We're Going to Need More Wine 4.19 avg rating — 36,932 ratings
16.
At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance--A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power
At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance--A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power 4.47 avg rating — 3,602 ratings
17.
This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President
This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President 3.99 avg rating — 1,962 ratings
18.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 4.13 avg rating — 787,021 ratings
19.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl 4.17 avg rating — 56,856 ratings
20.
Ida: A Sword Among Lions
Ida: A Sword Among Lions 4.27 avg rating — 947 ratings
21.
We Are Bridges: A Memoir
We Are Bridges: A Memoir 4.03 avg rating — 391 ratings
22.
Fat Off, Fat On
Fat Off, Fat On 3.96 avg rating — 227 ratings
23.
My Soul Looks Back
My Soul Looks Back 3.61 avg rating — 923 ratings
23.
For Freedom's Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer
For Freedom's Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer 4.17 avg rating — 249 ratings
23.
Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories
Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories 3.89 avg rating — 768 ratings
23.
#SayHerName: Black Women’s Stories of Police Violence and Public Silence
#SayHerName: Black Women’s Stories of Police Violence and Public Silence 4.47 avg rating — 95 ratings
27.
Morning Glory: A Biography of Mary Lou Williams
Morning Glory: A Biography of Mary Lou Williams 4.11 avg rating — 55 ratings
28.
Rosa Parks: My Story
Rosa Parks: My Story 4.18 avg rating — 2,663 ratings
29.
The Little Piano Girl: The Story of Mary Lou Williams, Jazz Legend
The Little Piano Girl: The Story of Mary Lou Williams, Jazz Legend 3.99 avg rating — 145 ratings
30.
Finding Samuel Lowe: China, Jamaica, Harlem
Finding Samuel Lowe: China, Jamaica, Harlem 3.71 avg rating — 277 ratings
31.
The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou
The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou 4.24 avg rating — 2,976 ratings
32.
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir 4.49 avg rating — 25,284 ratings
32.
How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child
How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child 4.24 avg rating — 7,294 ratings
34.
Men We Reaped: A Memoir
Men We Reaped: A Memoir 4.30 avg rating — 27,660 ratings
35.
The Origin of Others (The Charles Eliot Norton Lectures)
The Origin of Others (The Charles Eliot Norton Lectures) 4.19 avg rating — 4,942 ratings
36.
Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster
Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster 3.68 avg rating — 1,689 ratings
37.
The Other Side of Paradise
The Other Side of Paradise 4.20 avg rating — 2,131 ratings
38.
The Grace of Silence: A Memoir
The Grace of Silence: A Memoir 3.87 avg rating — 2,846 ratings
39.
Negroland
Negroland 3.62 avg rating — 7,832 ratings
40.
Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change
Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change 4.24 avg rating — 6,926 ratings
41.
Carmen McRae: Miss Jazz
Carmen McRae: Miss Jazz 3.17 avg rating — 12 ratings
42.
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks 4.08 avg rating — 1,478 ratings
43.
Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry
Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry 4.27 avg rating — 1,502 ratings
44.
Singing Away the Hunger: The Autobiography of an African Woman
Singing Away the Hunger: The Autobiography of an African Woman 3.94 avg rating — 484 ratings
45.
A Small Place
A Small Place 4.05 avg rating — 17,325 ratings
46.
Zora Neale Hurston: Folklore, Memoirs, & Other Writings
Zora Neale Hurston: Folklore, Memoirs, & Other Writings 4.34 avg rating — 257 ratings
47.
Bad Feminist
Bad Feminist 3.92 avg rating — 117,714 ratings
47.
Mighty Justice: My Life in Civil Rights
Mighty Justice: My Life in Civil Rights 4.49 avg rating — 216 ratings
49.
Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells
Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells 4.32 avg rating — 826 ratings
50.
Narrative of Sojourner Truth
Narrative of Sojourner Truth 4.10 avg rating — 10,543 ratings
51.
Everybody's Got Something
Everybody's Got Something 4.04 avg rating — 5,146 ratings
51.
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More 4.30 avg rating — 16,467 ratings
51.
Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin
Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin 3.85 avg rating — 1,093 ratings
54.
Never in My Wildest Dreams: A Black Woman's Life in Journalism
Never in My Wildest Dreams: A Black Woman's Life in Journalism 4.03 avg rating — 400 ratings
55.
Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston
Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston 4.36 avg rating — 1,135 ratings
56.
Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom
Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom 4.10 avg rating — 1,220 ratings
57.
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body 4.17 avg rating — 118,946 ratings
57.
Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America
Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America 4.44 avg rating — 1,229 ratings
59.
Rage To Survive: The Etta James Story
Rage To Survive: The Etta James Story 4.22 avg rating — 556 ratings
60.
Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women
Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women 4.60 avg rating — 1,723 ratings
60.
Soldier: A Poet's Childhood
Soldier: A Poet's Childhood 4.21 avg rating — 428 ratings
60.
Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom
Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom 4.07 avg rating — 3,262 ratings
60.
Remnants: A Memoir of Spirit, Activism, and Mothering
Remnants: A Memoir of Spirit, Activism, and Mothering 4.70 avg rating — 74 ratings
60.
Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl's Love Letter to the Power of Fashion
Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl's Love Letter to the Power of Fashion 4.16 avg rating — 347 ratings
60.
Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward
Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward 4.11 avg rating — 1,542 ratings
60.
Naked At the Feast: The Biography of Josephine Baker
Naked At the Feast: The Biography of Josephine Baker 3.71 avg rating — 62 ratings
60.
The Monkey on My Back: A Memoir
The Monkey on My Back: A Memoir 4.24 avg rating — 160 ratings
60.
Slavery of Faith
Slavery of Faith 3.73 avg rating — 82 ratings
60.
Far Away from Close to Home: A Black Millennial Woman In Progress
Far Away from Close to Home: A Black Millennial Woman In Progress 4.41 avg rating — 29 ratings
60.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Woman of Courage
Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Woman of Courage really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings
60.
Qualified: Finding Your Voice, Leading with Character, and Empowering Others
Qualified: Finding Your Voice, Leading with Character, and Empowering Others
by: Mia Love
4.47 avg rating — 30 ratings
60.
The Truths We Hold: An American Journey
The Truths We Hold: An American Journey 4.05 avg rating — 32,564 ratings
60.
A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune
A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune 3.81 avg rating — 271 ratings
60.
On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker
On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker 3.98 avg rating — 4,497 ratings
75.
The Indomitable Spirit of Edmonia Lewis
The Indomitable Spirit of Edmonia Lewis 3.82 avg rating — 11 ratings
75.
Phillis Wheatley: Biography of a Genius in Bondage
Phillis Wheatley: Biography of a Genius in Bondage 3.58 avg rating — 79 ratings
75.
Soul on Soul: The Life and Music of Mary Lou Williams
Soul on Soul: The Life and Music of Mary Lou Williams 4.36 avg rating — 22 ratings
75.
When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America
When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America 4.33 avg rating — 2,074 ratings
75.
The Accidental Slaveowner: Revisiting a Myth of Race and Finding an American Family
The Accidental Slaveowner: Revisiting a Myth of Race and Finding an American Family 3.74 avg rating — 31 ratings
75.
The Onliest One Alive: Surviving Jonestown, Guyana
The Onliest One Alive: Surviving Jonestown, Guyana 4.32 avg rating — 50 ratings
75.
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration 4.48 avg rating — 113,281 ratings
75.
Angela Davis: An Autobiography
Angela Davis: An Autobiography 4.44 avg rating — 10,447 ratings
75.
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings
75.
Candace Owens: An Unauthorized Biography of the Conservative Thinker and Founder of Blexit
Candace Owens: An Unauthorized Biography of the Conservative Thinker and Founder of Blexit 4.45 avg rating — 154 ratings
75.
The Light of Truth: Writings of an Anti-Lynching Crusader
The Light of Truth: Writings of an Anti-Lynching Crusader 4.54 avg rating — 160 ratings
75.
Radical Vision: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry
Radical Vision: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry 3.82 avg rating — 74 ratings
87.
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name 4.40 avg rating — 23,083 ratings
87.
This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare
This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare 4.04 avg rating — 8,064 ratings
87.
Miss Rhythm
Miss Rhythm 4.19 avg rating — 32 ratings
87.
Thick: And Other Essays
Thick: And Other Essays 4.43 avg rating — 18,144 ratings
87.
Dust Tracks on a Road
Dust Tracks on a Road 4.11 avg rating — 8,197 ratings
87.
To Be Young, Gifted, and Black: An Informal Autobiography
To Be Young, Gifted, and Black: An Informal Autobiography 4.42 avg rating — 2,810 ratings
87.
Oprah Winfrey: Talk Show Host and Actress (Contemporary Women Series)
Oprah Winfrey: Talk Show Host and Actress (Contemporary Women Series) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
87.
Blackout: How Black America Can Make Its Second Escape from the Democrat Plantation
Blackout: How Black America Can Make Its Second Escape from the Democrat Plantation 4.40 avg rating — 14,692 ratings
87.
Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde
Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde 4.54 avg rating — 351 ratings
96.
Bone Black
Bone Black 4.26 avg rating — 4,136 ratings
96.
Regina Anderson Andrews, Harlem Renaissance Librarian
Regina Anderson Andrews, Harlem Renaissance Librarian 3.85 avg rating — 54 ratings
96.
Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High
Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 4.18 avg rating — 16,208 ratings
96.
My Name Is Love: The Darlene Love Story
My Name Is Love: The Darlene Love Story 4.09 avg rating — 174 ratings
96.
The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love With Me
The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love With Me 3.70 avg rating — 1,323 ratings
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