Best Books on African American Studies (nonfiction)

1.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
by: Malcolm X
4.37 avg rating — 285,196 ratings
2.
Wolf Hustle: A Black Woman on Wall Street
Wolf Hustle: A Black Woman on Wall Street 4.19 avg rating — 381 ratings
3.
The Souls of Black Folk
The Souls of Black Folk 4.31 avg rating — 44,287 ratings
4.
Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties
Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties 4.37 avg rating — 491 ratings
5.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness 4.52 avg rating — 115,049 ratings
6.
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 — 113,293 ratings
7.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 4.13 avg rating — 787,109 ratings
8.
Jimi Hendrix: Black Legacy
Jimi Hendrix: Black Legacy 4.58 avg rating — 26 ratings
9.
Buck: A Memoir
Buck: A Memoir 4.05 avg rating — 3,060 ratings
10.
Buses Are a Comin': Memoir of a Freedom Rider
Buses Are a Comin': Memoir of a Freedom Rider 4.50 avg rating — 918 ratings
11.
N*gga Theory: Race, Language, Unequal Justice, and the Law
N*gga Theory: Race, Language, Unequal Justice, and the Law 4.33 avg rating — 63 ratings
12.
Invisible Man
Invisible Man 3.92 avg rating — 198,741 ratings
13.
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
14.
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
15.
Who Hears Here?: On Black Music, Pasts and Present (Phono: Black Music and the Global Imagination) (Volume 1)
Who Hears Here?: On Black Music, Pasts and Present (Phono: Black Music and the Global Imagination) (Volume 1) 4.33 avg rating — 6 ratings
16.
The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War
The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War 4.31 avg rating — 130 ratings
17.
Our History Has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies
Our History Has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies 4.34 avg rating — 176 ratings
18.
The Struggle for the People’s King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement
The Struggle for the People’s King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement 4.11 avg rating — 36 ratings
19.
Ida: A Sword Among Lions
Ida: A Sword Among Lions 4.27 avg rating — 947 ratings
20.
Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? 4.34 avg rating — 26,842 ratings
21.
Women, Race & Class
Women, Race & Class 4.59 avg rating — 33,019 ratings
22.
The Mis-Education of the Negro
The Mis-Education of the Negro 4.49 avg rating — 9,978 ratings
23.
Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880
Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880 4.51 avg rating — 3,199 ratings
24.
The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth
The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth 4.56 avg rating — 435 ratings
25.
Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism
Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism 4.50 avg rating — 18,482 ratings
26.
Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class
Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class 4.48 avg rating — 376 ratings
26.
#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
28.
From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans
From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans 4.32 avg rating — 630 ratings
29.
Southern Horrors and Other Writings: The Anti-Lynching Campaign of Ida B. Wells, 1892-1900
Southern Horrors and Other Writings: The Anti-Lynching Campaign of Ida B. Wells, 1892-1900 4.36 avg rating — 760 ratings
30.
Killing Rage: Ending Racism
Killing Rage: Ending Racism 4.35 avg rating — 2,855 ratings
31.
This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color
This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color 4.52 avg rating — 9,683 ratings
32.
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America 4.44 avg rating — 2,817 ratings
33.
Black Skin, White Masks
Black Skin, White Masks 4.26 avg rating — 18,210 ratings
34.
Black Looks: Race and Representation
Black Looks: Race and Representation 4.36 avg rating — 2,424 ratings
34.
Race Matters
Race Matters 4.15 avg rating — 11,892 ratings
36.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass 4.12 avg rating — 132,002 ratings
37.
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. 4.34 avg rating — 23,719 ratings
38.
Parting the Waters: Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement 1954-63
Parting the Waters: Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement 1954-63 4.36 avg rating — 9,962 ratings
39.
Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present
Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present 4.43 avg rating — 9,664 ratings
40.
Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America
Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America 4.26 avg rating — 3,391 ratings
41.
Long Walk to Freedom
Long Walk to Freedom 4.36 avg rating — 92,335 ratings
42.
The Ways of White Folks
The Ways of White Folks 4.46 avg rating — 5,399 ratings
43.
The New Negro
The New Negro 4.12 avg rating — 905 ratings
43.
Malcolm X: The Last Speeches
Malcolm X: The Last Speeches
by: Malcolm X
4.49 avg rating — 908 ratings
45.
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide 4.47 avg rating — 14,603 ratings
46.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1) 4.30 avg rating — 568,987 ratings
47.
All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival in a Black Community
All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival in a Black Community 3.84 avg rating — 461 ratings
48.
Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America
Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America 4.16 avg rating — 704 ratings
49.
Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King Jr.
Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King Jr. 4.44 avg rating — 1,057 ratings
50.
Nigger
Nigger 4.40 avg rating — 9,281 ratings
51.
A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches
A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches 4.57 avg rating — 2,429 ratings
52.
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
53.
Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., And The Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., And The Southern Christian Leadership Conference 4.34 avg rating — 2,245 ratings
54.
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
55.
But Some of Us Are Brave: All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men: Black Women's Studies
But Some of Us Are Brave: All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men: Black Women's Studies 4.40 avg rating — 1,782 ratings
56.
The Fire Next Time
The Fire Next Time 4.55 avg rating — 115,162 ratings
57.
Why We Can't Wait
Why We Can't Wait 4.54 avg rating — 8,975 ratings
58.
Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday
Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday 4.28 avg rating — 1,707 ratings
59.
The Strange Career of Jim Crow
The Strange Career of Jim Crow 4.14 avg rating — 3,184 ratings
59.
Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States
Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States 4.26 avg rating — 3,611 ratings
61.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl 4.17 avg rating — 56,858 ratings
62.
Soul on Ice
Soul on Ice 3.97 avg rating — 14,658 ratings
63.
Too Heavy a Load: Black Women in Defense of Themselves, 1894-1994
Too Heavy a Load: Black Women in Defense of Themselves, 1894-1994 4.18 avg rating — 157 ratings
64.
The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row
The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row 4.65 avg rating — 75,667 ratings
65.
The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers
The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers 3.95 avg rating — 460 ratings
66.
Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow: Black Women, Work, and the Family from Slavery to the Present
Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow: Black Women, Work, and the Family from Slavery to the Present 4.18 avg rating — 281 ratings
66.
The History of Hip Hop: Volume One
The History of Hip Hop: Volume One 3.43 avg rating — 30 ratings
68.
Black Women in White America: A Documentary History
Black Women in White America: A Documentary History 4.29 avg rating — 181 ratings
69.
John Brown
John Brown 4.32 avg rating — 748 ratings
70.
#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
71.
American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass
American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass 4.13 avg rating — 1,602 ratings
72.
The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study
The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study 4.33 avg rating — 365 ratings
73.
Backlash: What Happens When We Talk Honestly about Racism in America
Backlash: What Happens When We Talk Honestly about Racism in America 4.10 avg rating — 270 ratings
74.
Institutional Racism and the search for African American masculinity and identity in selected works of Richard Wright
Institutional Racism and the search for African American masculinity and identity in selected works of Richard Wright 4.43 avg rating — 7 ratings
75.
Confessions From Your Token Black Colleague: True Stories & Candid Conversations About Equity & Inclusion In The Workplace
Confessions From Your Token Black Colleague: True Stories & Candid Conversations About Equity & Inclusion In The Workplace 4.20 avg rating — 74 ratings
76.
Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin
Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin 4.24 avg rating — 791 ratings
77.
Becoming
Becoming 4.44 avg rating — 1,160,683 ratings
78.
We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy
We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy 4.38 avg rating — 30,600 ratings
79.
Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America
Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America 4.24 avg rating — 998 ratings
79.
Twelve Years a Slave
Twelve Years a Slave 4.22 avg rating — 123,137 ratings
81.
Black Cowboys of Texas (Volume 86) (Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students Texas A & M University)
Black Cowboys of Texas (Volume 86) (Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students Texas A & M University) 4.42 avg rating — 33 ratings
82.
The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family 4.02 avg rating — 6,800 ratings
83.
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America 4.53 avg rating — 37,885 ratings
84.
Live from Death Row
Live from Death Row 4.24 avg rating — 2,555 ratings
85.
Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films
Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films 4.22 avg rating — 417 ratings
85.
Up from Slavery
Up from Slavery 4.11 avg rating — 35,601 ratings
87.
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City 4.47 avg rating — 109,956 ratings
87.
Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom
Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom 4.07 avg rating — 3,262 ratings
89.
Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision
Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision 4.33 avg rating — 1,658 ratings
89.
Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America
Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America 4.03 avg rating — 635 ratings
89.
Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party
Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party 4.46 avg rating — 2,753 ratings
92.
An Autobiography
An Autobiography 4.44 avg rating — 10,450 ratings
93.
Men We Reaped: A Memoir
Men We Reaped: A Memoir 4.30 avg rating — 27,670 ratings
94.
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela 4.06 avg rating — 453 ratings
95.
The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of Reconstruction
The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of Reconstruction 4.09 avg rating — 431 ratings
96.
A Whosoever Church: Welcoming Lesbians and Gay Men into African American Congregations
A Whosoever Church: Welcoming Lesbians and Gay Men into African American Congregations 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings
97.
The Buffalo Soldiers: A Narrative of the Black Cavalry in the West, Revised Edition
The Buffalo Soldiers: A Narrative of the Black Cavalry in the West, Revised Edition 4.02 avg rating — 141 ratings
98.
Discourse on Colonialism
Discourse on Colonialism 4.44 avg rating — 7,437 ratings
98.
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina 3.89 avg rating — 8,388 ratings
100.
Gender and Jim Crow: Women and the Politics of White Supremacy in North Carolina, 1896-1920 (Gender and American Culture)
Gender and Jim Crow: Women and the Politics of White Supremacy in North Carolina, 1896-1920 (Gender and American Culture) 4.08 avg rating — 823 ratings
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