African American Historical Fiction

Daniel Cumberland was a free Black man studying law in Massachusetts when he was kidnapped and sold as a slave in the South. Unable to settle into his old life after a friend buys his freedom, he becomes a Loyal League operative, fighting undercover. Janeta Sanchez is a proud Cubana living with her father in Florida until he is arrested, and she believes that she can secure his release by gathering information for the Confederacy from the Loyal League. This unlikely pair is forced to work as a team, and their prickly relationship is complicated by their growing attraction to each other.

It is not very often that a book merits being called brilliant--this one does. A historical novel about slavery, adventure, dashed dreams, and unexpected possibilites, all portrayed in language that is lush, evocative and revelatory. Edugyan has the ability to meld plot, characterization and language to perfection.

Although historical fiction, the book follows closely the first Black actor to win an Oscar's life story, including her actual friendship with Gone With the Wind costar Clark Gable.

This fictional oral history of a legendary 1970s rock duo is so vivid and evocative, it's hard to believe that its main characters, Afro-punk icon Opal Jewel and eccentric English songwriter Nev Charles aren't real people. Walton's powerhouse debut novel is a gripping page-turner, as well as an ambitious exploration of Black women making art on their own terms.

In lyrical, elegiac prose, Jesmyn Ward writes hauntingly about the inner power achieved by a teenage slave, Annis, whose parents were a Black mother and the white man who enslaved them. 

Whitehead's previous genre explorations are synthesized into a lean and horrifying prison novel ripped from the pages of history. His writing has become so even and cool that you don't feel the shank sliding into your gut as you finish the story.

Join the Davenports, one of the wealthiest Black families in Chicago, as they find their path through love, life and strife in 1910. Romance, activism and family bonds will pull you into the lives of this family in this first installment of a new series.

A retelling of the classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The author tells the story from Jim's perspective, how he views the world and its complexities as a slave. Although set in a different time period, so many of the themes and ideas resonate today.