10 must-read books for Black History Month 2023 on Amazon

10 must-read books for Black History Month 2023

Celebrating the theme "Black is...", Amazon's Black Employee Network partnered with Amazon Editors' Choice to select ten of the most exciting, intriguing and inspirational books by Black authors in 2023.

First celebrated in the UK in 1987, Black History Month was founded to recognise the contributions Black people have made to the UK over many generations.

Amazon Editors' Choice have worked closely with our colleagues in BEN, Amazon’s Black Employee Network, to build reading lists for Black History Month this October. BEN is an internal group of employees that champions diversity and ensures the perspectives of people of Black African and Caribbean descent are heard in our business.

Across a number of genres, themes and settings we think there’s something for everyone in this list of suggested novels.

'The List' by Yomi Adegoke

An engaging and well-crafted debut novel by the bestselling co-author of Slay in Your Lane, The List explores the sinister aspects of social media and its impact on our most intimate connections, all wrapped in captivating storytelling.
'Small Worlds' by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Set over the course of three summers, from South London to Ghana and back again, Small Worlds is a novel about the worlds we build for ourselves. The worlds we live, dance and love within.
'Queenie' by Candice Carty Williams

Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Queenie is a darkly comic take on life, love, race and family.
'All About Love' by bell hooks

A New York Times bestseller and enduring classic, All About Love is the acclaimed first volume in feminist icon bell hooks' Love Song to the Nation trilogy. All About Love reveals what causes a polarised society, and how to heal the divisions that cause suffering.
'Maame' by Jessica George

Maame, New York Times bestseller us an unforgettable coming-of-age story about finally becoming the heroine of your own life
'In Every Mirror She's Black' by Lola Akinmade Akerstrom

A beautiful narrative featuring complex and profoundly emotional characters, In Every Mirror She's Black raises challenging inquiries while avoiding simplistic solutions. A novel that will linger in your thoughts well beyond the final page.
'Girl, Woman, Other' by Bernadine Evaristo

Winner of the Booker Prize in 2019, Girl, Woman, Other looks at the lives and loves of a dozen British women through different generations and social statuses.
'A Spell of Good Things' by Ayobami Adebayo

A Spell of Good Things is an examination of class and desire in modern-day Nigeria. While Eniola’s poverty prevents him from getting the education he desperately wants, Wuraola finds that wealth is no barrier against life’s harsher realities. A powerful, staggering read.
'The Fraud' by Zadie Smith

With inspiration to 19th century Britain, The Fraud is a dazzling novel about truth and fiction, Jamaica and Britain, fraudulence and authenticity, and the mystery of 'other people.'
'The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store' by James McBride

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store is an unforgettable new novel from the National Book Award-winning, Oprah Book Club-picked, and Barack Obama pick. James McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community - heaven and earth - that sustain us.