{"id":3689,"date":"2019-01-15T04:24:43","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T04:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/?p=3689"},"modified":"2019-01-15T04:24:43","modified_gmt":"2019-01-15T04:24:43","slug":"jaro-picks-15-books-by-black-authors-were-most-excited-for-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/jaro-picks-15-books-by-black-authors-were-most-excited-for-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaro Picks: 15 Books By Black Authors We\u2019re Most Excited For This Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The new year calls for a refreshing variety of upcoming and recently released books by black authors, both seasoned and new, to potentially add to your reading list. Spanning across multiple genres, these fifteen books have been chosen to highlight the diversity of works within the community of black writers. Here is Jaro\u2019s curated selection of the books we are most thrilled for in 2019. Happy reading! <\/b><\/p>\n

1. An Orchestra of Minorities<\/i><\/b> by Chigozie Obioma<\/b><\/h1>\n

Released: January 8<\/b><\/h2>\n

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An Orchestra of Minorities<\/i><\/b> tells the story of a Nigerian poultry farmer, Chinonso, who saves a woman, Ndali, from jumping off a highway bridge. When the two fall in love, their union is rejected by Ndali\u2019s wealthy family, who looks down upon Chinonso because he is poor and uneducated. \u00a0Hoping to win over the hearts of Ndali\u2019s family, he sells all of his possessions in order to earn his place at a university. But when he arrives, he discovers that it was all a scam, and is left with nothing to his name. Homeless and furious at the world, Chinonso must find a way back to his two loves: his farm and Ndali. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/b>Spanning continents, traversing the earth and cosmic spaces, and told by a narrator who has lived for hundreds of years, the novel is a contemporary twist of Homer’s Odyssey. Written in the mythic style of the Igbo literary tradition, Chigozie Obioma weaves a heart-wrenching epic about destiny and determination.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

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2. It Was All A Dream: A New Generation Confronts the Broken Promise to Black America<\/i><\/b> by Reniqua Allen<\/b><\/h1>\n

Released: January 8<\/b><\/h2>\n

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In <\/b>It Was All A Dream<\/i><\/b>, Reniqua Allen invites readers on an honest journey about the limitations of the American Dream for Black citizens, and how the system has failed people of color for centuries. Through interviews of her millennial peers mixed in with her own personal experiences, Allen shares how the new generation of Black America are pursuing success, happiness, and freedom on nobody\u2019s terms but their own. \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cCompassionate and deeply reported, <\/b>It Was All a Dream<\/i><\/b> is a celebration of a generation’s doggedness against all odds, as they fight for a country in which their dreams can become a reality.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

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3. We Cast A Shadow <\/i><\/b>by Maurice Carlos Ruffin<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: January 29<\/b><\/h2>\n

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We Cast A Shadow<\/i><\/b> has been described by Booklist as \u201cbrilliant and devastating,\u201d and is heavily recommended for fans of Jordan Peele\u2019s hit social thriller <\/b>Get Out<\/i><\/b>. In this dystopian and heartbreaking novel, black citizens in a Southern city undergo an experimental procedure that turns them white in order to survive in a world that is becoming increasingly more violent and unsafe for people of color. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThis electrifying, hallucinatory novel is at once a keen satire of surviving racism in America and a profoundly moving family story. At its center is a father who just wants his son to thrive in a broken world. Maurice Carlos Ruffin\u2019s work evokes the clear vision of Ralph Ellison, the dizzying menace of Franz Kafka, and the crackling prose of Vladimir Nabokov. <\/b>We Cast a Shadow<\/i><\/b> fearlessly shines a light on the violence we inherit, and on the desperate things we do for the ones we love.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

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4. Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s Time, and Mine<\/i><\/b> by Emily Bernard <\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: January 29<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Black Is the Body <\/i><\/b>is Bernard\u2019s extraordinary and fearless memoir that examines race through twelve deeply personal essays that reveal the author\u2019s honest experience of growing up with brown skin in the South, marrying a white man from the North, of teaching at a predominantly white university, and residing in the New England of today\u2019s time. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cShe writes in <\/b>Black Is the Body<\/i><\/b> how each of the essays goes beyond a narrative of black innocence and white guilt, how each is anchored in a mystery, and how each sets out to discover a new way of telling the truth as the author has lived it.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

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5. On The Come Up <\/i><\/b>by Angie Thomas<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: February 5<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Angie Thomas, author of the New York Times Best-selling novel <\/b>The Hate U Give<\/i><\/b>, brings readers her second book in teen and young adult fiction. <\/b>On The Come Up <\/i><\/b>\u00a0tells the story of 16-year-old Bri, whose dream is to become a hip hop legend, following in the footsteps of her late father. \u00a0But being labeled as a hoodlum at school and having a mother who struggles keeping food on the table causes Bri frustration, an emotion that she channels into her first song. When the tune goes viral for all the wrong reasons, she becomes the center of controversy and attracts negative attention from the media, who labels her as a danger to society. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/b>Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, <\/b>On the Come Up<\/i><\/b> is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn\u2019t always free.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

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6. <\/b>Black Leopard, Red Wolf<\/b><\/em> by Marlon James<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: February 5<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Black Leopard, Red Wolf<\/i><\/b> is the first book in James\u2019 highly anticipated <\/b>Dark Star<\/i><\/b> trilogy. Myth, fantasy, and African history merge as one to create this spectacular fantasy novel. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cDrawing from African history and mythology and his own rich imagination, Marlon James has written a novel unlike anything that’s come before it: a saga of breathtaking adventure that’s also an ambitious, involving read. Defying categorization and full of unforgettable characters, <\/b>Black Leopard, Red Wolf<\/i><\/b> is both surprising and profound as it explores the fundamentals of truth, the limits of power, and our need to understand them both.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

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7. Magical Negr<\/i><\/b>o by Morgan Parker<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: February 5<\/b><\/h2>\n

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In Parker\u2019s second collection of poetry, she explores themes such as loneliness, grief, and ancestral trauma. Within these pages of extreme honesty and profoundness, Parker also takes a look at the troubling stereotypes and tropes of Black Americans, and dives into the politics of both the body and society.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/b>In <\/b>Magical Negro<\/i><\/b>, Parker creates a space of witness, of airing grievances, of pointing out patterns. In these poems are living documents, pleas, latent traumas, inside jokes, and unspoken anxieties situated as firmly in the past as in the present\u2015timeless black melancholies and triumphs.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

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8. The Source of Self-Regard <\/i><\/b>by Toni Morrison<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: February 12<\/b><\/h2>\n

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From one of the most influential voices of our time comes a new rich collection, <\/b>The Source of Self-Regard<\/i><\/b>. It features a congregation of Morrison\u2019s essays, speeches, and reflections on society, culture, and art, stretching over forty years. <\/b><\/p>\n

Morrison discusses female empowerment, \u201cblack matters,\u201d the foreigner, and human rights. Overall,<\/b> The Source of Self-Regard <\/i><\/b>is an essential addition to Morrison\u2019s profound body of work. <\/b><\/p>\n

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9. The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls<\/i><\/b> by Anissa Gray<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: February 19<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Recommended to fans of <\/b>An American Marriage<\/i><\/b> by Tayari Jones, Anissa Gray\u2019s <\/b>The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls<\/i><\/b> is a tale of a strong bond between sisters that is put to the test when the eldest sister and her husband is arrested for fraud. Told from the differing perspectives of each sister, it is a gripping story of love, forgiveness, and family. <\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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10. Gingerbread<\/i><\/b> by Helen Oyeyemi<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: March 5<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Inspired by gingerbread\u2019s mystical place in classic children\u2019s stories, novelist Helen Oyeyemi\u2019s upcoming novel tells the story of Harriet and Perdita Lee, a mother-daughter duo living in London. Their family gingerbread recipe stems from <\/b>Druh\u00e1strana, a far-away land that Harriet claims to have spent her early years in, although many sources claim it is non-existent. As Perdita begins to unravel the truth behind her mother\u2019s upbringing, the story unfolds into a captivating tale featuring a surprising family legacy. <\/b><\/p>\n

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11. The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose <\/i><\/b>by Oprah Winfrey<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: March 26<\/b><\/h2>\n

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In <\/b>The Path Made Clear<\/i><\/b>, one of the most trusted and influential voices of our time offers readers a guide to self-discovery and living a life of purpose, success, and importance. Within the book\u2019s 10 chapters, Oprah shows how we can recognize the significant milestones throughout our life, and how life\u2019s roadblocks and detours can teach us the most important lessons. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cPaired with over 100 awe-inspiring photographs to help illuminate the wisdom of these messages, <\/b>The Path Made Clear<\/i><\/b> provides readers with a beautiful resource for achieving a life lived in service of your calling \u2013 whatever it may be.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

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12. The Tradition<\/i><\/b> by Jericho Brown<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release Date: April 2<\/b><\/h2>\n

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In Jericho Brown\u2019s newest collection of poems, he writes of worship, fatherhood, trauma, and being Black and queer. \u00a0This intimate and daring book reflects on the normalization of evil and what it means to be free, raising thought-provoking questions about our nation and its darkest sins. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/b>The Tradition<\/i><\/b> is a cutting and necessary collection, relentless in its quest for survival while reveling in a celebration of contradiction.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

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13. Patsy<\/i><\/b> by Nicole Dennis-Benn<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: June 4<\/b><\/h2>\n

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The author of <\/b>Here Comes The Sun<\/i><\/b> brings us <\/b>Patsy,<\/i><\/b> a stirring story about a Jamaican mother who leaves her daughter behind for a new life in America, the \u201cland of opportunity.\u201d But she soon discovers that life as an immigrant is much more difficult and far less glamorous than she imagined. She finds herself working as a bathroom attendant, and ironically, a nanny. Back in Jamaica, her daughter, Tru, struggles with her own identity and must deal with the reality of being abandoned by her mother. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/i><\/b>Passionate, moving, and fiercely urgent, <\/b>Patsy<\/i><\/b> is a haunting depiction of immigration and womanhood, and the silent threads of love stretching across years and oceans.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

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14. The Nickel Boys<\/i><\/b> by Colson Whitehead<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: July 16<\/b><\/h2>\n

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The Nickel Boys <\/i><\/b>is Colson Whitehead\u2019s follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, <\/b>The Underground Railroad. <\/i><\/b>Based on the true story of a reform school in Florida, which was known for its brutal abuse of black students during the Jim Crow era, <\/b>The Nickel Boys<\/i><\/b> brings awareness to a grim time in America\u2019s shameful history through this exceptional work of fiction.<\/b><\/p>\n

“In this bravura follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning #1\u00a0New York Times\u00a0<\/i>bestseller\u00a0The Underground Railroad<\/i>, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.”<\/b><\/p>\n

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15. The World Doesn\u2019t Require You<\/i><\/b> by Rion Amilcar Scott<\/b><\/h1>\n

Release date: August 20<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Set in the fictional place of Cross River, Maryland, <\/b>The World Doesn\u2019t Require You <\/i><\/b>follow three of the town\u2019s intriguing residents. One is a struggling musician who happens to be the last son of God, while another is a PhD student who causes mayhem with his dissertation. Then, there\u2019s a far too obedient robot who serves his Master. In this unique collection of stories, literary boundaries are shattered to the core. The stories are filled with dark humor and magical realism, and explore larger themes of religion, love, justice, and violence. \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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The new year calls for a refreshing variety of upcoming and recently released books by black authors, both seasoned and new, to potentially add to your reading list. Spanning across multiple genres, these fifteen books have been chosen to highlight the diversity of works within the community of black writers. Here is Jaro\u2019s curated selection […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[174],"tags":[528,527,529,48,32,31,197,203,51],"class_list":["post-3689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books-books","tag-2019-books","tag-bestsellers","tag-black-authors","tag-book-club","tag-books","tag-featured","tag-new-release","tag-oprah","tag-trending"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3689\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}