Memoirs by Black Women Everyone Should Read
It can be difficult to talk about race and America, especially in 2022 where police brutality is taking center stage. I’m a firm believer in reading outside your comfort area to experience how other people live. Black women face unique issues and arguably are the least protected group in the world. Today I’m sharing several memoirs by Black women that are worth reading.
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Memoirs by Black Women
Becoming
After seeing her in person, I devoured Michelle Obama's book of life before and during her role as First Lady.
A Taste of Power
Elaine Brown assumed her role as the first and only female leader of the Black Panther Party with these words: “I have all the guns and all the money. I can withstand challenge from without and from within. Am I right, Comrade?” It was August 1974.
We're Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True
Funny and humbling, Gabrielle Union's stories of growing up in a predominately white Bay Area city resonated with me.
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person
The instant New York Times bestseller from the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away With Murder shares how saying YES changed her life
Angela Davis: An Autobiography
"Her own powerful story up to 1972, told with warmth, brilliance, humor and conviction."
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
A modern classic. "Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right."
A Piece of Cake: A Memoir
"A Piece of Cake is unlike any memoir you’ll ever read. Moving in its frankness, this is the most satisfying, startlingly funny, and genuinely affecting tour through hell you’ll ever take."
Bone Black
Keep the Faith: A Memoir
"It's not easy putting your life out there for the masses. But I've decided I'll tell my own story. For Big. For my children. And for myself."
Unbreak My Heart: A Memoir
In this heartfelt memoir, six-time Grammy Award-winning artist and star of WE TV’s reality hitBraxton Family Values, Toni Braxton writes about her personal life decisions and their impact on her health, family and career.
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina
In this instant New York Times bestseller, Misty Copeland makes history, telling the story of her journey to become the first African-American principal ballerina at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre.
I Put a Spell On You
Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in small-town North Carolina, Nina Simone changed the face of both music and race relations in America.
Rabbit: A Memoir
Rabbit is an unflinching memoir of cinematic scope and unexpected humor. With wisdom and humor, Pat gives us a rare glimpse of what it’s really like to be a black mom in America.
Men We Reaped: A Memoir
Two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward (Salvage the Bones, Sing, Unburied, Sing) contends with the deaths of five young men dear to her, and the risk of being a black man in the rural South.
My personal favorite is A Taste of Power by Elaine Brown, a book I discovered in college while researching women in the Black Power movement. Included are some fun ones like Misty Copeland’s book that details how she fell in love with dancing. I couldn’t leave out Michelle Obama’s Becoming but I also included some lesser-known books like Nina Simone’s memoir and a memoir by Assata Shakur. These books are filled with inspirational stories but never shy away from the tough stuff like racism, assault, and discrimination.
What would you add to this life of powerful memoirs by Black women that everyone should read?
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