African American Books to Read in November

By Logan Langlois

Fall is the perfect time to stay inside, stay warm, and cozy up with a book. Luckily for us, November brings many new releases from fantastic Black authors.

One of the most anticipated reads of this November has got to be To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul by Tracy K. Smith. Smith is mostly known for her poetry collections, even winning a Pulitzer Prize for Life on Mars. To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul branches out from her previous works as a collection of essays. In this collection, she analyzes her experience as a Black woman in the South as well as her family’s experience while trying to answer questions about the soul and its relation to community. This work will be available starting November 7th.

The Invisible Ache: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power by Robin L. Smith and Courtney B. Vance comes out on November 7th. Dr. Robin Smith uses her psychology degree in order to help Black men in her community by confronting generational trauma and societal pressures. Dr. Smith and Vance wrote this nonfiction book that claims to be a guide for Black men on reclaiming their power in order to live a full life. It takes a look at the pressures placed on Black men to conceal their emotions and gives advice to encourage Black men to let themselves experience and confront these emotions.

With the holidays right around the corner, now is the perfect time to test out new recipes. Goon with the Spoon by Snoop Dogg and Earl “E-40” Stevens hits shelves on November 14th. This is the sequel to the hit recipe book From Crook to Cook. Goon with the Spoon features over sixty new recipes including entrees, desserts, and even drinks. With Mr. Dogg’s background having a show with Martha Stewart and E-40’s history of Lumpia, his successful Filipino food business, the rap duo is sure to serve up some mouth-watering recipes that are perfect for every occasion.

Chicago native and Ernest J. Gains award winner Gabriel Bump releases his second novel on the 14th of November. Titled The New Naturals, this novel follows the story of a young Black couple who have recently lost their child. Devastated, they start a community-safe space and educate their peers about the actual history of the lack of community. It continues to tell the story of all the characters who have become interwoven throughout a utopia, preaching love and community values. Delightfully absurdist and filled with artful prose, this work of literary fiction is sure to warm your heart in these cold months.

Fans of Shadow Speaker will be excited to hear that Nnedi Okorafor has released the final book of the Desert Magician’s Duology: Like Thunder. Dr. Okorafor was born to Nigerian immigrants, and she chooses to work her culture into her novels. Her Desert Magician Duology is an afro futuristic sci-fi story. The first book of the series, Shadow Speaker, follows a young black girl with newfound superpowers on her quest to find her father’s killer. The final installation, Like Thunder, returns to the world and characters of the first novel on their quest to save both the world and themselves. Like Thunder will be published on November 28th.