The following content was researched and compiled by JMRL-NAACP Intern Casey Alexander. You can view a related presentation that she created here.

The books listed below are Young Adult & Adult pieces of literature meant to educate, empower, and motivate women, specifically women of color. All of these works are sure to leave a positive impact on their readers, while opening the door to a world that may not be familiar to some. These books include rich language, excellent storytelling, personal freedom, and depict some of the struggles women of color face throughout their life. Whether you are looking for a quick read or something deep in description and complexity, you are sure to find it in one of the following books. Disclaimer: All books are based on and written by women of color. 

Age Level: 14+

Books Owned By JMRL Available to Checkout

Training School For Negro Girls – Camille Acker 

Letter to My Daughter – Maya Angelou 

The Toni Morrison Book Club – Juda Bennett 

A Black Women’s History Of the United States – Diana Ramey Berry

Black Girls Rock!: Owning Our Magic, Rocking Our Truth – Beverly Bond 

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower – Brittney Cooper 

Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture – Emma Dabiri 

Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves – Glory Edim 

Why I am No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo- Lodge 

Badass Black Girl: Questions, Quotes,and Affirmations for Teens – M.J. Fievre 

Ordinary Hazards – Nikki Grimes 

The Sisters Are Alright – Tamara Winfrey Harris 

This Will Be My Undoing: Living At the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America – Morgan Jerkins 

Hood Feminism – Mikki Kendall

Becoming– Michelle Obama 

So You Want To Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo 

Small Doses: Potent Truths for Everyday Use – Amanda Seales

More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) – Elaine Welteroth 

Books Available From Other Places (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kindle etc.) 

Black Girls Must Die Exhausted: A Novel for Grown Ups – Jayne Allen

Your Next Level Life: 7 Rules of Power, Confidence, and Opportunity for Black Women in America – Karen Arrington 

Be Unapologetically You: A Self Love Guide for Women of Color – Adeline Bird

Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (Perspectives on Gender) – Patricia Hill Collins

Beyond Respectability: The Intellectual Thought of Race Women, Gender, and Sexuality in American History – Brittney C. Cooper   

The Awakening: Bare Emotions of Love, Growth & Self Worth -Sharika K. Forde 

The Awakening Vol. 2: I dream in Color – Sharika K. Forde 

Black Girls Don’t Cry: unveiling Our Pain and Unleashing Hope – Angelica Leigh

The Death Of the Angry Black Woman – Jameliah Young-Mitchell

I’m Rising: Determined, Confident, and Powerful – Michelle G. Stradford