Non-Fiction:
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African American, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
One World
Expected: 2 February 2021
From the author of Be Antiracist comes another epoch-defining title – this time a chronological and comprehensive 400-year history of African America as told by ninety of America’s leading Black writers.
Dear Black Girl: Letters from Your Sisters on Stepping Into Your Power by Tamara Winfrey Harris
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Expected: 9 March 2021
A series of personal letters written by Black women for Black girls, including the girl who still lives inside every Black woman, who still needs reminding sometimes that she is alright.
Girl Gurl Grrrl: On Womanhood and Belonging in the Age of Black Girl Magic by Kenya Hunt
Amistad
Expected: 8 December 2020
Black women have never been more visible than they are now. Razor-sharp culture critic, Kenya Hunt, brings us a provocative collection that both illuminates our current moment and transcends it.
Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen: the Emotional Lives of Black Women by Inger Burnett-Zeigler
Amistad
Expected: 3 March 2021
On the heels of Queenie comes a long overdue reckoning from a respected clinical psychologist that turns the conventional cultural myth of being a strong Black kween on its head and tallies the high price paid for that mask strength in the form of mental health stresses.
Young Adult:
Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
Balzer and Bray
Expected: 5 January 2021
When Tessa starts her creative writing programme, she struggles with a lack of inspiration. Bestie Caroline helps her create a real-life love story, but, as she follows Caroline’s advice, Tessa begins to lose herself and her new bond with Sam.
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
Balzer and Bray
Expected: 12 January 2021
For seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter, life in Garden Heights is tough. With a baby, Seven, to look after, he takes an offer to go straight. But it’s not easy to walk away when King Lord blood runs through your veins.
Once Upon A Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira
HarperTeen
Expected: 2 March 2021
Carmen is stuck in an unpaid internship, performing in a ballgown. When the company is hired for her cousin’s quinceañera, she has to dance with her ex, Mauro. However, throughout the story, Carmen learns she has to move forward to get her happy ending.
How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao
Bloomsbury YA
Expected: 3 August 2021
Students at the elite Sinclair Prep are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead. They learn that the mysterious Proctor is set on incriminating them and race to uncover the truth, all whilst maintaining their perfect GPAs.
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Atria Books
Expected: 1 June 2021
Nella is excited to no longer be the only Black employee at Wagner Books when Hazel starts working at the company. However, when ominous notes start arriving on her desk telling her to quit her job, Nella starts to wonder: could her new work bestie now be taunting her?
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Viking
Expected: 2 February 2021
Two Black British artists meet in South London, one a dancer and one a photographer. This beautiful love story explores race, vulnerability and masculinity in the Black body.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Avon
Expected: 9 March 2021
When the chaotic Eve Brown crashes into Jacob Wayne’s pristine life, literally, with her car, he’s left with a broken arm and an understaffed B&B to run. Soon enough, Eve and Jacob are butting heads, but the attraction between them is impossible to ignore.
Fantasy:
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Tor Books
Expected: 20 July 2021
A reimagining of the rise of the Ming dynasty. Zhu Chongba, born a daughter, is fated for nothing. When her village burns, she takes the identity of her brother to survive, claiming another future: her brother’s abandoned greatness.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Harper Voyager
Expected: Early 2022
A retelling of the legend of Chang’E. Xing Yin, daughter of Chang’E, flees from her home, being hunted for her mother’s crime. She cultivates her hidden powers with the ambition to free her mother. When this power threatens the kingdom, Xing Yin has to make difficult decisions, changing the fate of the realm.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Usborne Publishing
Expected: 4 February 2021
During the blood ceremony, sixteen-year-old Deka’s blood runs gold instead of red – a colour of impurity. The consequence is death unless she joins the Emperor’s army and leaves behind everything she has ever known.
Sisters of the Snake by Sarena and Sasha Nanua
Harper Teen
Expected: 15 June 2021
When a street thief, Ria, and a princess, Rani, discover that they are unmistakably identical, they strike a deal to switch places. However, this deal is not without consequences.