Dark Academia Reading List for Black People/Allies (Including Queer Black Authors)
Reblog to support black writers!
Things Fall Apart: Chinua Achebe
The story of colonialism in Africa from the perspective of an indigenous African man.
Invisible Man: Langston Hughes
A coming-of-age tale told through the lense of a black man questioning his place in a white society.
Their Eyes Were Watching God: Zora Neale Hurston
a story that touches on topics such as femininity, marriage, gender roles, sex and sexuality, and growing up, through the lens of a black woman living in the south in America in the early twentieth century.
Don’t Call Us Dead: Denez Smith (Non-Binary/Trans) (Recent Publication)
This collection of poems is written by a really skilled Non-Binary trans and HIV positive poet expressing feelings on subjects like police brutality and death
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings: Maya Angelou
The first in a seven-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma
Giovanni’s Room: James Baldwin (Gay)
This book is about and features the experiences of a bisexual man, and his relationship with an Italian bartender named Giovanni in Paris, France.
An Unkindness of Ghosts: River Solomon (Non-Binary) (Recent Publication)
A story that analyzes the black experience through the lense of science fiction and space travel, and brings a black voice to an overwhelmingly white genre
The 1996 novel by famous bisexual writer, Sapphire also has a movie adaptation called “Precious” and both are both Massive critical successes for their dark telling of a black coming of age story about a girl escaping abuse and exploring themes of motherhood, love, abuse, and more.
Your Son Is Dead: Persephone Anansi (Trans)
(Yes this is my book 🙃) (Recent Publication)
A new collection of poems from a black, trans woman about her experiences in life with identity, love, and activism, that touch on these subjects in a way that is visceral, raw, at times painful, and at times inspiring.
I took part of this list from a larger video I’m doing on the topic on my YouTube channel Here!