The Root’s 2025 Best Books By Black Authors

A new year is almost here, but we couldn’t close the books on 2025 without showing love to some of the amazing titles Black authors blessed us with. After reading just about everything we could get our hands on all year, we picked some of our favorite books in every genre.

A memoir from one of the most successful “momagers,” the inspiring story of one of the most influential civil rights leaders and a fabulous book of photos of our forever First Lady are on our list of favorite books by Black authors for 2025.

“Black in Blues: How a Color Tells The Story of My People” by Imani Perry

In “Black in Blues,” Imani Perry looks at the color blue and its connection to both hope and sadness in the Black community.

“Good Dirt” by Charmaine Wilkerson

“Black Cake” author Charmaine Wilkerson’s “Good Dirt” centers around a young woman from a wealthy Black family who flees her New England home to do some soul searching. But what she finds is a connection between a family tragedy and one of their precious heirlooms.

“The Look” by Michelle Obama

“The Look” is the latest book from our forever First Lady of style, Michelle Obama. The book contains over 200 photographs of some of Obama’s most iconic looks over the years along with interviews with some of the stylists and designers who have helped her look her best.

“Happy Land” by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

“Happy Land” is a beautiful story about a woman who, after learning that she is the descendant of royalty in an American kingdom, does everything in her power to protect her family’s land from being stolen away.

“A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight For Black Political Power” by Abby Philip

In “A Dream Deferred,” CNN anchor Abby Phillip looks at Jesse Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns and how he drew on his experience organizing during the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. Martin Luther King to build a coalition of urban working-class people looking for political change. 

“Cursed Daughters” by Oyinkan Braithwaite

“Cursed Daughters” tells the story of a family of Nigerian women who have endured a generational curse that keeps them from finding lasting love. Can the youngest woman in the family finally break the curse?

“The Life of Herod The Great” by Zora Neale Hurston

If you think you’ve read everything Zora Neale Hurston ever wrote, you probably haven’t read “The Life of Herod The Great.” Hurston was working on the novel about the life of the king of Judaea until her passing in 1960, The manuscript was almost lost in a fire before a neighbor saved it and handed it over to Deborah G. Plant, an expert scholar on Hurston’s life and works.

“Matriarch” by Tina Knowles

“Matriarch” is a memoir from one of the most successful “momagers” in entertainment, Tina Knowles. In the book, Knowles shares deeply personal stories about her unique journey from a childhood in Texas to becoming a successful entrepreneur and mom to one of the biggest music superstars of all time).

“King of Ashes” by S.A. Cosby

S.A. Crosby’s crime novel “King of Ashes” centers around the Carruthers family and the relationship between the siblings after their father dies in a suspicious car accident.

“Harlem Rhapsody” by Victoria Christopher Murray

If you’re looking for a spellbinding work of historical fiction, look no further than “Harlem Rhapsody.” The latest work from Victoria Christopher Murray tells the story of Jessie Redmon Fauset, a young teacher from Washington, D.C., who comes to New York City for an exciting opportunity as literary editor of The Crisis. But she has a deep secret that could put her dream job in jeopardy: she’s having an affair with her boss, W. E. B. Du Bois.

“The Wilderness” by Angela Flournoy

“The Wilderness” is a beautifully-written novel about the 20-year friendship between five Black women and how they’ve managed to find their way through the wilderness to navigate everything from marriage to motherhood in Los Angeles and New York.

“People of Means” by Nancy Johnson

“People of Means” tells the story of a mother and daughter who both had to choose between following their dreams and fighting for freedom.

“Three Or More is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here: 2012 – 2025” by Jelani Cobb 

In “Three Or More is a Riot,” Jelani Cobb, staff writer at The New Yorker and dean of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, curated a collection of his reflections on how we got from Black Lives Matter to the MAGA movement and where we might be going next.