Bryan’s Black History Month Reading List

by Bryan Patrick Avery

Well folks, it’s February which mean it’s Black History Month. I’ve put together a reading list of a several of my favorite titles centered on the Black experience. I’ve steered clear of many of the traditional Black history topics (slavery, civil rights, etc.) and focused, instead, on books that focus on Black youth experiencing the world they live in with passion, creativity, joy, and even struggle. While I do think things like slavery, civil rights, and other issues are critically important, I think that celebrating complete Black experience is equally important and, quite often, overlooked.

So, without further ado, here's my 2021 Black History Month Reading List:

Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes

The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes

Haiku by Richard Wright

The Scrumptious Life of Azaleah Lane by Nikki Shannon Smith, illustrated by Gloria Felix

Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

The Last Mirror on the Left (A Legendary Alston Boys Adventure) by Lamar Giles, illustrated by Dapo Adeola

The Jumbie God's Revenge by Tracey Baptiste

Hopefully, you’ll find a new favorite or two on this list.
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Well, that's all for now. Happy reading and have a magical month.

Bryan Patrick Avery writes picture books, chapter books, middle grade and graphic novels. His middle grade story, “The Magic Day Mystery”, was published in June 2020 in SUPER PUZZLETASTIC MYSTERIES, an anthology from HarperCollins and the Mystery Writers of America. His debut picture book, THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH, will be published in Spring 2021 by Clearfork Publishing/Spork.

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