Black Stories from Around the World
To continue my Black History Month series, I’m branching beyond Great Britain to celebrate Black writers from across the African continent and throughout the diaspora. There are countless stories I could have chosen—from Nigerian classics like Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, to African American literary powerhouses such as Toni Morrison’s Beloved or Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. However, for this post, I wanted to highlight some that are slightly lesser-known to me and less mainstream, drawing from voices across Africa and beyond.
There were many stories I wanted to include, some of which I’ve already recommended multiple times on this page, such as Homegoing, Americanah, and others. This time, I wanted to focus on books and authors I haven’t discussed before.
Many of these stories I haven’t yet read; I discovered them while researching for this post. However, they are all books I would love to read and am very intrigued by. A lot of these authors are new to me as well, so I’ve included short descriptions about their backgrounds and heritage. They all write in English, which unfortunately means this list doesn’t include much of the diaspora from mainland Europe or South America.
And yes, there are quite a few Nigerian authors here! I admit my bias, but researching this post reminded me of so many stories I read that elicited strong emotions; they had to be included. I plan to continue exploring and sharing more of these incredible stories in future instalments of stories from Black Authors.
All Gomorrahs are the Same by Thenjiwe Mswane
Set in contemporary South Africa, this lyrical collection of short stories explores love, loss, womanhood, and survival amid social inequality and shifting moral landscapes. Mswane’s characters navigate the everyday tensions between faith and freedom, tradition and change, revealing the resilience and contradictions of modern Black life.
About the author: Thenjiwe Mswane is a South African writer and poet whose work examines gender, class, and spirituality within post-apartheid society. Known for her sharp social insight and poetic style, she brings fresh, fearless perspectives to contemporary African fiction.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Twin sisters from a small Southern Black community run away at sixteen; one lives as a white woman, the other embraces her Black identity. Spanning decades and generations, this novel explores race, family secrets, and the cost of choosing different lives while remaining bound by blood and history.
About the author: Brit Bennett is an American novelist from California and a Stanford graduate. Her works explore race, womanhood, and belonging with empathy and grace, earning her international acclaim.
A Girl is A Body of Water by Jennifer Mansubuga Makumbi
In 1970s Uganda, young Kirabo comes of age while searching for the mother she’s never known. Guided by family and folklore, she learns about womanhood, independence, and ancestral power. Rich in myth and history, this feminist epic celebrates identity and storytelling within African tradition.
About the author: Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi is a Ugandan author and scholar known for weaving folklore with feminist themes. Her novels, including Kintu, centre African perspectives and have earned her recognition as one of Africa’s most vital literary voices.
Foreign Soil by Maxine Beneba Clarke
A powerful short-story collection that spans continents and voices, from London to Jamaica to Melbourne, examining race, displacement, and resilience. Clarke captures the struggles of the marginalised and the hope that persists amid injustice, offering vivid portraits of modern Black lives across the diaspora.
About the author: Maxine Beneba Clarke is an award-winning Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean heritage. Her work spans fiction, poetry, and memoir, focusing on social justice, migration, and the lived experiences of the Black diaspora.
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Korede is a devoted sister who cleans up after Ayoola, her beautiful, charismatic sibling who keeps killing her boyfriends. When Ayoola sets her sights on Korede’s crush, loyalty and morality collide in this darkly funny Nigerian novel about family, beauty, and complicity.
About the author: Oyinkan Braithwaite is a Nigerian-British writer and artist based in Lagos. With a background in creative writing and design, she is celebrated for her sharp wit and commentary on gender and social expectations.
Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James
In an African-inspired fantasy world, Tracker, a skilled hunter, joins a motley group to find a missing boy. Blending myth, history, and adventure, the story weaves a violent, surreal journey through shifting truths and unreliable narrators, questioning the nature of storytelling and identity.
About the author: Marlon James is a Jamaican novelist and Booker Prize winner known for bold, genre-bending storytelling. His works centre African and Caribbean voices through myth, fantasy, and history.
Their Eyes are Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Janie Crawford, a Black woman in early-20th-century Florida, searches for independence and love through three marriages. Hurston’s lyrical classic explores womanhood, voice, and freedom, celebrating self-discovery against social expectations and community judgment.
About the author: Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960) was a ground-breaking novelist, anthropologist, and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Her storytelling preserved Black Southern dialect, folklore, and feminist perspectives that reshaped American literature.
In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lola Akinmade Åkerström
Three Black women, an American model, a Somali refugee, and a marketing executive—navigate privilege, race, and belonging in modern-day Sweden. Their intersecting stories expose the complexities of identity, assimilation, and the constraints placed on Black women in predominantly white societies.
About the author: Lola Akinmade Åkerström is a Nigerian-born, Sweden-based author, photographer, and storyteller. Drawing from her cross-cultural experiences, she examines identity, race, and womanhood in global contexts through fiction and essays.
Maame by Jessica George
Twenty-five-year-old Maddie, nicknamed “Maame,” balances caring for her father with Parkinson’s while navigating love, career, and independence in London. When tragedy strikes, she’s forced to confront grief and discover who she is beyond family duty. Both tender and funny, Maame is a deeply relatable coming-of-age story.
About the author: Jessica George is a British-Ghanaian author based in London. Drawing on her experiences as a first-generation immigrant, she writes with warmth and humour about identity, family expectations, and the challenges of adulthood in multicultural Britain.
A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo
Set in contemporary Nigeria, the novel intertwines the lives of Wúràọlá, a young doctor, and Ẹniọlá, a poor boy with big dreams. Their paths cross amid political corruption and inequality, revealing how privilege, power, and neglect shape destinies and heartbreak.
About the author: Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ is a Nigerian novelist whose debut, Stay With Me gained international acclaim. Her writing delves into class, love, and resilience in modern Nigeria with emotional depth and compassion.
I hope you’ll give these stories a try this month, and in the months to come. I’m genuinely excited to dive into many of them myself. I can’t promise I’ll finish them all before the year ends, but I’ll make a valiant effort! Discovering new Black stories is one of my greatest joys, and I’ll keep doing so for as long as I’m able to read.
If you’ve read any of these books, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Happy Black History Month! 🖤
Signed,
