Reading
Tired of only having old, basic books written by old, white men recommended? Here’s a list of books by and about POC, fems, and queer folx that I’ve read or had recommended to me!
Anthologies/collections:
Poems, Prose, Essays
- "Uses of the Erotic" by Audre Lorde (literally anything by her)
- "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House" by Audre Lorde
Novels:
A:
- With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
- The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
B:
- A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
- Manual for cleaning women by Lucia Berlin
- Astrid Parker Doesn't Fall by Ashley Herring Blake
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
C:
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
D:
- Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
- You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria
- The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
G:
- Apple by Eric Gansworth
- Difficult women by Roxanne Gay
​
H:
- Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
- We real cool by bell hooks
I:
- Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
​
J:
- White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson
- Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
​
K:
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
​
L:
- Witches by Brenda Lozano
​
M:
- The twelve tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
- The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon
- The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
- Antigone Rising by Helen Morales
(This is just a fun heads up that the author is a professor for the classics department at UCSB and she teaches Greek mythology, among other classes. I recommend her class!)
- Sula by Toni Morrison
O:
- There, There by Tommy Orange
P:
- The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
- Wilder Girls by Rory Power
​
R:
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
​
S:
- I am not your perfect Mexican daughter by Erika L Sanchez
- Could this be magic?: Tattooing as Liberation work by Tamara Santibañez
- The Resting Place by Camilla Sten
- These witches don’t burn by Isabel Sterling
W:
- Written on the Body by Jeannette Winterson
​
Z:
- After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang
Shows
- Dear White People
- On My Block
- Heartbreak High
- Heartbreaker
- Grand Army
- Colin in Black & White
- The Midnight Club
- Atypical
- Workin' Moms
- Never Have I Ever
- Sex Education
- The Mindy Project
​
Movies
- Eve’s Bayou
- The Color Purple
- Love and Basketball
- Rafiki
- Karmen Gei
- Moonlight
- Coded Bias
- Someone Great
- The Grizzlies
- Angry Inuk
Watching
Here’s a list of films/shows that are awesome for different reasons (by and about POC, women, and queer folx; discussing hard topics in good ways, etc.) that I’ve watched or had recommended to me!
By and for fems of color!
Instagram: @missreadbooks
Feminist romance bookstore
Instagram: @therippedbodice
Awesome Bookstores
Disclaimer:
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Please borrow books from the library or purchase them from BIPOC, women, or LGBT+ owned book shops rather than Amazon or Barnes & Noble, etc.!
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Some of these discuss, describe, or show sensitive topics. I always suggest looking up content warnings for any material if you think you'll need it.