THE BLACK LIST:
CURATED SELECTIONS FROM OUR FAVORITE LITERATURE
JUNE THEME: SUMMER HEAT
WEEK 1 - This Wicked Fate
by Kalynn Bayron
In this sequel to This Poison Heart, Briseis must navigate deadly truths and ancient powers as she attempts to bring her mother back to life. Rich with Greek mythology and magical realism, This Wicked Fate is a fast-paced and heartfelt adventure about family, legacy, and embracing your own power.
WEEK 2 - The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
by Dawnie Walton
Framed as an oral history, this novel tells the story of Opal, a fiercely independent Black singer, and Nev, a white British songwriter, as they form an unlikely rock duo in the 1970s. The book explores themes of race, gender, music, and the politics of rebellion—with echoes that still resonate today.
WEEK 3 - Nightcrawling
by Leila Mottley
This debut novel, written by a teenage prodigy, follows Kiara, a young Black woman forced into sex work after systemic failures leave her and her brother abandoned in Oakland. A harrowing, beautifully written story of survival, Nightcrawling confronts injustice, poverty, and the strength of Black girlhood.
WEEK 4 - Moonrise Over New Jessup
by Jamila Minnicks
Winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, this novel follows Alice Young, who stumbles upon New Jessup, an all-Black town that rejects integration in 1950s Alabama. As she falls in love and builds a life, Alice must choose between the ideals of the town and the movement for racial justice unfolding around her.
