February is Black History Month: New and Mostly New Books

 Celebrate Black History Month with the following books by Black authors. Book descriptions and logo are from the publishers and NetGalley.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes, Published July 29, 2025; St. Martin's Press

Genre: mystery, south side Chicago

A sparkling debut mystery set on the South Side of Chicago, featuring the quick-witted, unforgettable Savvy Summers, proprietor of a soul food café.

When Savvy Summers first opened Essie's soul food café, she never expected her customer-favorite sweet potato pie to become the center of a murder investigation.

Sweet Pea by Kit de Waal, Not yet published publication Nov. 3, 2026; St. Martin's Press, NetGalley

Genre: adult fiction, immigrant fiction, St. Kitts, England

Sweet Pea
by Kit de Waal

Sweet Pea is a tender and emotionally-compelling novel about the healing power of an immigrant from the island of St. Kitts to London, who loves and cares for her found family.

St. Martin's Press | Pub Date: Nov 3, 2026 | Literary Fiction

Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes, Jan. 6, 20026; Penguin Random House. First published in 1930.

Genre: award-winning debut novel by the Harlem Renaissance poet, about the trials and joys of growing up in Black communities. 

Genre: historical fiction

Black Messiahs
by Steven A. Holmes

In WWII, two Black brothers enlist in the segregated US Army. A Jewish boy fights to survive a Nazi ghetto and camp. Their lives converge in 1945 Austria in a story of racism, faith, duty, and freedom.

Köehler Books | Not yet published Pub Date: May 19, 2026 | Historical Fiction

Young King by Lerone Martin From a preeminent King scholar, the origin story of the man, minister, and civil rights hero who would lead the nation and change the world. Amistad | Not yet published Pub Date: May 5, 2026 | Biographies & Memoirs Segregation Games by David Faflik A cultural history of race, resistance, and representation in a city divided by politics and play. Not yet published Pub Date: May 1, 2026, U of Mass. Press Backtalker by Kimberle Williams, a memoir Not yet published CrenshawPublication: May 5, 2026; Simon and Schuster, NetGalley Kimberly Williams Introduced the concepts of intersectionality and critical race theory. Backtalker is the powerful and intimate story of how a little girl from Canton, Ohio, came up with a new way to look at the world.  What are your winter weather book choices?  Memes:  The Sunday Post, It's Monday: What Are You Reading, Sunday Salon, and Stacking the Shelves