In honor of February being Black History Month, I’m posting some of my favorite memoirs written by Black authors. Most are older books (oldies but goodies) read some years ago, since I’ve only recently had some life changes giving me more time to read for fun – and I am much enjoying that! Take a look at these authors’ websites and other books written by them.

Sugar Hill:  Where the Sun Rose Over Harlem is an all-round favorite book of mine. It captures the changes of Harlem by Terry Baker Mulligan who grew up there. Wonderful details and interesting facts are told in a delightful, colorful narrative.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson is a memoir of a brown girl growing up, told in meaningful poems easily understandable and not too long, and they often pull at the heart.

The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother is James McBride’s beautifully written story of his unusual upbringing crossing cultures with a fascinating mother.

The Last Children of Mill Creek is Vivian Gibson’s memoir of growing up in a segregated, thriving Black community in St. Louis, before it was torn apart to make way for a highway. Published in 2020, this book is historic to St. Louis as perhaps the only written lived experience of the Mill Creek neighborhood that had been forgotten or unknown to many. Vivian continues to do many presentations about Mill Creek and what happened to it.