Add These BIPOC Authors To Your Summer Reading List

Summer is filled with sun, beaches, hot temperatures, etc. It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy the outdoors and go road-tripping. However, there are moments when Summer days can be overwhelmingly humid and scorching hot. On those days when you may need another time-consuming outlet, that’s when reading swopes in to save the day. So, here are some books to sit down on those hot days or quiet weekends.

Sons of Darkness

This Indian adult historical fantasy epic plays out like a season of Game of Thrones meets Succession. The fictional world of the Mathuran Republic is on the verge of destruction as gods Krishna and Satyabhama try to save the kingdom from destroying itself. The situation sees multiple factions looking to stake their claim on the crumbling empire.

You can buy the dark fantasy mythology novel from outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble or check out from your local library.

Rabbit Chase

This beautifully illustrated middle-grade book is an Anishinaabe retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Its protagonist, Aimée, deals with the traumas of adolescence as they face issues with their indigenous and gender identity. Those issues transport them to an alternate universe under the guidance of the water spirits Paayehnsag and the Trickster as they seek to defeat the Queen and her henchmen to return home.

You can buy the coming-of-age graphic novel from outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble or check out from your local library.

Our Missing Hearts

This dystopian fiction leans on the tried-and-true narrative of child-parent estrangement and reconnection. The road story-meets-self-discovery journey sees protagonist Noah Gardner (aka Bird) take a bus trip from his father’s loving home in Cambridge, Massachusetts to a devastated New York City to find his mother.

You can buy the coming-of-age novel from outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble or check out from your local library.

Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up

This “opposites attract” romantic fiction explores mixing business with pleasure (with some personal issues sprinkled in) to another level. Starcrossed professionals — Mickey Chambers and Diego Acosta — need each other in more ways than one. Mickey needs more income, and Diego must save his late wife’s bar, The Saloon. Soon, things take off in more ways than one.

You can buy the inter-ethnic romance novel from outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble or check out from your local library.

The Legacy of Orisha trilogy — Children of Blood and Bone, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, & Children of Anguish and Anarchy

This series of historical fantasy epics merges West African folklore and mysticism with dystopian storytelling. Its protagonist, Zélie Adebola, must reclaim the maji magic after a ruthless king orders their eradication. The series follows Zélie and her cohorts as they regain and struggle to maintain their powers and face a series of Orisha foes.

You can buy the sweeping young adult fantasy trilogy from outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble or check out from your local library.

Kiss Papercuts Goodbye

This profile collection covers courageous and historic feats of women across the AAPI diaspora. The beautifully illustrated book profiles pioneering and modern-day women and teenage girls who bring meaningful change to the world. Each profile was composed and illustrated by AAPI women.

You can buy the biographic collection available through Hello Prosper.

Kindling

This introspective historical fantasy epic builds upon the classic film Seven Samurai with a young adult twist. A war-weary world leads to kindling warfare being outlawed, leaving seven kindlings to search for purpose and identity. The group must battle their pasts, traumas, and fates in preparing for their last battle against an exterior threat.

You can buy the young adult fantasy novel from outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble or check it out from your local library.

If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English

This blend of literary and historical fiction uses love as a vehicle for the varying perspectives of Egyptian culture. Taking place after the Arab Spring, unnamed star-crossed lovers bring their traumas and preconceived notions into a romantic relationship filled with violence and drama. American identity politics and cultural differences complicate their romance as the book alternates between the partners’ relationship accounts.

You can buy the global romantic novel from outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble or check it out from your local library.

Disability Visibility

This collection of stories from disabled individuals centers the narrative around the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Unlike other anthologies, the book pulls together varying sources to highlight the landmark act, including personal accounts, original essays, eulogies, and Congressional testimonies. It serves as a portrait of the disabled community.

You can buy the eye-opening anthology from outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble or check it out from your local library.

Battle Royale

This Japanese dystopian horror classic is a precursor to The Hunger Games and a modern-day homage to The Lord of the Flies. A group of junior high schoolers are shipped to a deserted island where they must fight to the death as part of a ruthless authoritarian program. A game of deception and survival plays out as the students strive for freedom away from the Republic of Greater East Asia.

You can buy the beloved young adult thriller novel from outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble or check it out from your local library.

Don’t forget to add these selections to your growing Summer reading list.

Originally published at http://adreonpatterson.net on July 11, 2024.