8 Must-Read Memoirs Written by Black Women

Before snagging two National Book Awards (for SALVAGE THE BONES and SING, UNBURIED, SING), Jesmyn Ward dealt with unimaginable tragedy during her rural Mississippi upbringing. In five years, Ward lost five men near and dear to her, including her brother, because of drug addiction, suicide, accidents, and the misfortune that comes with growing up black and poor. THE MEN WE REAPED is an exploration of Ward’s personal loss and the disposition of black men in a society that fosters drug addiction and the structural racism that keeps communities on the fringes of society. Intimate, brutal, yet beautifully articulated, THE MEN WE REAPED is a must-read.

Comedian Patricia Williams goes by many names—legally she’s Patricia Williams, on stage she’s Ms. Pat, and some call her “Rabbit.” In her self-titled memoir, RABBIT, Williams chronicles her coming-of-age in crack-infested Atlanta, Georgia, where she learned to roll drunks for cash, was targeted by pimps, and became a single mother of two—all before her sixteenth birthday. RABBIT is unflinching, but as Williams does best, it delivers a story of hardship and tragedy with wisdom and humor.

Legend. Icon. Triple-Threat. Singer-actress-model Grace Jones’s talent and singular fashion sense are—still—unmatched. I’LL NEVER WRITE MY MEMOIRS takes readers on a journey from Grace’s strict, religious childhood in Jamaica to her heyday in Paris and New York and gives an exclusive look into the transformation to her signature look that we know and love her for today.

A testament to the power of outrage, Patrisse Khan-Cullors is one of the three founders of the Black Lives Matter movement that was born in the wake of Trayvon Martin’s murder. For galvanizing a movement that demands justice for all, Khan-Cullors has been condemned as a terrorist and a threat to America. Joining forces with journalist Asha Bandele in WHEN THEY CALL YOU A TERRORIST, these brave women illuminate what it means to be a Black woman in America and gives voice to those suffering inequality.

In 1970s New York—an era when tastemakers like Warhol, Avedon, and Halston thrived—Pat Cleveland became one of the first black supermodels through a combination of luck, enviable style, and unparalleled beauty. Ranging from the streets of NYC to the jet-set beaches of Mexico, from the designer drawing rooms of Paris to the offices of Vogue, WALKING WITH THE MUSES is Cleveland’s larger-than-life story.

Award-winning writer Jessica B. Harris had a covetable group of friends back in the day, including James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and other members of the Black intelligentsia. In her memoir, Harris recalls the James Baldwin reading aloud an early draft of IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, the Maya Angelou cooking in her California kitchen, and the Toni Morrison relaxing at Baldwin’s Provence home. This memoir of friendship also pays homage to a bygone era—the vibrant New York City of Harris’s youth.

From what we can glean from her song-turned-film “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” Tina Turner has lived an extraordinary life, but it was by no means pain-free. In this explosive and inspiring memoir, Turner examines her darkest hours to her greatest triumphs. MY LOVE STORY is the story of a woman who dared to break through any barriers she encountered and showcases Turner’s strength, energy, heart, and soul.

Part bookie, part banker, mother, wife, granddaughter of slaves—Fannie Davis ran a Numbers racket out of her meek apartment in one of Detroit’s worst sections. This woman was Bridgett M. Davis’s mother. In a moving homage to her gutsy, amazing mother, Bridgett M. Davis tells—at once unforgettable and suspenseful—the story of a parent who used grit and a little creativity to “make a way out of no way.”