Novels Inspired by Black Historical Figures
For Black History Month, I partnered with Harper Collins to highlight five novels that were inspired by Black historical figures you should give a read, including Shara Moon’s debut historical fiction novel, Let Us March On which is a powerful story inspired by the real-life Lizzie McDuffie—a fearless yet unsung trailblazer who as a maid during FDR’s White House spearheaded the Civil Rights Movement of her time.
The additional four titles featured that you should check out are:
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis - inspired by the life story of CR Patterson and his family, one of the very few Black families who had immense wealth and status in the early 1900s.
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson is inspired my Mark Lumpkins and the Lumpkins’ Jail, infamously known as the Devil’s Half Acre located in Richmond, VA.
No Better Time by Sheila Williams - is inspired by the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all Black WAC unit to serve overseas during World War II.
Lone Women by Victor Lavalle is inspired by the women homesteaders of the early-twentieth-century, most specifically Bertie Brown.
The William Morrow Books publishing team so graciously sent over a stack of additional historical fiction titles that they highly recommend, which are featured in the photo below. To know me is to know that I love historical fiction so if you have any historical fiction recs that you would like to pass along, please leave them in the comment section.
