This isn’t the first time I have shared Caribbean literature, and it likely won’t be the last. Books, both fiction and non-fiction, from Caribbean writers are genuinely some of the best pieces of writing I have ever come across. 

With descriptive language, emotional and personal perspectives, you will quickly become wrapped up in these stories and struggle to put the book down. If you are looking for a newly released book that is a real page-turner, I recommend checking out the following 13 must-reads from Caribbean writers.

1. A Regarded Self: Caribbean Womanhood and the Ethics of Disorderly Being by Kaiama L. Glover

In this book, the author discusses Caribbean literature from her own perspective. She examines the disorderly female protagonists in novels by renowned authors like Marlon James and Jamaica Kincaid. She shows how these women characters often disturb, offend or reorder their surrounding world in ways that enact freedom. In doing so, she has the reader question their own gender expectations. 

2. Saga Boy: My Life of Blackness and Becoming by Antonio Michael Downing

This coming of age tale may have you reaching for a tissue. It’s been described as heartbreaking, painful, and filled with emotion. The author's memoir describes his search for home and the effects of immigrant cultural dislocation. Raised by his grandmother in Trinidad, Antonio is uprooted at 11 after her death and moves to Canada. He lives with his stern aunt, who lives in an Indigenous community in northern Ontario, where they are the only black family. He shares his memories, including his brief reunion with the birth parents who abandoned him.  

3. One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite Maritza Moulite

The story begins after the mysterious circumstances surrounding Kenzi Smith's death after she attended a social justice rally. Kenzi has become another victim of police brutality, and her sister, Happi, begins to question the angelic way her sister is being remembered. As Happi tries to honor her sister in her own way, something is uncovered that will change everything. 

 4. Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall 

Frankie Green, a teen boy, receives a scholarship, or as he sees it, his ticket out of Jamaica. Things seem to be going as planned, but he soon realizes how quickly things can change. Love and family relationships complicate his plans. After his father is shot, he joins his uncle's gang in exchange for money so he can pay for his father’s hospital bills. Frankie is at a crossroads and is faced with his family's reality and the future he was born to or the future he wants.  

5. How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House: A Novel by Cherie Jones

Lala lives in Baxter Beach, Barbados, with her husband Adan, a petty criminal. One of his attempted burglaries of a Baxter Beach mansion goes horribly wrong, triggering a sequence of events that leaves four people desperate to escape their legacy of violence. Death, tragedy, grief, and greed lead to an act that will risk their lives.  

6. The Year I Flew Away by Marie Arnold 

This book is written from the perspective of 10-year-old Gabrielle, who is moving from Haiti to America. Although initially excited, she soon finds out her parents won’t be joining her. Instead, she’ll be living with unknown relatives in Brooklyn. This life is not what she imagined, and she struggles with the language and being bullied. After making a deal with a witch to speak perfect English and be “American,” she realizes how much she had given up and tries to reverse the spell.

 7. What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster

A small community in North Carolina is outraged after a county initiative has students from the Black side of town come to the predominately white school on the west side. This sets off a chain of events for two students, Gee and Noelle, that will tie their families together for decades. When the two students join a school play, their mothers make certain choices that will haunt them for years to come. A story of love, loss, and never escaping one's past, it examines what can break a family apart and what will bring them back together. 

8. Sweethand by N.G. Peltier 

After breaking up with her cheating boyfriend, Cherisse has sworn off men and decides to focus on herself and her growing pastry business. With her sister’s wedding approaching, her mother’s attempts at setting her up increase. A man she once considered the most annoying man on the planet, and her future brother-in-law’s best man, is now always around. It seems life keeps pushing these two together, and even after a rainy passion-filled night, the tension remains.  

9. Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia 

The story goes back and forth from present-day Miami to 19th century Cuba, sharing the story of a daughter's fateful choice, a mother's past, and their family legacy. Carmen, a Cuban immigrant, tries to raise her daughter Jeanette who is battling addiction, while also taking in the daughter of a neighbor detained by ICE. Carmen struggles to understand her own family history and her strained relationship with her own mother. Jeanette travels to Cuba to meet her grandmother and unravel the secrets of the past. 

10. Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

This is a Jamaican-inspired fantasy story about two enemy witches that must form an alliance to take down a mutual enemy. Iraya has spent every day of her life in a cell, continuously thinking of freedom and vengeance. Simultaneously, Jazyme, the Queen's daughter, refuses to die to strengthen her mother’s powers, unlike her sister. These two powers combine in a bloody pursuit, going to great lengths to win. 

11. This One Sky Day: A Novel by Leone Ross

This is a sensual novel set in a mythical world where everyone has something magical and unique. The gods appointed Xavier Redchoose to make each resident one perfect meal when the time is right. Graffiti messages from an unknown source ask difficult questions, and Sonteine is getting married, and her father is demanding a meal out of turn. Before the day ends, there will plenty of twists and turns, discovering the history, islands, and characters in this imaginative narrative.  To be released on April 15.

 12. A River Called Time by Courttia Newland 

The Ark was built to save lives, but it became a refuge for the elite. It was cut off from the rest of the world and was similar to ours, except slavery never existed. Instead, those who were on the Ark had to prove their worth. Markriss Denny is on the Ark where he discovered another person has the same ability as him – the ability for his spirit to leave his body, seeing a world beyond physical limitations. This becomes a threat to humanity, and he races to understand the truth behind his abilities. 

13. Sure, I’ll Be Your Black Friend: Notes from the Other Side of the Fist Bump by Ben Philippe 

This memoir is written in essays, sharing Ben’s experiences as always being the Black friend. He shares childhood stories of being the immigrant kid who ate alone at lunch or receiving many first bumps. Although infused with plenty of humor, he shares how he has broken down stereotypes, shared wisdom on slurs, and discusses the Black Lives Matter movement and affirmative action. It’s a conversational approach to real topics. 

Loving this recommended book list? lookout for part two coming soon.

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