Historical Fiction Favorites by Minority Authors

By Shelby Cunningham  

Edited by Caelin Sullivan

As part of Readin’ Magazine’s Summer Readin’ Program, I’ve compiled a list of ten of my favorite historical fiction books written by minority authors, plus three that are on my TBR! These books follow characters from diverse communities throughout history, from twelfth-century Persia to 1950s San Francisco. All of these stories transported me to other times, and introduced me to characters I’ll cherish forever. If you haven’t already, make sure to follow the “Summer Readin’ Challenge: July” on StoryGraph. All of these books are perfect for Prompt 10!

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi is only three hundred pages, and yet it encompasses three hundred years of one family’s history. It starts in 1700s Ghana with two half-sisters. One is married to a white slaver and stays in Ghana, while the other sister is sold into slavery and sent to America. The narrative follows eight generations of their descendants until we get to the present day. Every chapter follows a different family member as the story progresses through time. Even with just one chapter focused on each character, the characters felt so vivid and real. Homegoing is incredibly powerful and captivating.

So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow

So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow is a Little Women retelling about a Black American family. Like the original, this follows a family of four sisters living during the time of the Civil War, but instead of Massachusetts, this March family lives on the Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island in North Carolina. I am a lifelong Little Women superfan, and this is my absolute favorite adaptation. So Many Beginnings has the sisterly bonds and fights we know well, but with the additional layer of Black American history we don’t get to see enough. The March family is starting a new life in the Roanoke community after escaping the horrors of enslavement, along with so many others in the same situation. This was rich with fascinating history I had never learned about this time period, one of the best parts of reading historical fiction.  

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Melinda Lo

If you can’t resist a good coming of age story, look no further than Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. Lily is a first generation Chinese American teenager living in San Francisco in the 1950s, and she is going through a lot. Her parents are under threat of deportation because of the Red Scare, which caused paranoia and devastation for those rumored to be associated with Communism. On a more personal level, Lily is questioning the feelings she’s having for another girl. She never even knew this was possible, and she has no idea what to do about it. When she discovers The Telegraph Club (a gay bar), she thinks maybe she will find the answers she seeks. This book fully transported me into Lily’s world and I so vividly felt her journey. I was really touched by her story and I know for a fact this would make an excellent addition to your summer TBR. 

Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed

Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed is a One Thousand and One Nights retelling set in twelfth-century Persia. Shaherazade’s father is a high-ranking official in the Malik’s court when she catches the Malik’s wife having an affair. When the Malik finds out, he has his wife executed, and he continues to execute more wives after that. Because Shaherazade played a role in Malik finding out about his wife’s affair, she feels a sense of duty to help bring this to an end. She volunteers herself as his next wife, but she has a plan. Shaherazade is a brilliant story teller, and she plans on captivating the Malik with a long drawn out story to enthrall him enough not to murder her next. The book alternates between Shaherazade’s tales and the story of her life, and it was one that I could not put down. I’ve never read anything even close to this specific historical period, so it was really exciting to experience this whole new world. 

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

In The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali, Roya and Bahman are brought together by their shared love of books. When the story starts it is 1953 in Tehran, and they are both frequent customers of the local stationery shop. They fall in love and plan to get married, but the day before their wedding, something separates them irrevocably. This story bounces back and forth between 1950s Iran and present day America, where Roya stays after going to college in California. This is an emotional and consuming read, and it gave me a very hard cry. One of my favorite parts was the author’s mouthwatering descriptions of Persian cuisine and how food can be a connection to home no matter where you are in the world.

Below is a taste of even more historical fiction favorites by minority authors! 

In Junie by Erin Corsby Eckstine, Junie and her family are enslaved on a southern plantation. Junie’s sister recently died and her ghost comes back to guide Junie to discover secrets and possibly secure her freedom.

If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim is a multiple point-of-view story that follows a love triangle during the 1950s Korean War.

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia follows multiple generations of Cuban women in the same family, from cigar factories in 1860s Cuba to ICE raids in 2019.

Another multi-generational family saga is A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum. It follows three generations of Palestinian women across Palestine and New York City, and it left me with a better understanding of generational trauma.

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi is about a woman who escapes an abusive marriage and makes a name for herself among rich society women in 1950s Jaipur as a henna artist, all while hiding the secret of her past.

Finally, I want to share three historical fiction books by minority authors I have on my own TBR.

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi came out this year, and the audiobook is narrated by Adjoa Andoh aka Lady Danbury of Bridgerton!

I don’t know much about Kin by Tayari Jones except that it is about two motherless girls who are best friends growing up in Louisiana. I am seeing this cover everywhere and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Lastly, when I spotted the cover of The Pōhaku by Hawaiian author Jasmin 'Iolani Hakes, I was immediately pulled in. It looks like there are elements of magic, which you don’t see often enough in historical fiction in my opinion. 

Reading historical fiction by authors from marginalized communities has taught me so much. I’m happy to share these favorites with you in the hopes that you learn something from them as well. Don’t forget to follow along with the monthly Summer Readin’ Challenges on StoryGraph!