8 books by Black authors to gift for Father’s Day
As we get closer to Father’s Day, some may be starting to scramble — and one of the best, yet still meaningful last-minute gifts is a book. Since you can shop for them all over, from airports to train stations to online, good reads are an epically convenient gift idea.
Beyond convenience, they also make really touching gifts for bookish dads whose idea of a good time is cracking open the latest by Walter Mosley (who has a new release, by the way). As gifts, books can feel both thoughtful and deeply personalized when you take the time to find one you know your father figure will enjoy. This year, there have been several new releases by high-profile and legendary Black authors, including a few released just this week.
Below, we’ve gathered a list of eight books by Black authors released this year that could make great gifts for any bookworms out there.
1. If he loved “American Fiction”
The sensational film “American Fiction” was based on the novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett. If your dad is still raving about that Oscar-nominated movie, chances are he may enjoy Everett’s new release, “James,” which is his take on the classic “Huckleberry Finn,” told from the perspective of Huck’s Black traveling companion, Jim.
Related: 10 Father’s Day gift ideas for the experienced dad by Black-owned brands
2. A good detective story
The iconic Walter Mosley has returned just in time for Father’s Day with Detective Easy Rawlins’ next big case in “Farewell, Amethystine,” the 16th installment in Mosley’s Easy Rawlins mystery series.
Related: 15 Father’s Day gift ideas by Black brands for retired and empty-nest dads
3. For a guy in finance
“Built from the Fire” by Victor Luckerson chronicles the true life multigenerational saga of one family’s survival through the Tulsa Massacre and beyond in Tulsa’s Greenwood District, known as “Black Wall Street.”
Related: Eight thoughtful Father’s Day gift ideas for new dads
4. An epic sports story
The poet and writer Hanif Abdurraqib’s latest release, “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension,” meditates on everything from a golden era of basketball in Ohio to who gets to become “great” and who doesn’t, to the concept of role models and more.
Related: Jay-Z announces plans to lead a $300 million education campaign in Philadelphia
5. Poetry by Black poets
The poet behind “Why Fathers Cry At Night: A Memoir In Love Poems, Letters, Recipes, and Rememberances,” Kwame Alexander, has curated one of the latest anthologies of Black poetry, “This is the Honey.” The collection features works by poets like Jericho Brown, Morgan Parker, Warsan Shire, Tyree Daye, and more.
Related: Naomi Campbell confirms she welcomed both children by surrogate
6. For a hip-hop historian
He will finally be able to put all of his hip-hop arguments to rest after he reads “Hip-Hop Is History,” a new release by The Roots’ founding member Questlove that covers the full history of hip-hop from its genesis in the Bronx to its 50th anniversary.
Related: Darius Rucker’s memoir is so honest he waited until his children were grown to write it
7. To inspire wellness
Not only does Father’s Day fall in June, but the month has also been designated as Men’s Mental Health Month. Inspire some wellness in your father with a book like “And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self” by the one and only Common (yes, the rapper).
8. For a meditation on manhood and fatherhood
Writer Joél Leon delves deep into his life, from growing up in the Bronx to eventually raising two daughters of his own, and explores narratives around identity, masculinity, and beyond in his brand-new essay collection, “Everything and Nothing at Once.”
Related: Lenny Kravitz gets deep about being Black and Jewish on a new episode of ‘Masters of the Game’
