Books Invited to the Cookout

Welcome to Books Invited to the Cookout! Here you’ll see books by Black authors and highlighting the Black community and diaspora, selected and recommended by members of Kindred, the library team focused on reaching, supporting, and celebrating the Black community.

These lists of books published in 2024 are compiled in our inaugural Books Invited to the Cookout publication, available at your local library branch. Get your copy to see the selected books broken down into eight sections focused on age/reading level and type.

These books all highlight the variety and wonder that is Black life, both in the US and abroad. We continue to endure, even when our history—and our present—is considered both inferior and dangerous. Our words are our greatest tool and our greatest weapon, and we will use them to remind ourselves and the rest of the world how enduring we have always been and always will be.

Black books are awesome. Black books are for everyone, of all ages, from every background. So sit down a spell and explore the titles. Find something worth picking up, worth sharing with friends or family members, worth absorbing and reflecting upon.