12 Books by Black Chicago Women 2025

blackgirlsreadchi Host

37 participants (50 books)

01 Jan 2025—31 Dec 2025

Overview

Join us for the 12 Books by Black Chicago Women Reading Challenge for 2025!

Whether you participated in the inaugural challenge or are participating for the first time—welcome! This year, let’s continue to celebrate the depth, diversity, and dopeness of Chicago’s Black women writers. Read at least 12 books by Black women from Chicago. The books can be in any genre, on any topic, and from any time period.

Follow along here and on our Instagram page @blackgirlsreadchi, and use the hashtags #12BooksByBlackChicagoWomen and #12BooksByBlackWomenChi to share your progress.

If you need a few more suggestions to get you started, check out our book list on Bookshop.org.

12 Books by Black Chicago Women 2025

blackgirlsreadchi Host

37 participants (50 books)

STARTS: 01 Jan 2025ENDS: 31 Dec 2025

Overview

Join us for the 12 Books by Black Chicago Women Reading Challenge for 2025!

Whether you participated in the inaugural challenge or are participating for the first time—welcome! This year, let’s continue to celebrate the depth, diversity, and dopeness of Chicago’s Black women writers. Read at least 12 books by Black women from Chicago. The books can be in any genre, on any topic, and from any time period.

Follow along here and on our Instagram page @blackgirlsreadchi, and use the hashtags #12BooksByBlackChicagoWomen and #12BooksByBlackWomenChi to share your progress.

If you need a few more suggestions to get you started, check out our book list on Bookshop.org.

Challenge Books

All books added

People of Means by Nancy Johnson

People of Means
Nancy Johnson with Bahni Turpin (Narrator)

12 hours, 10 minutes • audio • 2025 (editions)

fiction historical literary emotional informative reflective medium-paced

fiction historical literary emotional informative reflective medium-paced

People of Means by Nancy Johnson

People of Means

Nancy Johnson with Bahni Turpin (Narrator)

12 hours, 10 minutes • audio • 2025

fiction historical literary emotional informative reflective medium-paced

fiction historical literary emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon

Upstate
Kalisha Buckhanon with Chadwick Boseman (Narrator), Heather Simms (Narrator)

5 hours, 45 minutes • audio • 2004 (editions) user-added

fiction romance young adult emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

fiction romance young adult emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon

Upstate

Kalisha Buckhanon with Chadwick Boseman (Narrator), Heather Simms (Narrator)

5 hours, 45 minutes • audio • 2004 user-added

fiction romance young adult emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

fiction romance young adult emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

Saving Ruby King
Catherine Adel West with Kim Staunton (Narrator), Terra Strong Lyons (Narrator), Imani Parks (Narrator), Adam Lazarre-White (Narrator), Ron Butler (Narrator), Lloyd Roberson II (Narrator)

10 hours, 13 minutes • audio • 2020 (editions)

fiction mystery emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

fiction mystery emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

Saving Ruby King

Catherine Adel West with Kim Staunton (Narrator), Terra Strong Lyons (Narrator), Imani Parks (Narrator), Adam Lazarre-White (Narrator), Ron Butler (Narrator), Lloyd Roberson II (Narrator)

10 hours, 13 minutes • audio • 2020

fiction mystery emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

fiction mystery emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West

The Two Lives of Sara
Catherine Adel West with Adenrele Ojo (Narrator)

11 hours, 38 minutes • audio • 2022 (editions)

fiction historical emotional reflective medium-paced

fiction historical emotional reflective medium-paced

The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West

The Two Lives of Sara

Catherine Adel West with Adenrele Ojo (Narrator)

11 hours, 38 minutes • audio • 2022

fiction historical emotional reflective medium-paced

fiction historical emotional reflective medium-paced

A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 by Claire Hartfield

A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919
Claire Hartfield with JD Jackson (Narrator)

3 hours, 59 minutes • audio • 2017 (editions)

nonfiction history race reflective slow-paced

nonfiction history race reflective slow-paced

A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 by Claire Hartfield

A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919

Claire Hartfield with JD Jackson (Narrator)

3 hours, 59 minutes • audio • 2017

nonfiction history race reflective slow-paced

nonfiction history race reflective slow-paced

The Game Changer by Embassie Susberry

The Game Changer
Embassie Susberry

9 hours, 39 minutes • audio • 2024 (editions) user-added

fiction historical

fiction historical

The Game Changer by Embassie Susberry

The Game Changer

Embassie Susberry

9 hours, 39 minutes • audio • 2024 user-added

fiction historical

fiction historical

Threads: A Tapestry of Life in the Black Community of Shiloh and Beyond by Tanya Davis

Threads: A Tapestry of Life in the Black Community of Shiloh and Beyond
Tanya Davis

192 pages • paperback (editions)

nonfiction memoir

nonfiction memoir

Threads: A Tapestry of Life in the Black Community of Shiloh and Beyond by Tanya Davis

Threads: A Tapestry of Life in the Black Community of Shiloh and Beyond

192 pages • paperback

nonfiction memoir

nonfiction memoir

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Binti
Binti #1

Nnedi Okorafor with Robin Miles (Narrator)

2 hours, 30 minutes • audio • 2015 (editions)

fiction science fiction adventurous fast-paced

fiction science fiction adventurous fast-paced

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Binti

Nnedi Okorafor with Robin Miles (Narrator)

2 hours, 30 minutes • audio • 2015

fiction science fiction adventurous fast-paced

fiction science fiction adventurous fast-paced

Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe

Last Summer on State Street
Toya Wolfe with Shayna Small (Narrator)

6 hours, 6 minutes • audio • 2022 (editions)

fiction contemporary emotional reflective sad medium-paced

fiction contemporary emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe

Last Summer on State Street

Toya Wolfe with Shayna Small (Narrator)

6 hours, 6 minutes • audio • 2022

fiction contemporary emotional reflective sad medium-paced

fiction contemporary emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon

Speaking of Summer
Kalisha Buckhanon with Karen Chilton (Narrator)

10 hours, 10 minutes • audio • 2019 (editions)

fiction contemporary mystery emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

fiction contemporary mystery emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Speaking of Summer by Kalisha Buckhanon

Speaking of Summer

Kalisha Buckhanon with Karen Chilton (Narrator)

10 hours, 10 minutes • audio • 2019

fiction contemporary mystery emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

fiction contemporary mystery emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

More...