30 Books by BIPOC Authors Coming Out in March

March is coming in HOT with some steaming reads by BIPOC authors.

Here are the seven books coming out this month that are on the top of my list:

The Great Divide Cristina Henríquez – March 5th

This book needs to be added to your TBR this month. The way Henríquez weaves together the many stories of the characters is truly sweeping. This is a historical fiction story set against the backdrop of the building of the monumental Panama Canal. Not only was it a great read but it was also so informative. I highly recommend this one. Big thanks to LibroFM for giving me an advanced copy of the audiobook, I loved the reading and the authentic accents of the characters.

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan – March 5

This book was everything and solidified for me why Kennedy Ryan has become one of my must-read authors. The book focuses on Soledad, whom we met in Ryan’s previous hit ‘Before I Let Go.’ And while we got in an intro to Soledad in that book I truly don’t think you need to have read it to read this one.

In this one Soledad is going through it after her husband betrays her in a way that puts her entire life at stake. Now she’s forced to pick up the pieces of her life while providing for her three daughters. Of course, there is a love interest, that she finds by total accident in the worst of ways but sparks fly. This book was such a beautiful read. I love Soledad, her strength and her ability to pick up the pieces and stand on her own, were aspects of the book I truly appreciated. This unlikely love story was oh-so good.

Pride and Joy A Novel by Louisa Onomé – March 12

This is a heartwarming and hilarious story about three generations of a Nigerian Canadian family grappling with a sudden death. Onomé cleverly balances out the serious topic with absurd plots and laugh-out-loud writing. This is the book I didn’t know I needed. Thank you to Atria Books and Simon and Schuster for providing me with an advanced copy of this one.

The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir by Ru Paul – March 5

I don’t know much about Ru Paul, other than the basics, but I still quite enjoyed this memoir. This was a very personal, touching memoir filled with tons of wit and laugh-out-loud moments capturing the rise of Ru Paul. Don’t expect any dirt from this memoir because it felt very much like a coming-of-age and healing journey, and I adored that. Big thanks to LibroFM for giving me an advanced copy of the audiobook, I loved the reading and the authentic accents of the characters.

The Black Box, by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. – March 19

I’m a huge fan of Henry Louis Gates Jr., and a huge history lover so when I saw that this book was coming out I swiftly added it to my own tbr list. Renowned literary critic and historian Gates, author of Stony the Road and The Black Church, presents a brief survey of African American literature, with a focus on the search for liberatory conceptions of identity. His title plays on the metaphor of a black box to understand how Black writers have struggled to reconceive their confinement within hostile power structures and dispel a sense of Black inscrutability.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Imide – March 19

I feel like I cannot explain this book without ruining it so I’ll tread lightly. In Where Sleeping Girls Lie a girl new to boarding school, discovers dark secrets and coverups after her roommate disappears. This book was so layered and filled with imagery and symbolism galore. The writing was beautiful, the plot was gripping and the characters were very interesting to me. I will also say that this book frustrated me, so please check the trigger warning before reading.

You Get What You Pay For: Essays by Morgan Parker – March 12

This book is at the top of my list after reading Parker’s Magical Negro. Parker traces the trauma and beauty of existing as a Black woman back through American history, from the foundational trauma of the slave trade up to Serena Williams and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I cannot wait to read this one, Parker has a way of delivering messages like no one else can.

Here are additional diverse books coming out this month that you should add to your list.

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste
Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan
Women Who Work Too Much by Tamu Thomas
Elevate and Dominate: 21 Ways to Win On and Off the Field by Deion Sanders
Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham
Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson
Watch Where They Hide: A Jordan Manning Novel by Tamron Hall
Mother Island: A Daughter Claims Puerto Rico by Jamie Figueroa
The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le
The Tree Doctor, by Marie Mutsuki Mockett
The Waves Take You Home A Novel by María Alejandra Barrios Vélez
A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Manila Takes Manhattan by Carla de Guzman
Maya’s Laws of Love A Novel by Alina Khawaja
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
The Weavers of Alamaxa by Hadeer Elsbai
There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
Here in the (Middle) of Nowhere by Anastacia-Reneé
I Finally Bought Some Jordans: Essays by Michael Arceneaux
Lessons for Survival: Mothering Against “The Apocalypse” by Emily Raboteau
James by Percival Everett
Infinity Kings by Adam Silvera
Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis

If you’ve read any of these books, please let me know what you thought of them. And if you have any book recommendations, I’d love to hear them in the comments below. Happy reading, everyone!