Spotlight on the Africana Studies Collection
In Celebration of Black History Month
The theme of the 2026 Black History Month is “A Century of Black History Commemorations.” Commemorations are acts of remembering, honoring, and uplifting the people, events, and cultural contributions that have shaped Black history across generations. They remind us not only of the struggles and triumphs of our ancestors, but also of the remarkable individuals who continue to make strides for the betterment of the Black community today. To commemorate is to celebrate resilience, preserve memory, and inspire future progress.
We invite you to visit the San Diego State University Library’s Africana Studies Collection, which reflects the inspiration, knowledge, and pride of the African American and broader Africana diaspora. Within this collection, you can explore the richness and uniqueness of Africana heritage through books on history, culture, music, fashion, and culinary traditions. We also feature “coffee table” books with exquisite photography highlighting fashion, food, and artistry, as well as a diverse range of fiction—including historical fiction.
More Africana studies resources can be found at https://libguides.sdsu.edu/AfricanaStudies.
Titles of Historical Fiction from the Africana Studies Collection
The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips
This is the story from an era when life's possibilities for an African American were unimaginably different.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3616.H455 D37 2004
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A sweeping story about four women whose lives are shaped by love, longing, and pain.
Africana Studies Collection; PR9387.9.A34354 D74 2025
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson
The daughter of an affluent Black family pieces together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3623.I5456 G66 2025
Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray
Every Negro writer in the country wants their work published in the Crisis, the magazine now known for its groundbreaking poetry and short stories. Jessie's rising star is shining bright.... But her relationship with W.E.B. could jeopardize all that she's built.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3563.U795 H37 2025
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
A sweeping multigenerational novel tracing the legacy of slavery from 18th‑century Ghana to present‑day America.
Perfect if you enjoy: family sagas and deeply rooted historical storytelling.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3607.Y37 H66 2016
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
A lyrical, haunting novel set in the era of enslavement, infused with history and spiritual elements.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3623.A7323 L48 2023
Life and other love songs by Anissa Gray
In a gripping narrative that moves from the Great Migration to 1970s Detroit and 1990s New York, we follow the hopes, triumphs, losses, and secrets that build up and tear apart an American family.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3607.R3876 L54 2023
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
A fascinating story about Belle da Costa Greene, J.P. Morgan’s brilliant librarian who passed as white to build one of the world’s most important collections.
Perfect if you enjoy: hidden identity, early 20th‑century society, strong female protagonists.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3620.E75 P47 2021
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
A classic blending myth, history, and the search for identity within African American heritage.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3563.O8749 S6 1995
The Sweetness of Water: a novel by Nathan Harris
Equal parts beauty and terror, as gripping as it is moving, The Sweetness of Water is an epic whose grandeur locates humanity and love amid the most harrowing circumstances. Africana Studies Collection; PS3608.A783263 S94 2021
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb
A gripping page-turner about a professor who uncovers a shocking secret about the most famous American composer of all time--that his music was stolen from a young Black composer named Josephine Reed.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3619.L645 S96 2023
The Underground Railroad, a novel by Colson Whitehead
Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3573.H4768 U53 2016
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Not strictly historical fiction but spans decades, exploring themes of passing, identity, and generational secrets.
Perfect if you enjoy: stories of racial complexity and family identity.
Africana Studies Collection PS3602.E66444 V36 2020
The Water Dancer: a novel by Ta-Nehisi Coates
This novel is a blend of historical fiction with elements of magical realism, offering a unique perspective on slavery and the Underground Railroad.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3603.O17 W38 2019
Wild Women and the blues by Denny S. Bryce
The story of courage, ambition, hot jazz, and illicit passions spanning the decades between Chicago’s Black Renaissance and our modern day.
Africana Studies Collection; PS3602.R965 W55 2021
You are invited to visit the Africana Studies Collection on the 3rd floor of Love Library to explore a wide range of titles across multiple genres!
Gloria Rhodes, Africana Studies Subject Librarian, 2026
