Recognizing #BiWeek With 6 Powerful Books By Black Bisexual Authors

woman reading books by black bisexual authors

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We live in a society that likes to put things and people in clean boxes that are easy to designate and organize. Bisexual individuals have never quite fit into those boxes, and as such, they’ve often been left out of conversations about rights and equality. Bisexual Pride Day serves to raise awareness of the social, economic and health disparities faced by the bisexual community (which does encompass sexually fluid and queer individuals).

Created by three bi activists from the U.S., Bisexual Pride Day also known as Bisexuality Day or Bi Visibility Day, kicked off on Sept. 23, 1999, and has been celebrated annually ever since. Literature has always been a powerful tool in providing a sense of connection. Authors have long been the souls brave enough to depict stories and share truths that much of mainstream media and conversations leave out. That could not be truer of Black bisexual authors and books. For this year’s Bisexual Pride, grab a comforting beverage in a cozy corner and curl up to one of these books written by Black bisexual authors.

Little & Lion

By Brandy Colbert

Get it on Amazon

An ambitious young adult novel that can appeal to older readers, Little & Lion explores coming of age and loyalty themes through its flawed but deeply lovable main character Suzette. It takes place in Los Angeles, where Suzette has just returned from boarding school in England. During her time back home, she struggles with the feelings she still has for her roommate back at boarding school, while simultaneously falling for the same girl that her brother likes, all the while assisting her brother with his battle with a new borderline personality disorder diagnosis. It’s the perfect storm for a young person to learn what they stand for and what it means to be there for people they love.

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Full Disclosure

By Camryn Garrett

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Full Disclosure handles a hybrid of heavy and light-hearted themes with incredible eloquence and masters a unique tone that’s hard for some authors to land. It tells the story of an HIV positive teenager who is facing all of the same age-appropriate trials and tribulations of a high school student, all the while being threatened with blackmail over her HIV status. Its main character, Simone, is bisexual with two dads and queer friends, making this an excellent book for parents or teachers wanting to normalize a diverse sexual landscape for their students or kids.

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The Color Purple

By Alice Walker

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You cannot discuss great literature without talking about Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. Walker was a bisexual activist at a time when it felt far from socially safe to be one. She’s one of the best Black bisexual authors of our time. The layered and moving story is told through letters and addresses. Tough issues such as poverty, racism and rape, all set to the backdrop of the deep racism of the South in the early to mid 1900s. The Color Purple also tells the story of the protagonist Celie’s same-sex relationship with a blues singer at a time when non-hetero-normative relationships could be anything from ridiculed to dangerous.

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Coffee Will Make You Black

By April Sinclair

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Coffee Will Make You Black takes place during the Civil Rights Era in Chicago and follows high school student Jean Stevenson as she grapples with her sexual fluidity all while facing school bullies and religious pressure to conform to a more “normal” lifestyle. Given its time period, it certainly addresses issues of racism head on and shows protagonist Jean finding her sense-of-self and worth among internal and social obstacles that are almost too much for someone her age to bear.

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Rise to the Sun

By Leah Johnson

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Described as “The queer prom romance you didn’t know you needed,” Rise to the Sun comes to us from the same author of You Should See Me In A Crown, which MADAMENOIRE listed as a top feel-good book by Black authors to read. Rise to the Sun could have easily made that list as well. It tells the story of young adult Olivia who has just lost her father and what feels like part of her identity. She attends a local music and arts festival to reconnect to her love of music. There she finds and feels a connection to Toni, and when an unexpected incident turns the festival on its head, the two have to rely on each other to make it through.

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The Days of Afrekete

By Asali Solomon

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The Days of Afrekete is a subtle but brilliant novel that explores ideas of how one’s life could have gone differently with one single choice, and how an individual we know for a short time can change us forever. It kicks off with one of its two main characters, Liselle, learning that her politician husband is facing corruption charges. During this revelation, she runs into an old college friend (or more?) Selena. The women dive back into memories of their past, and begin to find themselves through each other during a crossroads in the lives they didn’t mean to lead. The tone can only be described as human with some indisputably hilarious moments woven together with deeply meaningful ones.

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