Recs if you like Invisible Man...

I've seen so many people say they don't read classics as they aren't diverse, and I wanted to give some suggestions that are.

This is a list of classics written by authors who are not Straight, Cis, White, and Men as the title suggests. I am also aiming to include a variety of cultures and regions in this list. If your looking for something more focused (e.g. diverse US classics) check out the lists I posted in the comments.

Suggestions are more than welcome!

Based on the list/book published in 2006, general editor Peter Boxall.

this is your reminder to read books by Black authors all month, all year, every year— not just during Black History Month. it’s crucially important to be able to diversify your reading and your bookshelves. expand your mind, your perspectives, your knowledge, and your taste. if you don’t know where to start, here are some recommendations!

they call me hell, they call me Stacy, they call me her, they call me Jane…that’s not my name!!!

this is a list of books featuring characters without a name

as always, taking any and all suggestions!!

novels, poetry, literary criticism, and history books by Black authors referenced in Farah Jasmine Griffin’s Read Until You Understand; The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature — forming a type of Black literary canon

Beautiful books for when your monthly reading roundup needs a little facelift 😉

A list of Banned or Censored books (from around the world) that I want to read and form my own opinions about...

Essential literature by African American authors that changed the world, but somehow none of us were expected to read in school. Note: Most of these are available for free from Project Gutenberg.

Inspired by some comments I saw regarding classics being too straight white male oriented. There are lots of classics that aren't, but unfortunately don't always get as much recognition. Hoping this list might help those interested expand their range of classics. Non-exhaustive and taking suggestions!

Marilyn Monroe was known as an avid reader with a deep love of literature. She took literature courses at UCLA, married a playwright, and was (in?)famously photographed reading Ulysses in a park. It's said that her divorce to Arthur Miller stemmed from an incident in which he insulted her intelligence. Supposedly, she amassed a 1000+ book collection at the height of her reading that she was very proud of. Here are the books known to be a part of her beloved personal library.

A curation of Black classic novels, poems, essays, and more from across the diaspora. Fiction and Non-Fiction. More will be added, recs welcome.

The most popular book of each year according to Goodreads (Posted by Sharon on April 1, 2025). In order of oldest (1925) to newest (2024)

Not exhaustive but literary fiction with Black American authors .

Will continue to update with time

Last updated 10.11.2025

This list features book covers illustrated/designed by Pennsylvania-based artist Jim Tierney. Tierney's illustrations feature sweeping textures, dramatic lighting, and bold, nostalgic text design, as you will definitely note while scrolling through this list. Please note that in some cases, his work is one of multiple versions of cover art for the same book, so it may appear as a different version here than the one he illustrated. In some cases I have avoided adding specific versions to curb confusion.

books to hate-read, recommended by the pagebound club comments

people hate the character(s) but they couldn't put the book down 😋

(antihero, villain protagonist, unreliable narrator, etc.)

boo!! tomato tomato!! 🍅🍅🍅

A list published by The Guardian on 5/16/2026, as voted on by authors, critics, and academics worldwide.

The Guardian Top 100 Best Novels

Time Magazine’s All-Time Best 100 English Language Novels from 1923 to 2005 as published in 2005.

A list of books to help you assimilate different perpectives - in politics, sociology, race studies, humanities, real history, psychology.

Books you might need in order to become "disgustingly educated" on various topics that concern all of us.

As always, anything must be taken with a grain of salt, even when it's a perspective we agree with ⚠️

Never forget 😸