Penguin Random House logo

Announcements
  • News
  • Social Impact
  • In-Depth Stories
  • Management
  • Locations
  • Company history
  • Compliance
    • Compliance
    • Product Safety

NEWS

Multiple PRH Titles on Essence’s 50 Most Impactful Black Books of the Last 50 Years

Share this story with your world:

Essence magazine, celebrating its 50th year in 2020, has chosen the 50 most impactful Black books of the last 50 years. Joi-Marie McKenzie writes, “A good book ensures that one’s story is never erased … these titles have captivated and moved us, searing themselves into memory with their fierce truth-telling and leaving us so much richer than before. From first-person narratives that tell a singular story to inspirational picture books for your little ones, these 50 books celebrate the full humanity of Blackness.”

Here are the books on the Essence list published by Penguin Random House imprints:

  • AND STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou (Random House)
  • FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF by Ntozake Shange (Bantam)
  • THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS by Rebecca Skloot (Crown)
  • BLACK MACHO AND THE MYTH OF THE SUPERWOMAN by Michele Wallace (The Dial Press)
  • BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates (One World)
  • WHITE TEETH by Zadie Smith (Random House)
  • DREAMS FROM MY FATHER by Barack Obama (Crown)
  • BECOMING by Michelle Obama (Crown)
  • SONG OF SOLOMON by Toni Morrison (Vintage)
  • ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY by Mildred D. Taylor (Puffin)
  • WAITING TO EXHALE by Terry McMillan (Berkley)
  • BELOVED by Toni Morrison (Knopf)
  • SISTER, SISTER by Eric Jerome Dickey (Dutton)
  • HOMEGOING by Yaa Gyasi (Knopf/Vintage)
  • BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy Paulsen Books)
  • THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday/Anchor)
  • HAIR LOVE by Matthew A. Cherry and illustrated by Vashti Harrison (Kokila)
  • TAR BEACH by Faith Ringgold  (Alfred A. Knopf BFYR)
  • THE PEOPLE COULD FLY: AMERICAN BLACK FOLKTALES by Virginia Hamilton (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
  • IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK by James Baldwin (Vintage)
  • THE COLOR PURPLE by Alice Walker (Penguin Books)

To view Essence’s complete 50 Most Impactful Black Books of the Last 50 Years list, click here.


Posted: July 30, 2020

Popular Company News

Matthew McConaughey to Embark on POEMS & PRAYERS Book Tour

July 31, 2025

Academy Award-winning actor, bestselling author, and cultural storyteller Matthew McConaughey will hit the road in September for a five-city tour to celebrate the publication of his…

Berkley and Penguin Young Readers to Launch New Imprint, Berkley XO

July 10, 2025

Berkley and Penguin Young Readers will join forces to launch a new imprint, Berkley Crossover, to be branded as Berkley XO. It was announced on July…

Our 2025 Lambda Literary Award Finalists

July 31, 2025

For more than 30 years, the Lambda Literary Awards, affectionately known as the Lammys, have consistently recognized the major impact LGBTQ authors have made on the…

Random House to Publish a Book of Personal Photographs by George Harrison, Beatles Guitarist

July 14, 2025

Random House, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, will publish THE THIRD EYE, a book of personal photographs by renowned musician and Beatles guitarist…

Brandon Mull to Publish New Fantasy Series With Random House Children’s Books

August 4, 2025

Brandon Mull, beloved middle-grade author of the immensely successful Fablehaven, Dragonwatch, and Beyonders series, will publish a new epic fantasy series. It was announced today by…

Ashley Jordan’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN DOLLYWOOD Is Reese’s Book Club’s August Pick

August 5, 2025

Reese Witherspoon announced  on Tuesday, August 5, that the Reese’s Book Club August pick is ONCE UPON A TIME IN DOLLYWOOD (Berkley), the debut novel from Reese’s…

The 2025 Hugo Awards: THE TAINTED CUP Wins Best Novel

August 25, 2025

Recently, The 2025 Hugo Awards winners were announced at a ceremony at Seattle Worldcon 2025. THE TAINTED CUP by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey) brought home…

There’s a Book for That: Disability Pride Month

July 17, 2025

In July we celebrate Disability Pride Month to mark the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was the world's first comprehensive civil rights…

There’s a Book for That: Dog Days of Summer

July 31, 2025

The “Dog Days of Summer” have been unleashed on us, defined as “hot, sultry summer weather; also, a period of stagnation…the period between early July and…

  • Follow us on Twitter.
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of use
  • Compliance
  • Careers
  • Contact us
  • Site ©2013-2025 Penguin Random House