2007

Marita Golden. After, a Novel

After joining the police force and building a family with his wife, Bunny, Carson Blake is finally in control of his life in the enclave where African American wealth and privilege share the same zip code with Black American crime and tragedy. Both Carson and his wife have great careers and three beautiful children. Then, one night, Carson stops a young black man for speeding. The man pulls something from his waistband. Three shots are fired, one man dies, and two families are in turmoil.

2006

Martha Southgate. Third Girl from the Left

This novel tells a story of African-American women struggling against all odds to express what lies deepest in their hearts.

2005

Diane McKinney-Whetstone. Leaving Cecil Street

It is 1969 and Cecil Street is "feeling some kind of way," so the residents decide to have two block parties this year. These energetic, sensual street celebrations serve as backdrop to the stories of the people on the block.

2004

Barbara Chase-Rihoud. Hottentot Venus

Chase-Riboud recounts the tragic life of Sarah Baartman, re-creating in vivid, shocking detail the racism and sexism at the heart of European imperialism.

2003

Jewell Parker Rhodes. Douglass' Women

The critically acclaimed author of "Voodoo Dreams" brings to life the fortunes of two actual 19th-century women who fell in love with the legendary Frederick Douglass. Against a background marked by a burgeoning women's rights movement, the disastrous raid on Harper's Ferry, and the Civil War, "Douglass' Women" is an unforgettable epic full of heartache and triumph.

2002

Pearl Cleage. I Wish I Had a Red Dress

As seen in this follow-up to What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, Ava's sister, Joyce, has never been flamboyant; she has never owned a red dress or experienced the kind of life that goes with it. But now after many years of selfless service to others, there's an unmistakable hint of romance on the wind.

2001

Paule Marshall. The Fisher King

A moving and revelatory story of jazz, love, family conflict, and the artist's struggles in society.

2000

Valerie Wilson Wesley. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do

In a bold new storytelling direction, the bestselling author of the popular Tamara Hayle mysteries tells an insightful, poignant story. When her husband of ten years leaves her, a woman finds comfort in the arms of a 28-year-old jazz musician.

1999

Gayl Jones. The Healing

The story of Harlan Jane Eagleton's transformation from a minor rock star's manager to a traveling faith healer, "The Healing" is a lyrical and at times humorous exploration of the struggle to let go of pain, anger, and even love.

1998

Sandra Jackson-Opoku. The River Where Blood Is Born

"Part folktale, part spiritual, part modern romance" (Library Journal), this epic sage takes readers on a journey along a river of one family's history, from ancient Africa into today's America to tell a story of love and loss, ambition and despair.

1997

Florence Ladd. Sarah's Psalm

In this searing first novel, author Florence Ladd tells the story of Sarah Stewart, a young black Harvard graduate whose growing interest in Africa and declining interest in her failing marriage lead her down a path of self-discovery, love, and the choice between loyalty and truth.

1996

Walter Mosley. RL's Dream

RL's Dream is a novel about the blues - the blues as an expression of black poetry and black tragedy and how they sit in judgment on the American experience.

1995

Maxine Clair. Rattlebone

In Rattlebone, a "fictional" black community north of Kansas City, the smell of manure and bacon from Armour's Packing House is everywhere; Shady Maurice's roadhouse plays the latest jazz, the best eggs are sold by the Red Quanders, and gospel rules at the Strangers Rest Baptist Church.

1994

Ernest J. Gaines. A Lesson Before Dying

Black schoolteacher, Grant Wiggins, restores a sense of dignity to Jefferson, a black man wrongly condemned to die. The setting is a small 1940s Cajun Louisiana community.