We created this list to promote Black authored leadership books. This list is meant to be a resource, not an official endorsement and the books listed are in alphabetical order. Check out our other leadership book lists by authors who identify as LGBTQIA+, AANHPI, Native American, Women, and Hispanic/ Latino/ Latinx. View all of our leadership book lists here.
- 12 Notes: On Life and Creativity – Quincy Jones
- 50 Billion Dollar Boss: African American Women Sharing Stories of Success in Entrepreneurship and Leadership – Kathey Porter
- 9 Laws of Success: Attracting the Life, Love, Health & Success You Want! – Stormy Wellington
- A Conscious Leadership Collective Volume I: Leading From Within: Ceasing and Desisting the Internal BS – Chantée L. Christian (editor)
- A Good Cry, What we Learn from Tears and Laughter – Nikki Giovanni
- A Lucky Man – Jamel Brinkley
- A Promised Land – Barack Obama
- A Seat at the C-Suite Table: Insights from the leadership Journeys of African American Executives – Chuck Wallington, PhD
- A Way Out of No Way: A Memoir of Truth, Transformation, and the New American Story – Raphael Warnock
- Acting Up: Winning in Business and in Life Using Down-Home Wisdom – Janice Bryant Howroyd
- After the Rain: Gentle Reminders for Healing, Courage, and Self-Love – Alexandra Elle
- Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism – Bell Hooks
- Air Traffic: A Memoir of Ambition and Manhood in America – Gregory Pardlo
- All About Love – Bell Hooks
- All That She Carried – Tiya Miles
- Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution – Elie Mystal
- American Imam: From Pop Stardom to Prison Abolition – Taymullah Abdur-Rahman
- Anchored, Aligned, Accountable: A Framework for Transcending Bullsh*t and Transforming Our Lives and Work – Aiko Bethea
- And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self – Common
- Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work – Jodi-Ann Burey
- Bad Feminist – Roxane Gay
- Balancing Work and Life: The Nia Guide for Black Women – Sheryl Huggins & Cheryl Mayberry McKissack
- Bamboozled: How God Tricked Me into the Life of My Dreams – Yvonne Orji
- Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” – Zora Neale Hurston
- Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World – Ijeoma Oluo
- Beating the Odds: Eddie Brown’s Investing and Life Strategies – Eddie Brown
- Becoming – Michelle Obama
- Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid – Mikaila Ulmer
- Believe Bigger: Discover the Path to Your Life Purpose – Marshawn Evans Daniels
- Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do – Jennifer Eberhardt
- Black AF History: The Un-whitewashed Story of America – Michael Harriot
- Black and White: The Way I See It – Richard Williams
- Black Business Secrets: 500 Tips, Strategies, and Resources for the African American Entrepreneur – Dante Lee
- Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists – Leah Penniman
- Black Entrepreneur Survival Guide: The Complete Guide to Becoming a Successful African American Entrepreneur – Dunneille D. Anderson
- Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness – Randal Pinkett & Jeffrey Robinson
- Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit – Mary-Frances Winters
- Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires – Shomari Wills
- Black Founder: The Hidden Power of Being an Outsider – Stacy Spikes
- Black Futures – Kimberly Drew & Jenna Wortham
- Black Girls Rock!: Owning Our Magic, Rocking Our Truth – Beverly Bond
- Black Power Inc.: The New Voices of Success – Cora Daniels
- Black Titan: A.G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire – Carol Jenkins & Elizabeth Gardner Hines
- Black Wall Street: From Riot to Renaissance in Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District – Hannibal B. Johnson
- Black Women Taught Us: An Intimate History of Black Feminism – Jenn M. Jackson, PhD
- Black, White, and The Grey – Mashama Bailey & John O. Morisano
- Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking – Malcolm Gladwell
- Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood – Trevor Noah
- Boss Bride: The Powerful Woman’s Playbook for Love and Success – Charreah Jackson
- Bridges to Heal US: Stories and Strategies for Racial Healing – Erin Jones
- Building Atlanta: How I Broke Through Segregation to Launch a Business Empire – Herman J. Russell
- Burn the Blueprint: Reject the Lies, Embrace the In-Between, and Begin Again – Carlos Whittaker
- Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel – Loretta Ross
- CEO of My Soul: The Self-Love Journey of a Small Business Owner – Nic Cober Esquire
- Chasing Youth Culture and Getting it Right: How Your Business Can Profit by Tapping Today’s Most Powerful Trendsetters and Tastemakers – Tina Wells
- Climb: Taking Every Step with Conviction, Courage, and Calculated Risk to Achieve a Thriving Career and a Successful Life – Michelle Gadsden-Williams & Carolyn M. Brown
- Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in A White World – Wil Haygood
- Constructing a Nervous System – Margo Jefferson
- Conversations in Black: On Power, Politics, and Leadership – Ed Gordon
- Crazy as Hell: The Best Little Guide to Black History – Hoke S. Glover & V. Efua Prince
- David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants – Malcolm Gladwell
- Death of Innocence – Christopher Benson & Mamie Till-Mobley
- Decoded – Jay-Z
- DEI-ing: A Guide to Navigating the Gotdamn Mess They’ve Made of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Dr. Cheryl Ingram
- Display of Power – Daymond John
- Double Down: Bet on Yourself and Succeed on Your Own Terms – Antionette M. Clarke & Tricia Clarke-Stone
- Driven by Intention: Own Your Purpose, Gain Power, and Pursue Your Passion as a Woman at Work – Michelle Gadsden-Williams
- Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less – Tiffany Dufu
- Eartha & Kitt: A Daughter’s Love Story in Black and White – Kitt Shapiro
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower – Brittney Cooper
- Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds – adrienne maree brown
- Everybody’s Got Something – Robin Roberts & Veronica Chambers
- Everyday Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth – And How You Can Too – Chris Hogan
- Expect to Win: Proven Strategies for Success From a Wall Street Vet – Carla A. Harris
- Feeding the Soul – Tabitha Brown
- Finding Me: A Memoir – Viola Davis
- Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward – Valerie Jarrett
- Fire Shut Up in My Bones – Charles Blow
- First Things First: Hip-Hop Ladies Who Changed the Game – Nadirah Simmons
- From the Hood to the Holler: A Story of Separate Worlds, Shared Dreams, and the Fight for America’s Future – Charles Booker
- FutureProofed: How to Navigate Disruptive Change, Find Calm in Chaos, and Succeed in Work & Life – Natalia Peart
- Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole – Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche
- Get the F Out Your Own Way: A Guide to Letting Go of the Sh*t that’s Holding You Back* – MJ Harris
- Get Up And Get On It: A Black Entrepreneur’s Lessons on Creating Legacy and Wealth – Dana Frank
- Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic – Sonja Thomas & Lilly Workneh
- Gracism: The Art of Inclusion – Dr. David A. Anderson
- Green Power: The Successful Way of A.G. Gaston – A.G. Gaston
- Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law – Haben Girma
- Heavy: An American Memoir – Kiese Laymon
- Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race – Margot Lee Shetterly
- Hood Feminist: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot – Mikki Kendall
- How Boards Work and How They Can Work Better in a Chaotic World – Dambisa Moyo
- How to Be an Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi
- How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office: The Anti-Politics, Un-Boring Guide to Power – adrienne maree brown (eds)
- How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir – Shayla Lawson
- How to Succeed in Business Without Being White: Straight Talk on Making It in America – Earl G. Graves
- How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community – Mia Birdsong
- Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body – Roxane Gay
- I Did a New Thing: 30 Days to Living Free – Tabitha Brown
- I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction – Kidada E. Williams
- Ida B. Wells Marches for the Vote – Dinah Johnson
- Illogical: Saying Yes to a Life Without Limits – Emmanuel Acho
- I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual – Luvvie Ajayi
- I’m Not Yelling – Elizabeth Leiba
- I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness – Austin Channing Brown
- I’m That Girl – Jordan Chiles
- Impolite Conversations: On Race, Politics, Sex, Money, and Religion – Cora Daniels & John L. Jackson Jr.
- In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose – Alice Walker
- Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl – Harriet Jacobs
- Inside Out: The Equity Leader’s Guide to Undoing Institutional Racism – Caprice D. Hollins
- Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man’s Education Book – Mychal Denzel Smith
- It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership – Colin Powell
- It’s About Damn Time – Arlan Hamilton
- It’s About Time: The Art of Choosing the Meaningful Over the Urgent – Valorie Burton
- Just As I Am – Cicely Tyson
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
- Know What Makes Them Tick: How to Successfully Negotiate Almost Any Situation – Shonda Rhimes
- Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change – Stacey Abrams
- Leadership Unlocked: Harness the Power of Your Ambition – Jesse Rhodes
- Leslie F*cking Jones: A Memoir – Leslie Jones
- Let Love Rule – Lenny Kravitz
- Life Coaching for Successful Women: Powerful Questions, Practical Answers – Valorie Burton
- Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina – Misty Copeland
- Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women – Otegha Uwagba
- Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America – James Forman, Jr.
- Love and Rage – Lama Rod Owens
- Love Leadership: The New Way to Lead in a Fear Based World – John Hope Bryant
- Lovely One: A Memoir – Ketanji Brown Jackson
- Lovesong: Becoming a Jew – Julius Lester
- Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum – Antonia Hylton
- Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative – Keke Palmer
- Meaty: Essays – Samantha Irby
- Men We Reaped – Jesmyn Ward
- Mental Detox: The Power and Guidance to Implement Peace, Joy, Balance, and Financial Abundance in Your Life – Cheyenne Bryant
- Miles: The Autobiography – Miles Davis
- Miss Jessie’s: Creating a Successful Business From Scratch — Naturally – Miko Branch
- Mom & Me & Mom – Maya Angelou
- More Myself: A Journey – Alicia Keys
- More than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) – Elaine Welteroth
- More Than Pretty: Doing the Soul Work that Uncovers Your True Beauty – Erica Campbell
- Mo’s Bows: A Young Person’s Guide to Start-up Success – Moziah Bridges & Tramica Morris
- My Bondage and My Freedom – Frederick Douglass
- My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies – Resmaa Menakem
- My Life: Queen of the Court – Serena Williams
- My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing & Hope – Karamo Brown
- Nothing is Missing: A Memoir of Living Boldly – Nicole Walters
- Nothing Personal – James Baldwin
- Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements – adrienne maree brown (eds)
- Of Greed and Glory: In Pursuit of Freedom for All – Deborah G. Plant
- On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope – DeRay Mckesson
- On Thriving: Harnessing Joy Through Life’s Great Labors – Brandi Sellerz-Jackson
- Our Brave Foremothers: Celebrating 100 Black, Brown, Asian & Indigenous Women Who Changed the Course of History – Rozella Kennedy
- Outliers: The Story of Success – Malcolm Gladwell
- Own Your Phenomenal Self: A Guide on Character, Success, & Leadership – Rita P. Mitchell
- Playing the Game Without a Coach: How Courage, Resilience and Forgiveness Helped One Man Seize the American Dream – Benjamin Raymond
- Please Don’t Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes – Phoebe Robinson
- Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good – adrienne maree brown
- Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler – Susana M. Morris
- Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks – Crystal Wilkinson
- Produced by Faith: Enjoy Real Success Without Losing Your True Self – DeVon Franklin
- Professional Troublemaker: The Fear Fighter Manual – Luvvie Ajayi Jones
- Purple Harvest: Planting Goals, Growing Truths – Dr. Rashonda Harris
- Purpose Driven Leadership: Building and Fostering Effective Teams – Brigette Tasha Hyacinth
- Quantum Leaps: 10 Steps to Help You Soar – Gloria Mayfield Banks
- Queer Eye: Love Yourself, Love Your Life – Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Jonathan Van Ness, Bobby Berk, & Karamo Brown
- Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation – Rev Angel Kyodo Williams
- Reach: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading, and Succeeding – Ben Jealous & Trabian Shorters
- Reimagine Equity: Leading Strategically to Fulfill the Promise of DEI – James Whitfield & Kristen Whitfield
- Responsible Marketing – Lola Bakare
- Revelations: The Autobiography of Alvin Ailey – Alvin Ailey & A. Peter Bailey
- Right Within: How to Heal From Racial Trauma in the Workplace – Minda Harts
- Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life – Daymond John & Daniel Paisner
- Self-Esteem is the New Black: How to become the confident woman you have always wanted to be! – Monique Mays
- Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself – Nedra Glover Tawwab
- Singing Away the Hunger – Mpho ‘M’atsepo Nthunya
- Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches – Audre Lorde
- Small Doses: Potent Truths for Everyday Use – Amanda Seales
- So You Want to Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo
- Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir – Ashley C. Ford
- Speaking Truth to Power – Anita Hill
- Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America – Ibram X. Kendi
- Standing Above the Crowd – James Donaldson
- Starting at Zero – Jimi Hendrix
- Strategize to Win: The New Way to Start Out, Step Up, or Start Over in Your Career – Carla Harris
- Strength to Love – Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Success Is A Side Effect: Leadership, Relationships, and Selective Amnesia – Moe Anderson
- Success Never Smelled So Sweet: How I Followed My Nose and Found My Passion – Lisa Price & Hilary Beard
- Successful Women Think Differently: 9 Habits to Make You Happier, Healthier & More Resilient – Valorie Burton
- Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All – Russell Simmons
- Swimming with Sharks in Dark Waters – Athene Brinson
- Talk it Up!: A Guide to Successful Public Speaking – David Suk Brown & Danny Suk Brown
- Talk to Me Nice: The Seven Trust Languages for a Better Workplace – Minda Harts
- The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story – Nikole Hannah-Jones
- The Art of Ronin Leadership – Mike Howard
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcolm X & Alex Haley
- The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell – W. Kamau Bell
- The Beautiful Ones – Prince
- The Black Girl’s Guide to Financial Freedom: Build Wealth, Retire Early, and Live the Life of Your Dreams – Paris Woods
- The Black Woman Millionaire: A Revolutionary Act that DEFIES Impossible – Dr. Venus Opal Reese
- The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love – Sonya Renee Taylor
- The Book of Awesome Black Americans – Monique Jones
- The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother – James McBride
- The Complete Quincy Jones: My Journey & Passions – Quincy Jones
- The Dead Don’t Need Reminding – Julian Randall
- The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto – Charles Blow
- The Elevation Approach – Tina Wells
- The Extraordinary Power of Leader Humility – Marilyn Gist
- The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin
- The Gatekeepers Are Gone: Hustle + Technology = Success – Lamar Tyler
- The Hill We Climb – Amanda Gorman
- The Last Black Unicorn – Tiffany Haddish
- The Light We Carry – Michelle Obama
- The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women – Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood, & Rhonda Joy McLean
- The Memo: Five Rules for Your Economic Liberation – John Hope Bryant
- The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table – Minda Harts
- The Mentor Leader – Tony Dungy
- The Merchant Prince of Black Chicago: Anthony Overton and the Building of a Financial Empire – Robert E. Weems
- The Mind of a Winner – Steve Canal
- The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl – Issa Rae
- The One Week Budget – Tiffany Aliche
- The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose – Oprah Winfrey
- The Perfect Day to Boss Up – Rick Ross & Neil Martinez-Belkin
- The Power of Broke – Daymond John
- The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart – Alicia Garza
- The Pursuit of Happyness – Chris Gardner
- The Race Whisperer: Barack Obama and the Political Uses of Race – Melanye Price
- The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery – Sarah Lewis
- The Road to Someplace Better: From the Segregated South to Harvard Business School and Beyond – Lillian Lincoln Lambert
- The Secrets to Success: When You Want to Succeed as Bad as You Want to Breathe – Eric Thomas
- The Souls of Queer Folk: How Understanding LGBTQ+ Culture Can Transform Your Leadership Practice – Dr. Joel A. Davis Brown
- The Source of Self-Regard – Toni Morrison
- The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference – Malcolm Gladwell
- The Transformational Consumer – Tara-Nicholle Nelson
- The Truths We Hold: An American Journey – Kamala Harris
- The Urgent Life – Bozoma Saint John
- The Wealth Choice: Secret Success of Black Millionaires – Dennis Kimbro
- The Work: Searching for a Life that Matters – Wes Moore
- These Wilds Beyond Our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home – Bayo Akomolafe
- Thick: And Other Essays – Tressie McMillan Cottom
- This Is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism – Don Lemon
- Transforming Ethnic and Race-Based Traumatic Stress with Yoga: Rest, Reflect, Renew – Gail Parker
- Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Own Terms – Shellye Archambeau
- Unbowed – Wangari Maathai
- Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man – Emmanuel Acho
- Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals – Alexis Pauline Gumbs
- Unprecedented: The Masters and Me – Tiger Woods & Lorne Rubenstein
- Up from Nothing: The Untold Story of How We (All) Succeed – John Hope Bryant
- Upper Hand: The Future of Work for the Rest of Us – Sherrell Dorsey
- We Are Bridges – Cassandra Lane
- We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power – Rachel Rodgers
- We Will Not Cancel Us – adrienne maree brown
- Werk 101: Get Your Life Together Guide – Koereyelle DuBose
- What I Know for Sure – Oprah Winfrey
- When Leadership Matters – Robert Britten
- When the Miracle Drops: How Instagram Helped Turn a Quick Fix Into a Million-Dollar Product – Jessica Dupart
- Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- Where You Are is Not Who You Are – Ursula Burns
- White Girls – Hilton Als
- Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun? – Reginald Lewis & Blair S. Walker
- Wildflower: A Memoir – Aurora James
- Will – Will Smith
- Women of Color in Tech: A Blueprint for Inspiring and Mentoring the Next Generation of Technology Innovators – Susanne Tedrick
- Worthy – Jada Pinkett Smith
- Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death and Redemption in an American Prison – Shaka Senghor
- Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person – Shonda Rhimes
- You Are Before the World: Lessons on Doing Good without Being Undone – Tara Jaye Frank
- You Got This!: Unleash Your Awesomeness, Find Your Path, and Change Your World – Maya Penn
- You Owe You: Ignite Your Power, Your Purpose, and Your Why – Eric Thomas, PhD
- Your Next Level Life: 7 Rules of Power, Confidence, and Opportunity for Black Women in America – Karen Arrington
- You’ve Got to Be Hungry: The Greatness Within to Win – Les Brown
- Zami: A New Spelling of My Name – Audre Lorde
We put a lot of work curating this list. If you appreciate it, please like it and share it with others.
