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Over 7,000 people in the United States make their living as an author. Of those, just under six percent are Black, says Zippia.com. Meanwhile, the US Census reports that Black individuals make up over 13 percent of the population. That discrepancy is a major issue. Literature is such an important tool in our society. It creates pathways for people to understand each other. It’s a vehicle for empathy and compassion. And that is why it is critical that the demographics of authors are as diverse as the population of this country.
If literature doesn’t equally amplify the voices of everyone, then prejudice and closed-mindedness will always prevail because literature is the only thing some people have to understand people outside of their communities. A handful of companies have dedicated themselves to making sure the voices of Black authors are spread more widely through curated Black literature subscription boxes. If you’re still looking for some summer reads to take you into fall, sign up for one of these.
HUES Book Box
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The HUES Book Box contains books and craft pieces like candles and prints created by BIPOC authors and artists. Its curators strive to encourage readers to explore new cultures around the globe and the featured books are by lesser-known BIPOC writers. You can choose to receive one box over three months, two boxes over six months or four boxes over 12 months, so customizing the box to your reading speed is easy.
ReadHer
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If you’re looking for a good juicy romance novel to get lost in on your beach vacation or escape to on your lunch break, check out ReadHer. It features romance novels by indie Black female authors. When you support ReadHer, you also support the ambitious and impressive mind behind it. Ashley, the company’s CEO, started her subscription service during the pandemic when she was underwhelmed by the diversity found in the subscription book boxes she’d been ordering. When Ashley isn’t curating her next box, she serves as the director of a Black student center at a university.
Call Number
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If you want a book box curated by someone who has their finger on the pulse of the literary world, look no further than the Call Number. A working librarian curates this box, which is meant to help you build your personal library of Black literature. Each month you’ll receive newly released books from a diverse array of Black authors. You can choose between four genres: fiction, nonfiction, young adult and indie.
Beauty And A Book Box
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The Beauty and a Book Box is the ultimate at-home self-care night kit. The company’s founder and CEO, Nisha, saw the potential for total harmony between literature and beauty so she teamed up with cosmetologists, nurses and educators to put together this fun and luxurious box. Each one contains a book from a Black author as well as a generous amount of beauty and spa products. If you’re down for a night of relaxing with a face mask on and sticking your nose in a great novel or biography, this is the box for you.
Iamblacklit Box
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The Iamblacklit Box aims to bring your attention to up-and-coming Black authors as well as connect subscribers to Black culture through the three to five additional items included that either carry Black historical or traditional significance. Readers can choose to get fiction or non-fiction books, plus there’s an Iamblacklit Box for men as well as the Believers box, for those looking for faith-based books. The company’s founder Nia-Tayler Clark is a teacher and mother. Clark felt compelled to start her subscription box when she realized the lack of Black voices in literature directly correlates to the literacy gap in this country and wanted to do her part in changing that.
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