Cree’s Fall Picks
Cree Myles, the curator of All Ways Black, breaks down her must-read picks for this fall. Which one will you read first?
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1
Add to BookshelfThe Disappearers
by Marlon James
Marlon James is an auto-buy for me. I always love when a writer commits to writing about place, and in this, he plants you firmly and beautifully in Jamaica.
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$32.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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2
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My Person
by TĂ©a Mutonji
Any literary fiction that centers on interpersonal relationships and the quiet ways we betray each other? Sign me up! Mutonji also did something really impressive in her critique of interracial relationships, too. This is a must-read.
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$30.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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3
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The Unhaunting
by Micaiah Johnson
This story centers around the idea that peace, like everything, comes with a price. I love social horror and think this is perfect for fall if you, like me, are a horror girlie.
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$28.00Preorder from:
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4
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Take What You Can: A GMA Book Club Pick
by Naima Coster
This one, like My Person, centers on a friendship, but it examines how we change and heal within a relationship. I’m really excited for this one, as it was picked up by Good Morning America, and they’ve never let me down.
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$30.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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5
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Take My Word for It
by LeVar Burton
If you, like me, credit your love for reading to LeVar Burton, you’re going to want to pick this one up immediately. He traces the different eras of his life while also musing on what we owe each other and our ancestors. It’s beautiful.
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$32.00Preorder from:
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6
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Every Story Is a Love Story
by Imbolo Mbue
I think one of literature’s superpowers is its ability to give us language for the harder moments, and that’s what Every Story Is a Love Story offers us. Mbue explores themes around regret and grief in this novel, along with beautiful offerings of healing and repair.
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$32.00Preorder from:
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7
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I, Medusa
by Ayana Gray
Greek mythology where Medusa has dreadlocks? Please say less. This was a 2025 NPR book of the year for good reason. Gray is one of the rising voices in Black fantasy, and she never disappoints.
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$30.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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8
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American Nightmare
by Kelly McWilliams
Honest and unflinching, this is a fictional retelling of the incidents Walter White, a civil rights activist who led the NAACP for a quarter of a century, had to survive while he held his position.
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$29.00Preorder from:
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9
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The Portable Charles W. Chesnutt
by Charles W. Chesnutt
I think it should be a rule that you can’t do Halloween season without a Chesnutt short. I revisit this collection every fall, and I hope you all will join me this year!
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$23.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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10
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Beetlecreek
by William Demby
I discovered Demby this year, and Beetlecreek has been one of my favorite reads of 2026.
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$17.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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11
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dem
by William Melvin Kelley
Working to be a Kelley completionist, and this is what’s up next. Not his crown jewel, but very on brand for him: A satire that explores how the legacy of slavery affects whiteness in America. I can’t wait.
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$16.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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12
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Through the Ivory Gate
by Rita Dove
Can you believe that I’ve never read any Rita Dove? I’m so excited to dive into this one. It’s her debut, which she wrote after she won the Pulitzer for poetry.
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$21.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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13
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Deep Sightings & Rescue Missions
by Toni Cade Bambara
We all need a little more Bambara in our lives, am I right? I’m excited for this collection because you still get the rigor of Bambara’s language and thought without the commitment of a full-length novel.
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$19.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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14
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Rainbow Milk
by Paul Mendez
Jamaica appears on the list once again, but this time it centers on a coming-of-age ex-boxer. I’ve wanted to read this one for years, and it feels like the perfect fall read.
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$18.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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15
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The Blacker the Berry . . .
by Wallace Thurman
This is considered both canon and one of the most controversial pieces of literature created during the Harlem Renaissance. I can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about.
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$14.00Buy from Other Retailers:
