The Best Self-Help Books by Black Authors

In an inspiring follow-up to her acclaimed memoir Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama shares practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world.

A revolutionary playbook for building generational wealth, no matter where you grew up — from the founders of the explosively popular podcast and financial literacy platform Earn Your Leisure.

From the bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace, a road map for understanding and moving past family struggles — and living your life, your way. Covering topics ranging from the trauma of emotional neglect, to the legacy of addicted or absent parents, to mental health struggles in siblings and other relatives, and more, this clear and compassionate guide will help you take control of your own life — and honor the person you truly are.

Shot Ready is a powerful distillation of Stephen Curry’s transformative philosophy of success — centered on preparation, constant improvement, creativity, connection, mindfulness, and joy — delivered in his incomparable voice and style. Stunningly designed and illustrated with more than 100 gorgeous photographs, Shot Ready is an intimate narrative and practical blueprint for any reader who wants to unlock their own potential.

A practical guide to aging and health for women who have felt ignored or marginalized by the medical profession, from a leading OB/GYN and expert on menopausal and post-reproductive health. In a tone that is lively and intimate but unflinchingly direct, Dr. Sharon Malone details how to live better, age better, and get better medical treatment, especially when it’s most needed. This is not a medical activism book designed to fight the power. This is a book designed to show women that they already have the power — they need only to increase their capacity and willingness to use it.

The billion-dollar Hollywood producer provides a master mentorship by sharing secrets to success honed from working with the biggest stars in the world. As Kevin Hart says of working with Will Packer: “I became a student and learned from the way he was moving. The man helped me grow and gave me the knowledge.” It’s time for you to start producing your own blockbuster life — by first believing there is no one more worthy of it than you.

In Build the Life You Want, Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey invite you to begin a journey toward greater happiness no matter how challenging your circumstances. Drawing on cutting-edge science and their years of helping people translate ideas into action, they show you how to improve your life right now instead of waiting for the outside world to change. You can get happier. And getting there will be the adventure of your lifetime.

For the child in all of us, a timeless illustrated story about connection and compromise brought to life with imagination, from the acclaimed author of Born a Crime.

No matter your story or your struggle, Eric Thomas — celebrated motivational guru, educator, and problem-solver to many of the top athletes and business leaders — will “help you work harder, discover your real motivation, and crack the code of enduring success” (Ed Mylett, bestselling author of The Power of One More). No matter where you are on your journey towards greatness, you owe it to yourself to become fully, authentically you. And Eric Thomas’s You Owe You can help you get there.

For years, Cole Arthur Riley was desperate for a spirituality she could trust. Amid ongoing national racial violence, the isolation of the pandemic, and a surge of anti-Black rhetoric in many Christian spaces, she began dreaming of a more human, more liberating expression of faith. She went on to create Black Liturgies, a digital project that connects spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black memory, and the Black body. For anyone asking what it means to be human in a world of both beauty and terror, Black Liturgies is a work of healing and empowerment, and a vision for what might be.

A groundbreaking, heart-centered road map for everyone who seeks greater fulfillment in their relationships — with family, friends, romantic partners, and themselves. Whether you are trying to level up a happy relationship or rebuild trust after an unhappy one, Matters of the Heart will empower you to connect to yourself and to others, heal your heart, and thrive in all areas of your life.

World-renowned activist and poet Sonya Renee Taylor invites us to reconnect with the radical origins of our minds and bodies and celebrate our collective, enduring strength. As we awaken to our own indoctrinated body shame, we feel inspired to awaken others and to interrupt the systems that perpetuate body shame and oppression against all bodies. When we act from this truth on a global scale, we usher in the transformative opportunity of radical self-love, which is the opportunity for a more just, equitable, and compassionate world — for us all.

The stars of the social media show The Ellises and hosts of the Webby Award-winning podcast Dead Ass with K&D share the core pillars of their relationship as millennial lovers and parents that have allowed them to thrive.

A ten-step plan for finding peace, safety, and harmony with your money — no matter how big or small your goals and no matter how rocky the market might be — by the inspiring and savvy “Budgetnista.” An invaluable guide to cultivating good financial habits and making your money work for you, Get Good with Money will help you build a solid foundation for your life (and legacy) that’s rich in every way.

From author and wellness personality Chrissy King, an exciting, genre-redefining narrative mix of memoir, inspiration, and activities and prompts, with timely messages about social and racial justice and how the world needs to move beyond body positivity to something even more exciting and revolutionary: Body liberation.