BIPOC author who was first published when they were under 40 years of age - Extreme Reader 2025Like this list

28 items

• All My Rage

  Tahir, Sabaa,

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  Acclaimed fantasy author Tahir (An Ember in the Ashes series) makes her contemporary-fiction debut with this novel about estranged friends Salahudin and Noor, who are finding their way back to each other—or not—in the wake of Salahudin's…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Banyan Moon

  Thai, Thao,

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  Three Vietnamese American women mourning the death of the family matriarch recount their lives and childhoods at a crumbling, gothic manor called Banyan House, where the secrets of her grandmother's past come to light.

• The Black Flamingo

  Atta, Dean,

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  "Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London. All his life, he's navigated what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican--but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough. As he gets older, Michael's coming out is only the start of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Celestial Bodies

  Alharthi, Jokha,

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  In the village of al-Awafi in Oman, we encounter three sisters: Mayya, who marries after a heartbreak; Asma, who marries from a sense of duty; and Khawla, who chooses to refuse all offers and await a reunion with the man she loves, who has…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Come and Get It

  Reid, Kiley,

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  It's 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie Cousins, a senior resident assistant, wants to graduate, get a job, and buy a house. When Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and writer, offers Millie an easy yet unusual opportunity, she…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Hate U Give

  Thomas, Angie,

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  After witnessing her friend's death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter's life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died.

• Hijab Butch Blues

  H, Lamya,

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  Lamya H. debuts with a thoughtful examination of her queer South Asian identity and Islamic faith. The narrative is profoundly emotional, and Lamya's determination to fight for a better world hits home

• ¡Hola Papi!

  How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons

  Brammer, John Paul, 1991-

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  The popular LGBTQ advice columnist and writer presents a memoir-in-essays chronicling his journey growing up as a queer, mixed-race kid in America's heartland to becoming the "Chicano Carrie Bradshaw" of his generation.

• How the Word Is Passed

  a Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America

  Smith, Clint,

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  Clint Smith's revealing, contemporary portrait of America as a slave owning nation. Beginning in his own hometown of New Orleans, Smith leads the reader through an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks - those that are honest about…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

  Sánchez, Erika L.,

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  When the sister who delighted their parents by her faithful embrace of Mexican culture dies in a tragic accident, Julia, who longs to go to college and move into a home of her own, discovers from mutual friends that her sister may not have…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kindred

  Butler, Octavia E.

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  Butler's most celebrated, critically acclaimed work tells the story of Dana, a young black woman who is suddenly and inexplicably transported from her home in 1970s California to the pre–Civil War South.

• A Knock at Midnight

  a Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom

  Barnett, Brittany K.,

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  An urgent call to free those buried alive by America's legal system, and an inspiring true story about unwavering belief in humanity-from a gifted young lawyer and important new voice in the movement to transform the system. Brittany K.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Little Devil in America

  Notes in Praise of Black Performance

  Abdurraqib, Hanif, 1983-

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  A Little Devil in America is an urgent project that unravels all modes and methods of black performance, in this moment when black performers are coming to terms with their value, reception, and immense impact on America. With sharp…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Meaty

  Essays

  Irby, Samantha,

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  Updated with her favorite Instagramable, couch-friendly recipes, this much-beloved romp is a treat for anyone in dire need of Irby's infamous, scathing wit and poignant candor.

• The Ministry of Time

  Bradley, Kaliane,

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  British Cambodian writer Bradley's clever debut features time travel, romance, cloak-and-dagger plotting, and a critique of the British Empire. The unnamed narrator, who works as a translator for Britain's Ministry of Defence sometime in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Nuclear Family

  Han, Joseph,

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  A stunning take on identity and migration told through the multiple perspectives of a Korean American family.

• Oye

  Mogollon, Melissa,

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  A Florida high school senior is pushed, by her cantankerous Colombian-American mother, into the role of caretaker for her grandmother.

• Pet

  Emezi, Akwaeke,

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  There are no monsters anymore. In the city of Lucille, Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. Then Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Reluctant Fundamentalist

  Hamid, Mohsin, 1971-

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  A metafictional novel about a young, Pakistani man's reckoning with his own identity and existence in New Yrok City post-9/11.

• Rental House

  Wang, Weike,

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  A married couple from New York City face pressure from their culturally different in-laws and others on two separate vacations. Rife with family drama and biting prose.