Here for the Joy: 9 Black Joy Books

This book is about Zuri, a little girl who is doing her best to tame her natural locks to for a very special day and a dad who is trying his best to help where he can, even though he knows even less than she does. Not only does this showcase the importance of being proud of your hair, it also showcases a strong loving relationship between a little girl and her dad, something that we don’t see a lot of in literature when we really should.

This book, told in verse, highlights the importance of a young Black boy or man having a fly haircut. I know that there are a lot of books about embracing your hair for little Black girls out there, like the one mentioned above. But hair is also important to little Black boys and the barbershop is a important part of their upbringing since it gives them a safe space to explore creativity with their hair.

When Eddie’s summer long procrastination of not doing his laundry is finally caught by his mom, he is stuck doing it while the super fun Beach Bash is going on. Mid-cycle the power goes out, and he goes out to explore what could have happened. Outside he finds a handful of other kids who also skipped the party and they slowly realize that they are the only people left in their neighborhood and maybe the world. A new friendship circle, summer shenanigans, and a possible apocalypse? Sign me up!

MaKayla is looking forward to the summer and competing with her double-dutch team at Madison Square Garden’s National Jump-Off. So, she is not happy when she finds out that she has to go stay with her aunt and snooty cousin, Sally, in the South. Hope springs eternal when she finds out that double-dutch is big there, so the cousins put aside their issues to put together a team, and complete. Double-dutch is huge in the Black community and books like this help to highlight this and how fun it can be.

This anthology of short stories from some of the best known voices in youth literature is exactly what its title implies: joyful. The stories here vary from picking out outfits for the first day of school to finding your voice and standing up for what’s right and is sure to bring a smile to everyone’s faces.

Ever since her parents divorced, Evie no longer believes in love. So she is a bit flummoxed when she suddenly develops the power to see how a couple’s love story will play out if she witnesses them kissing. When a set of circumstances lead her to enter a dance competition for the La Brea Dance studio, she meets X and, despite her best efforts, is drawn to him. However, will she risk her heart for a chance at love, even when she knows what the outcome will be?

Tessa is a budding writer who was recently accepted in the writing program at a prestigious arts academy. Of course, that is also when she’s hit with the worst case of Writer’s Block she’s ever had. Together with her friend, she comes up with a “Romcom Checklist” to not only help bring her muse back but catch the eye of Nico, a fellow student. However, as she goes through the list, she begins to notice that her friend and neighbor, Sam, may actually be the hero of this romance.

After celebrity chef Evie is pushed by a former vindictive competitor, she wakes up with no memory of who she is and anything about her past. Not wanting this to get out, her publicist arranges for her to return to the ranch she grew up at, hoping this will help to jog her memory and give them time to come with a plan. Her ranch family opens their arms to welcome her back, eager to help as they can. This is especially true of Zach, her first love who sees this as an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and give them both a second chance at romance.

D’Vaughn and Kris are paired together for the reality show Instant I Do and have just six weeks to convince their families that they are in love and going to get married. The chemistry between the two of them is undeniable so selling that part is an easy feat. What’s trickier is knowing if the other person is really in it for love or for the money, because both women are finding that they are quickly falling for one another.