10 Black Authors Share Their Favorite Books by Fellow Black Writers

"The Women of Brewster Place" ($14, originally $17)

"I'm telling my age here, but it was the television miniseries adaptation — starring Oprah Winfrey, Lynn Whitfield, and Robin Givens — of this novel that led to my discovery of what would become one of my favorite books. I was 12 years old when I watched the miniseries. During the opening credits of part one, I saw that it was based on a novel. I went to the library the next day to check it out and became obsessed with how Naylor crafted the story, which was basically a series of short stories about each woman. They felt so real, and the storytelling was so rich. It was the first character-driven book I ever read. Naylor's writing has haunted me ever since."

— Jumata Emill, author of "The Black Queen" and "Wander in the Dark"