Fans pick 69 books like Blackened Roots

By Brandon Massey, Nicole Givens Kurtz (editor), Tonia Ransom (editor)

Here are 69 books that Blackened Roots fans have personally recommended if you like Blackened Roots. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of Earthrise

Kyoko M. Author Of The Black Parade

From my list on books to celebrate Juneteenth that aren’t about black pain.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about Juneteenth as a way to celebrate black and African voices, but without it always having to do with the Civil Rights movement or with slavery. Black and African voices deserve to be heard, but they also deserve to write about what they’re passionate about and what they love rather than being constantly pigeonholed into writing about the Civil Rights movement or slavery. I decided to pick books that celebrate black and African voices that still have conflict and an impact on the reader but don’t veer into the often overused black pain trope.

Kyoko's book list on books to celebrate Juneteenth that aren’t about black pain

Kyoko M. Why did Kyoko love this book?

I liked this book because it’s off the beaten path. It’s amazing to me that the author at some point mentioned she’s never seen the Firefly series, yet this book really does evoke that kind of story in a good way. It has to do with a fun, colorful bunch of crooks on a rickety ship that take on a new member who turns out to land them in a world of trouble.

I really loved the voice of the main lead, given that she’s a tough lady, but she also has vulnerable sides too. The crew all have well-defined roles and personalities and the plot is enjoyable. It also has elements from harem and josei manga/anime, which is right up my alley. 

By M.C.A. Hogarth, Julie Dillon (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Earthrise as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Reese Eddings has enough to do keeping her rattletrap merchant vessel, the TMS Earthrise, profitable enough to pay food for herself and her micro-crew. So when a mysterious benefactor from her past shows up demanding she rescue a man from slavers, her first reaction is to say “NO!” And then to remember that she sort of promised to repay the loan. But she doesn’t remember signing up to tangle with pirates and slavers over a space elf prince....

Book 1 of the Her Instruments trilogy is a space operatic adventure set in the Peltedverse, and kicks off your adventure into…


Book cover of Muscadine Wine

Kyoko M. Author Of The Black Parade

From my list on books to celebrate Juneteenth that aren’t about black pain.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about Juneteenth as a way to celebrate black and African voices, but without it always having to do with the Civil Rights movement or with slavery. Black and African voices deserve to be heard, but they also deserve to write about what they’re passionate about and what they love rather than being constantly pigeonholed into writing about the Civil Rights movement or slavery. I decided to pick books that celebrate black and African voices that still have conflict and an impact on the reader but don’t veer into the often overused black pain trope.

Kyoko's book list on books to celebrate Juneteenth that aren’t about black pain

Kyoko M. Why did Kyoko love this book?

Muscadine Wine is a love letter to the South and to romance. It’s a collection of stories that really show the charm and complications of living in the South. Someone once called it supernatural soul and I think that’s a great way to describe it.

I’ve lived in Georgia my whole life, so it was really nice to see landmarks and other things that I know even though this is set in decades past, as plenty of things endure through time. It also has some great folklore to it, which is one of Milton J. Davis’ specialties in his books.  

By Milton J. Davis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Muscadine Wine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Lightning bugs on a summer evening. A lazy river filled from a spring rain. The taste of honeysuckles. The aroma of wild grapes ripe on the vine. A collection of fantasy and contemporary fiction stories set in Southwest Georgia based on the experiences of author Milton J. Davis, Muscadine Wine is a personal homage to the land and Black people of South Georgia.


Book cover of Better Angels

Kyoko M. Author Of The Black Parade

From my list on books to celebrate Juneteenth that aren’t about black pain.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about Juneteenth as a way to celebrate black and African voices, but without it always having to do with the Civil Rights movement or with slavery. Black and African voices deserve to be heard, but they also deserve to write about what they’re passionate about and what they love rather than being constantly pigeonholed into writing about the Civil Rights movement or slavery. I decided to pick books that celebrate black and African voices that still have conflict and an impact on the reader but don’t veer into the often overused black pain trope.

Kyoko's book list on books to celebrate Juneteenth that aren’t about black pain

Kyoko M. Why did Kyoko love this book?

This book is a fantastic story that’s a throwback to noir and espionage. I loved the vibrant voice and the distinct characters, as well as the storyline itself. It has one of my favorite voices in the narration, often witty, vulgar, and insightful. It’s definitely a book of mystery and intrigue with plenty of humor to make it enjoyable, too. 

By Geoffrey Thorne,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Better Angels as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE PLAN: Scam the Russians out of some loot and drugs; skip town before they know they’ve been fleeced.THE PROBLEM: Your partner pulls a double cross. Your girlfriend is totally useless. The Russians comingfor their property, ahead of schedule. THE SNAG: This guy Max shows up with his Hard Guy attitude and quick fists. Better remember the first rule in GRAY HARBORMAKE SURE THE GUY HOLDING THE GUN IS YOU.


Book cover of When Night Falls: Book One Of The Three Gifts

Kyoko M. Author Of The Black Parade

From my list on books to celebrate Juneteenth that aren’t about black pain.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about Juneteenth as a way to celebrate black and African voices, but without it always having to do with the Civil Rights movement or with slavery. Black and African voices deserve to be heard, but they also deserve to write about what they’re passionate about and what they love rather than being constantly pigeonholed into writing about the Civil Rights movement or slavery. I decided to pick books that celebrate black and African voices that still have conflict and an impact on the reader but don’t veer into the often overused black pain trope.

Kyoko's book list on books to celebrate Juneteenth that aren’t about black pain

Kyoko M. Why did Kyoko love this book?

An excellent fantasy tale with loads of great imagery and a very distinct narrative voice. It blends some of the best kinds of epic and high fantasy together. It also has very intricate and interesting lore to its story and characters that I couldn’t put down.

I loved seeing the creativity in how his world was formed and how it operates. Coleman is really able to paint a picture that’s beautiful and unique. 

By Gerald L. Coleman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked When Night Falls as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Times Bestselling Author, Andrew Hartley calls it "Vast and thoroughly realized. Rich and sweeping: a true epic!"

Book Description:

We rarely consider the reputation of our age. An ordinary one, for most of us, would suffice. You might be an Empress too concerned with the affairs of State, a soldier focused on your duty, a former rascal trying to find redemption, or even a great warrior too busy with your command to know that there are whispers being spoken in late-night taverns. But what happens when your ordinary age stops being so ordinary? What happens when dark, twisted…


Book cover of The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States

Steven Rogers Author Of A Letter to My White Friends and Colleagues: What You Can Do Right Now to Help the Black Community

From my list on reasons behind the enormous racial wealth gap.

Why am I passionate about this?

Steven Rogers is a retired professor from Harvard Business School (HBS) where he created a new course titled, “Black Business Leaders and Entrepreneurship.” He has written more HBS case studies with Black protagonists than anyone in the world. He is an HBS and Williams College alum. He majored in Black history. He has taught at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and West Point U.S. Military Academy. He has published 3 books including Entrepreneurial Finance (4 editions), Successful Black Entrepreneurs, and A Letter to my White Friends and Colleagues: What You Can Do Now to Help the Black Community.

Steven's book list on reasons behind the enormous racial wealth gap

Steven Rogers Why did Steven love this book?

After interviewing me for my new book in May 2021, the editor of a suburban newspaper in Chicago asked me to write an Op Ed piece about the new federal holiday, Juneteenth. It is the day of recognition and celebration of the ending of slavery in the last confederate state of Texas in 1865. My Op Ed piece titled, “My Bittersweet Feelings About Juneteenth,” was written to inform and educate adult readers about June 19, 1865. That was the day Union Troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and began informing Black enslaved people that they were officially emancipated. 

The Juneteenth Story is a well-researched and beautifully written historical depiction of the same event. But the targeted audience of readers are children. It is the size of a large typical children’s coloring book filled with pretty colors and appealing graphic art. My 40-year-old daughter, Akilah, gave it to me as a Father’s…

By Alliah L. Agostini,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Juneteenth Story as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 6, 7, 8, and 9.

What is this book about?

With colorful illustrations and a timeline, this introductory history of Juneteenth for kids details the evolution of the holiday commemorating the date the enslaved people of Texas first learned of their freedom​.

On June 19, 1865—more than two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation—the enslaved people of Texas first learned of their freedom. That day became a day of remembrance and celebration that changed and grew from year to year.

Learn about the events that led to emancipation and why it took so long for the enslaved people in Texas to hear the news. The first Juneteenth began as “Jubilee…


Book cover of On Juneteenth

Nina Silber Author Of This War Ain't Over: Fighting the Civil War in New Deal America

From my list on the ongoing legacy of the American Civil War.

Why am I passionate about this?

Having grown up visiting lots of historic sites – and hearing my father sing old Civil War tunes (frequently off-key!) on long car trips – I gravitated pretty quickly to studying the Civil War, and its aftermath, when I was in college and then in graduate school. I was particularly interested in the way Americans experienced the Civil War after it was over: the sentimental novels they read; the romantic movies they watched; the reconstructed battlefields they visited. In my work as a professor at Boston University, I try to get students to think about the stories that do, and do not, get told about the Civil War and other events from the past. I suppose the question that always piqued my interest was why people might find the often wildly inaccurate versions of the past so appealing.

Nina's book list on the ongoing legacy of the American Civil War

Nina Silber Why did Nina love this book?

In this brief and powerful book, esteemed historian Annette Gordon-Reed focuses on “Juneteenth”, the day (June 19, 1865) when enslaved workers in Texas were declared free by the Union Army following the conclusion of the Civil War. For Gordon-Reed, a black Texas woman, Juneteenth, recently declared a federal holiday, offers a starting point for pondering the legacy of slavery and emancipation for Afro-Texans and for thinking more broadly about the tension between history and myth. In the course of all this, Gordon-Reed tells her own personal story about navigating the often fraught terrain of her state’s legacy of racial exploitation.

By Annette Gordon-Reed,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked On Juneteenth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Interweaving American history, dramatic family chronicle and searing episodes of memoir, On Juneteenth recounts the origins of the holiday that celebrates the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. A descendant of enslaved people brought to Texas in the 1850s, Annette Gordon-Reed, explores the legacies of the holiday.

From the earliest presence of black people in Texas-in the 1500s, well before enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown-to the day in Galveston on 19 June 1865, when General Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery, Gordon-Reed's insightful and inspiring essays present the saga of a "frontier" peopled by…


Book cover of Slices of Flesh

Fred Wiehe Author Of Holiday Madness: 13 Dark Tales for Halloween, Christmas & All Occasions

From my list on horror collections and anthologies guaranteed to scare.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a member of the Horror Writers Association and have been a professional writer since 1997. I got into writing horror because I love reading horror and watching horror movies. Even as a kid, I watched horror movies on Saturday afternoons and read horror books late at night—under the covers, with a flashlight. I collected Universal monster models as a kid too and still have my collection and have even added to it. I love all things horror and believe I have a deep understanding of what scares people and how to scare them. I guarantee that the books on my list will scare you to the bone.

Fred's book list on horror collections and anthologies guaranteed to scare

Fred Wiehe Why did Fred love this book?

Get your horror on! This collection of flash fiction will activate your taste buds like zombies drawn to fresh brains. These stories oozed from the brains of some of the best horror writers from around the world, the likes of Ramsey Campbell, Nate Kenyon, Tim Lebbon, William F. Nolan, Eric Guignard, Lisa Morton, Jack Ketchum, Nancy Kilpatrick, Del Howison, (yours truly) Fred Wiehe, and many more. Also, Mike Mignola of Hell Boy fame designed the cover art! I was honored to be included in this anthology and thoroughly enjoyed reading the other stories by these masters of horror.

By Stan Swanson (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Slices of Flesh as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Do you like your horror in small bite-sized chunks? If so, then SLICES OF FLESH from Dark Moon Books will activate your taste buds like zombies drawn to fresh brains. These flash fiction stories oozed from the brains of some of the best horror writers from around the world and will fit perfectly into your daily diet of "scary." SLICES OF FLESH includes the following short horror tales: Acceptance (Reesa Brown), Air Baby (Stephen Volk), All Paths Lead to Psychopath (Sephera Giron), Althea's Mistake (Jennifer Word), Angst (Fran Friel), The Bastard Called Hope (Jennifer Brozek), Big Bite (Rick Hautala), Blame…


Book cover of Urban Gridlock

David A. Simpson Author Of Convoy of Carnage

From my list on zombies from someone who loves old monster movies.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been an avid horror fan since staying up late and watching old monster movies on the television when I was a kid. Zombies were always my favorite and after reading hundreds of zombie books I thought I could write with a unique perspective. Drawing from years of military, trucking, and prepping experience, I wrote the Zombie Road series as a tale that offered more hope than doom and gloom. Most of the characters are based on real people so they have real personalities, real hopes and dreams, and real flaws. If you decide to read the series and want to be surprised by the story arc, don’t read too many reviews, just dive right in. 

David's book list on zombies from someone who loves old monster movies

David A. Simpson Why did David love this book?

Jaime is a newcomer in the writing world but you wouldn’t know that by reading her books. Her Chronicles of the Undead series starts out on day one and captures all of the chaos and uncertainty and violence of a zombie outbreak. The book centers on two men caught up in the chaos at their construction jobs in downtown Cleveland. It’s a classic tale of finding safety, finding their families, and doing what needs to be done. As of summer 2020, there are two books in the series but she is writing more and I can’t wait to read the next one.

By Jaime Hernandez,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Urban Gridlock as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

They were average people caught in a deadly time.

Lifelong best friends Max and Jesse are six stories high working a construction job, when the gates of Hell explode in downtown Cleveland. They bear witness to the furious beginning of the Zombie Apocalypse. Trapped in the middle of the city, the pair must fight their way back to the only thing that matters… their families.

As the two struggle to make their way out of the city, their families must do whatever is necessary to survive. Max’s family is in a race against time to fortify their suburban castle against…


Book cover of The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead

Steven J. Kirsh Author Of Parenting in the Zombie Apocalypse: The Psychology of Raising Children in a Time of Horror

From my list on surviving a zombie apocalypse.

Why am I passionate about this?

Like many of my generation, my formal introduction to the zombie genre started with George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. Stories of the zombie apocalypse, and the arterial sprays, dismemberments, and eviscerations that accompanied it, have fascinated me ever since. But, I'm also a psychology professor. Although I was initially captivated by the carnage of the undead, I quickly found that the mindsets of the survivors were equally fascinating. More than anything, I love seeing how fictional worlds represent real-world psychological concepts.

Steven's book list on surviving a zombie apocalypse

Steven J. Kirsh Why did Steven love this book?

I will never survive a zombie apocalypse. I'm pretty sure my last words will be, "OMG, Zombies! I'm going to take a selfie! Arrgghh." But for those with good sense and practical intelligence, plans for defeating the undead will need to be developed and set in motion. That's where The Zombie Survival Guide comes in. Max Brooks' offering is a fascinating "how-to guide" for living in a world overrun with the living dead. This book has it all, from weapons and combat techniques to offensive and defensive strategies. The information in this book is invaluable for those prepping for the inevitable plaque of the undead. 

By Max Brooks,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Zombie Survival Guide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don't be reckless with you most precious asset - life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it.

It covers everything you need to know, from how to understand zombie behaviour to survival in any territory or terrain.

The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead.

It might just save your life.

'A bloody-minded, strait-laced manual for evading the grasp of the undead.' Time Out

'So meticulous and well researched that…


Book cover of The Rising

Stacy Kingsley Author Of Zombies Are People Too!

From my list on zombies that stick with you and give you nightmares.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have read over 50 zombie novels and watched pretty much every zombie movie available to me. I write horror and a lot doesn’t really scare me anymore. The books I’ve listed are some of the ones that have stuck with me and gave me nightmares. My favorite zombie movies are the Norwegian film Dead Snow, Train to Busan, and REC (so scary as it added religion to the mix). I read a lot of zombie novels as research for my own zombie novels as I want my books to present new ideas that aren’t readily available, or overused.

Stacy's book list on zombies that stick with you and give you nightmares

Stacy Kingsley Why did Stacy love this book?

The Rising was one of the first zombie books I read after a while and it was interesting. It went beyond what people expected or thought they wanted from zombie novels. It was less Night of the Living Dead and more Day of the Dead with killing, and mutilations, and suspenseful expectations that no one really thought could be met. 

By Brian Keene,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Rising as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The classic that helped start a pop culture phenomenon - back in print and UNCUT!

Since it's 2003 debut, Brian Keene's THE RISING is one of the best-selling zombie novels of all-time. It has been translated into over a dozen languages, inspired the works of other authors and filmmakers, and has become a cultural touchstone for an entire generation of horror fans.

THE RISING is the story of Jim Thurmond, a determined father battling his way across a post-apocalyptic zombie landscape, to find his young son. Accompanied by Martin, a preacher still holding to his faith, and Frankie, a recovering…


Book cover of Earthrise
Book cover of Muscadine Wine
Book cover of Better Angels

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,546

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in zombies, African diaspora, and presidential biography?

Zombies 139 books
African Diaspora 24 books