10 Afrofuturist Books to Educate and Inspire
BY: KAYLA CABAN
Afrofuturism can be defined as a cultural movement that uses the framework of science fiction and fantasy to reinvent Black existence and possibilities. In essence, it allows people to imagine a better future than one’s past or current state – giving Black communities a sense of agency by allowing them to both shape and control a world with themselves at the center.
Afrofuturism can be expressed through art, cinema, literature, music, etc. Here is a list of ten books to introduce and enthrall you in the world of Afrofuturism.
1. Patternmaster, Octavia Butler
2. Blood Colony, Tananarive Due
Patternmaster is the first in Octavia Butler’s Patternist series, a selection of novels that outline a secret history from the time of Ancient Egypt to the far future. Patternmaster takes place in a distant future where the world is conquered by oppressive telepaths. Consequently, the oppressive regime enslaves those who lack psychic abilities. A story of political and familial division, cruelty and resilience, Paternmaster is a captivating novel that serves as an exemplar model of Afrofuturist literature.
Tananarive Due’s Blood Colony follows the story of a hidden African clan that has survived for more than a thousand years. Despite their immortality, the group now faces one of the most difficult and tragic issues of our time: the AIDS/HIV pandemic. Blood Colony centers on the story of Fana Wolde, a seventeen-year-old immortal who has the power to heal and read minds. When her mortal friend is captured by Fana’s own family, Fana is determined to rectify her family’s wrongdoings. In doing so, she becomes part of an underground network of smugglers who are being slaughtered by an ancient sect of immortals fixated on sustaining “Glow,” a drug that is said to heal almost any illness.
3. An Unkindness of Ghosts, Rivers Solomon
An Unkindness of Ghosts takes place aboard the H.S.S. Matilda, a space shuttle organized much like the antebellum South. Aster, the novel’s protagonist, aims to uncover the truth about her Mother’s death while trying to survive through the racially segregated hierarchy of the H.S.S. Matilda.
4. Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora, Sheree R. Thomas
Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora is an anthology of quintessential Afrofuturist voices such as Octavia E. Butler, Tananarive Due, and Jewelle Gomez. Through stories, essays and novel excerpts, Dark Matter provides a wealth of knowledge, vision and craft that is found in the stories by Black speculative fiction and sci-fi writers.
5. Brown Girl in the Ring, Nalo Hopkinson
Deriving influence from Afro-Caribbean lore and traditions, Nalo Hopkinson’s Brown Girl in the Ring introduces elements of magical realism to a dystopian vision of downtown Toronto. Ti-Jeanne is a single mother living with her grandmother, Gros-Jeanne who is a spiritualist and herbalist. When Tony, the baby's father, is in trouble, Ti-Jeanne is forced to come to terms with her heritage and embrace her grandmother’s spirituality, which she had previously rejected
6. Shuri: The Search for Black Panther
While Shuri, T’Challa’s younger sister, first appeared in comics in 2005, it wasn’t until 2018 when Marvel published her first solo series titled Shuri: The Search for Black Panther. Written by Nnedi Okorafor, SHURI is a coming of age story focused on Shuri dealing with her brother’s absence from the throne. Though Shuri is most comfortable working with technology in her lab, she is now tasked with protecting and leading Wakanda. Is she up to the challenge?
7. Binti, Nnedi Okorafor
Written by the same author as Shuri: The Search for Black Panther, Nnedi Okorafor, Binti is about a teenage runaway who sneaks off of her planet to attend Oozma University. Being the first in her family to attend a prestigious university and leave the planet, Binti must navigate unfamiliar lands on her own. However, her pursuit of learning is interrupted by the Meduse, an alien race who seek to destroy her university and reclaim an artifact that was stolen from them.
8. The Fifth Season, NK Jemisin
NK Jemisin’s The Fifth Season is a post-apocalyptic story that introduces environmental issues and exquisite world building. This tale revolves around characters who are tied to earth by powers that allow them to manipulate the planet in both great and terrible ways. Questioning structures of power, The Fifth Season explores themes of race, gender, class, love and revenge – making for a captivating tale that exists at the intersection of Afrofuturism and fantasy.
9. The Galaxy Game, Karen Lord
Karen Lord’s The Galaxy Game follows the story of Rafi, a fourteen year old boy who attends Lyceum, a school for the psionically gifted. Though his abilities have the power to benefit others, they also have the potential to control people; this causes much contention, as some view his gifts as a threat that need to be contained. While at school, Rafi makes friends with Serendipity and Ntenman who, unlike Rafi, come from communities where such abilities are valued. When seething tensions between rival star-faring civilizations erupt, the three friends are forced to accept and master their powers as they embark on an adventure that presents them with new opportunities and dangers alike.
10. Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture, Ytasha L. Womack
Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture is an engaging, contemporary introduction to the music, literature and art of Afrofuturism. Touching upon figures of the past and present, Ytasha Womack constructs a holistic landscape of the diverse practices achieved through Afrofuturist frameworks. With a goal to simultaneously entertain and enlighten, this collection outlines how Afrofuturists dismantle racial and social limitations to empower, encourage and liberate Black communities to be authentically themselves.