5 Books That Bring Forgotten Voices to Life
Historical Fiction Recommendations
Historical fiction has the unique power to revive the past, allowing us to experience the wins, struggles, and resilient nature of those who came before us.
It’s important not just this month for Black History Month, but every month that we celebrate the stories of remarkable Black women throughout history.
I did want to address a comment I received about a historical fiction book I recommended taking liberties with the real-life story. We need to acknowledge how few records we have about women in history. Many of these stories would never be told if we needed the complete plot with all the gaps filled in.
According to Dr. Bettany Hughes, she says “that women have always been 50 percent of the population, but only occupy around 0.5 percent of recorded history.” While I think it is more to make a point than an measurable statistic, the point is made.
Sometimes in order to highlight their amazing stories the vehicle of historical fiction need to be used to bring them to life. And personally, I’m ok with that if it gives a glimpse of their contributions to history.
Also, many historical fiction stories, I believe, are meant to help us think outside of what we have previously felt and viewed history, as well as how we live based on our view of the world. Let these stories be thought-provoking and see what lessons the universe gives you from the words on the page.
Choose the authors you want to read wisely, research for yourself, and enjoy the story.
I also chose to highlight as many books as I can that are written by amazing women. I hope you will show them and their books much deserved support and love. Even if you are reading your books from library, taking a second to leave a review, shout out the book in your newsletter or share a photo on social media can give it such a boost.
Let’s spread the love.🫶
The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander by Denny S. Bryce
Inspired by a real-life scandal that was shocking even for the tumultuous Roaring Twenties, this captivating novel tells the story of a pioneering Black journalist, a secret interracial marriage among the New York elite, and the sensational divorce case that ignited an explosive battle over race and class—and brought together three very different women fighting for justice, legitimacy, and the futures they risked everything to shape.
New York, 1924. Born to English immigrants who’ve built a comfortable life, idealistic Alice Jones longs for the kind of true love her mother and father have. She believes she’s found it with Leonard “Kip” Rhinelander, the shy heir to his prominent white family’s real estate fortune. Alice too, is “white”, though she is vaguely aware of rumors that question her ancestry—gossip her parents dismiss. But when the lovers secretly wed, Kip’s parents threaten his inheritance unless he annuls the marriage.
Devastated but determined, Alice faces overwhelming odds both legally and in the merciless court of public opinion. But there is one person who can either help her—or shatter her hopes for good: Reporter Marvel Cunningham. The proud daughter of an accomplished Black family, Marvel lives to chronicle social change and the Harlem Renaissance’s fiery creativity.
At first, Marvel sees Alice’s case as a tabloid sensation generated by a self-hating woman who failed to “pass.” But the deeper she investigates, the more she will recognize just how much she and Alice have in common. For Rhinelander vs. Rhinelander will bring to light stunning truths that will force both women to confront who they are, and who they can be, in a world that is all too quick to judge.
💌I’ve got this in my TBR stack.
Check it out on Amazon or on Bookshop.org
A Right Worthy Woman: A Novel by Ruth P. Watson
A “remarkable and stirring novel” (Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author) based on the inspiring true story of Virginia’s Black Wall Street and the indomitable Maggie Lena Walker, the daughter of a formerly enslaved woman who became the first Black woman to establish and preside over a bank in the United States.
Maggie Lena Walker was ambitious and unafraid. Her childhood in 19th-century Virginia helping her mother with her laundry service opened her eyes to the overwhelming discrepancy between the Black residents and her mother’s affluent white clients. She vowed to not only secure the same kind of home and finery for herself, but she would also help others in her community achieve the same.
With her single-minded determination, Maggie buckled down and went from schoolteacher to secretary-treasurer of the Independent Order of St. Luke, founder of a newspaper, a bank, and a department store where Black customers were treated with respect. With the help of influential friends like W.E.B. DuBois and Mary McLeod, she revolutionized Richmond in ways that are still felt today.
💌This book is fantastic! A must-read.
Check it out on Amazon or on Bookshop.org
The Undertaker's Assistant by Amanda Skenandore
Set in Reconstruction-era New Orleans, this captivating novel tells the story of Effie Jones, a young woman who returns to the South after being trained as an embalmer in the North. Armed with her unusual profession and her freedom, Effie navigates the complex social and racial landscape of post-Civil War New Orleans while searching for clues to her past. The novel masterfully weaves together themes of identity, belonging, and the challenge of building a new life in a rapidly changing world.
💌 I highly recommend this book for it’s unique premise. It was one of my favorites the year it released.
Check it out on Amazon or on Bookshop.org
My Name Is Ona Judge by Suzette D. Harrison
A completely heartbreaking tale of love, loss and redemption, based on an astonishing true story from the founding of America.
New Hampshire, 1796. “My name is Ona Judge, and I escaped from the household of the President of the United States. I was the favored maid of George and Martha Washington, but they deemed me a slave and thought me property, and I hear ten dollars is offered as reward for my capture. Now I must write the truth that I have lived, and tell my story…”
Chincoteague, Virginia, present day. Rain soaks Tessa Scott as she runs from her car to the old, vine-covered property she has been called to survey. She’s too busy to accept a new job, but doing this favor for the grandmother of her childhood sweetheart delays a painful decision she must make about a future with her controlling boyfriend.
But when Tessa finds a tattered journal carefully hidden inside the house’s ancient fireplace, the tragic story of how Ona was ripped from her mother’s arms to live and work in the palatial Mount Vernon, and the heart-shattering betrayal that led her to risk her life and run, has Tessa spellbound. Could discovering this forgotten scandal at the heart of her nation’s history force her to confront her own story? As she races to reach the final page, will anything prepare her for the desperate moment when Ona’s captors find her again? Will it inspire Tessa to take ownership of her own life and set herself free?
💌Also in my TBR stack.
Check it out on Amazon (available in KU) or on Bookshop.org
The Other Princess: A Novel by Denny S. Bryce
A stunning portrait of an African princess raised in Queen Victoria’s court and adapting to life in Victorian England—based on the real-life story of a recently rediscovered historical figure, Sarah Forbes Bonetta.
With a brilliant mind and a fierce will to survive, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a kidnapped African princess, is rescued from enslavement at seven years old and presented to Queen Victoria as a “gift.” To the Queen, the girl is an exotic trophy to be trotted out for the entertainment of the royal court and to showcase Victoria’s magnanimity. Sarah charms most of the people she meets, even those who would cast her aside. Her keen intelligence and her aptitude for languages and musical composition helps Sarah navigate the Victorian era as an outsider given insider privileges.
But embedded in Sarah’s past is her destiny. Haunted by visions of destruction and decapitations, she desperately seeks a place, a home she will never run from, never fear, a refuge from nightmares and memories of death.
From West Africa to Windsor Castle to Sierra Leone, to St. James's Palace, and the Lagos Colony, Sarah juggles the power and pitfalls of a royal upbringing as she battles racism and systematic oppression on her way to living a life worthy of a Yoruba princess.
Based on the real life of Queen Victoria’s Black goddaughter, Sarah Forbes Bonetta’s story is a sweeping saga of an African princess in Victorian England and West Africa, as she searches for a home, family, love, and identity.
💌 This is such a heart-breaking story, but very inspiring.
Check it out on Amazon or on Bookshop.org (the e-book is currently on sale for $1.99)
Let’s celebrate these amazing women in history and be inspired to endeavor to leave a legacy as powerful as they did.
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Such great recommendations! I think I need to do some reshuffling to the order of my ever-growing TBR pile…
Adding these to my TBR pile.